Hide Windows Settings Pages Using Regedit

This guide explains how Windows system administrators can control user access to the Windows Settings app by hiding or exposing specific pages through the Windows Registry. By configuring a dedicated policy value in Regedit, administrators can restrict access to sensitive configuration areas, such as Windows Update or Network settings, while keeping essential settings accessible to standard users.

Step 1: Open the Registry Editor

1. Press Win + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog.
2. Type regedit and press Enter (or click OK).
3. If prompted by User Account Control (UAC), click Yes to grant administrative privileges.

Step 2: Navigate to the Explorer Policies Key

In the Registry Editor address bar, paste the following path and press Enter:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

If the Explorer key does not exist under Policies: 1. Right-click the Policies key. 2. Select New > Key. 3. Name the new key Explorer.

Step 3: Create or Modify the SettingsPageVisibility Value

1. Right-click on an empty space in the right pane under the Explorer key.
2. Select New > String Value (REG_SZ).
3. Name the value SettingsPageVisibility.

Step 4: Configure the Value Data

Double-click the SettingsPageVisibility value to edit it. You can configure this setting using two modes:

• Hide Mode (hide:): Hides only the specified pages while leaving all other pages visible.
  • Format: hide:pageURI1;pageURI2;pageURI3
  • Example: hide:windowsupdate;recovery
• Show Only Mode (showonly:): Hides all pages except the ones explicitly listed.
  • Format: showonly:pageURI1;pageURI2;pageURI3
  • Example: showonly:display;bluetooth;network-wifi

Common Settings Page URIs (ms-settings)

Use the following short identifiers (without the ms-settings: prefix) in your string value:

• windowsupdate – Windows Update
• recovery – Recovery options
• display – Display settings
• sound – Sound settings
• bluetooth – Bluetooth & devices
• network-wifi – Wi-Fi settings
• network-ethernet – Ethernet settings
• appsfeatures – Installed apps
• defaultapps – Default apps
• personalization-background – Desktop background
• dateandtime – Date & time

Step 5: Apply and Verify Changes

1. Click OK to save the string value.
2. Close the Registry Editor.
3. Close the Windows Settings app if it was open, then reopen it by pressing Win + I.

The configured pages will now either be hidden from view or exclusively shown based on your chosen rule. To revert the changes at any time, delete the SettingsPageVisibility value or clear its Value data.