Restrict Control Panel Access Using Regedit

This article explains how to restrict access to the Windows Control Panel and Settings app for standard users using the Windows Registry Editor (Regedit). By configuring a specific policy key within the registry, system administrators can effectively prevent standard users from altering critical operating system settings.

The Registry Path

To restrict access for the currently logged-in user, navigate to the following path in the Registry Editor:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

To apply this restriction to all users across the entire machine, navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Press Windows Key + R, type regedit, and press Enter to launch the Registry Editor.
  2. Navigate to the Policies key using one of the paths listed above.
  3. If the Explorer key does not exist under Policies, right-click the Policies folder, select New > Key, and name it Explorer.
  4. Select the Explorer key, right-click in the empty space in the right pane, and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
  5. Name the new value NoControlPanel and press Enter.
  6. Double-click NoControlPanel, set the Value data to 1, and click OK.
  7. Sign out of Windows or restart the computer for the policy changes to take effect.

Effect and How to Revert

Once enabled, any attempt by the user to open the Control Panel or the Windows Settings app will display an error message stating that the operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on the computer.

To restore access in the future, navigate back to the same registry location and either change the NoControlPanel value data to 0 or delete the NoControlPanel entry entirely.