Preventing Access to Settings App and Control Panel on Windows

If you're sharing a computer or managing one as an administrator, you might want to restrict access to the settings app and control panel to prevent misconfiguration. Here's how you can do it on Windows 10 and Windows 11.

For Windows Pro Edition

1. Login as Administrator: Ensure you're logged into your PC as an administrator.
2. Access Group Policy:
   • Click the Start menu button.
   • Type gpedit and select "Edit Group Policy".
3. Configure Local Group Policy:
   • In the Local Group Policy Editor, navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel.
   • Double-click the "Prohibit access to Control Panel and PC settings" in the right pane.
   • Set the policy to "Enabled", then click "Apply", and "OK".
4. Effect:
   • Switch to a standard user account to see the policy in action: No access to settings app and control panel.
5. Re-enable Access:
   • Repeat the steps above, but set the policy to "Not Configured".

For Windows Home Edition

1. Prepare User Accounts:
   • Ensure all standard users are logged out.
   • Log in as an administrator.
   • Temporarily change the standard user account type to administrator via Settings > Accounts > Other Users.
2. Modify Windows Registry:
   • Switch to the user account now set as an administrator.
   • Open "Registry Editor" by typing regedit in the Start menu.
3. Add Registry Key:
   • Navigate to:

     HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies
     

   • Right-click "Policies", select "New" > "Key" and name it Explorer.
   • Right-click the "Explorer" key, select "New" > "DWORD (32-bit) Value", and name it NoControlPanel.
   • Set the value for NoControlPanel to 1.
4. Effect:
   • Attempting to open the settings app or control panel will now be blocked.
   • Note: A restart may be required for changes to take effect on Windows 10 or older versions.
5. Restore User Account:
   • Log out and back in as an administrator, and change the user type back to a standard user.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can effectively prevent access to the settings app and control panel, enhancing security on your shared or managed computers.