Academy
Technical · Course T5

Lesson 2 of 5

The policy lifecycle: clone, edit, version

7 min read
In this lesson you'll learn to
  • Create a policy the WeGuard way — by cloning a compatible template
  • Navigate the editor: header actions, tabs, sidebar, change tracking
  • Review, save, and version changes; transfer and delete safely

WeGuard has one way to make a policy: clone an existing one. No blank-form option exists, and that's deliberate — a clone starts from a configuration that's already valid on real devices. Your account ships with default template policies for every platform and type, so there's always something to clone from.

Creating: the two-step clone

Create Policy opens a dialog: pick a template (searchable, showing type, device count, and last modified), then name the copy. Names must be unique across the entire account — not just the policies your role can see — the name all is reserved, and special characters are rejected. If the template carries WeBox files, you choose which ones transfer. Cloning takes seconds; the new policy appears in the list ready to edit.

Editor anatomy

Click a policy name and the editor opens. Four regions matter:

  • Header — name (hover for inline rename; defaults can't be renamed), platform badge, type, version number, plus actions: refresh, the changes badge, QR code, save, delete.
  • Tab bar — the functional areas. Every platform gets Policy Settings and Devices; Android adds Contacts, Broadcast, Alerts, Certificates; Windows adds WeShield, Screen Time, Advanced Settings (custom OMA-URI/CSP), and CSP History. Several tabs are also plan-gated — a missing tab is often a plans conversation, not a bug.
  • Sidebar — the section list for the platform, with amber badges counting unsaved changes per section.
  • Content area — the fields: toggles, dropdowns, and full custom editors for things like Wi-Fi networks, geofence maps, and layout designers.

Two power tools sit above the content: search, which filters settings by name across every section at once, and the All / Enabled / Disabled / Modified filters. "Modified" is the fastest way to audit exactly what you've touched before saving.

Save is a review, not a button

Every modification is tracked live — fields highlight in amber, the header badge counts them. Save opens the Policy Changes Review dialog listing each change with its old and new value, organized by section. From there:

  • Confirm — commits everything, increments the policy version, and enrolled devices sync the new configuration on their next check-in.
  • Discard — reverts to the last saved state.
  • Cancel — keeps editing.

Unsaved changes live only in your browser session. Refresh or leave the page and they're gone — save before you walk away.

The rest of the lifecycle

Enrollment artifacts come straight from the header QR button: Android gets a scannable QR plus enrollment code, iOS gets an OTA enrollment link, Windows gets the enrollment code and bulk-installer downloads.

Transfers move devices between policies from the Devices tab: select, choose a target, confirm. Targets must be the same platform and a compatible type — DEP devices only transfer to DEP policies — and transfer itself is plan-gated.

Deletion has two hard rules: default policies can't be deleted, and neither can any policy with enrolled devices. Empty it first. And from the policy list, Export downloads a CSV of every policy with name, version, type, and device count — handy for customer audits.

Knowledge check
1. How do you create a policy from scratch in WeGuard?
2. What happens when you confirm the changes review dialog?
3. Why can't you delete a particular policy?