Remove the settings App but not the Control Panel

[petben]

Hello,

I want staff to be able to use some Control Panel items (sound, printers etc) but I don't want them to have access to the Settings App.

The GPO applicable is 'Disable Control Panel and Settings' (which will remove all access to both, so that's no good.

Then there's the 'Settings Page Visibility' GPO where I can choose which Apps are visible in Settings, but that's a Machine policy, and I don't everything, or anything really, removed from Administrators.

 

any ideas to restrict Settings but not Control Panel for staff?

 

Thanks

[DJ-1701]

This, is one of the biggest Windows 10 pains, as it can only be controlled via Local Machine.

To get around this limitation, what I did was set a registry key that gets applied from Group Policy Preferences with just the pages I wanted them to have access to and set it to always apply.

 

Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Value Name: SettingsPageVisibility 
Value Type: REG_SZ 
Value Setting: ShowOnly:printers;datausage;personalization-start;network-wifisettings;network-wifi

 

When admins login, I set a GPP to delete the key in case we need to change settings.

Edited May 24, 2018 by DJ-1701
Put registry details in CODE tags.

[petben]

Thanks, not too bad, so you can specify parts of the top level items as well?

What would I put in the reg value if I just wanted to allow System/Display, System/Sound and the whole of 'Ease of Access'.

[DJ-1701]

If you scroll down on this page, it should give you the list of names.

 

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-hide-settings-pages-windows-10-creators-update

[petben]

Thanks dj-1701, a great answer. Edugeek is a great resource, issue sorted. Now it’s just the printer deployment problems, you would have thought after 20 years with windows and printers MS would have it flawless by now.... Edited May 24, 2018 by Dos_Box

[Arthur]

If you scroll down on this page, it should give you the list of names.

 

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-hide-settings-pages-windows-10-creators-update

Microsoft have a few more settings names listed on their website (although they are still missing some from the new April Update).

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/uwp/launch-resume/launch-settings-app#ms-settings-uri-scheme-reference

[Arthur]

This, is one of the biggest Windows 10 pains, as it can only be controlled via Local Machine.

Not any more!

 

www.edugeek.net/forums/windows-10/182357-hide-settings-settings-app-new-feature-1703-a-2.html#post1704840

 

[petben]

I have synchronised WSUS and searched for the update KB4458469 but it doesn't appear, does it take time to be released on WSUS?

[petben]

In fact even checking through windows update it doesn't find KB4458469. If I download from the update catalogue and run, it installs fine....

[petben]

I have installed the latest patch on a few workstations (the one above has been replaced by another now) and yes Win10 shows this user 'settings page visibility' setting but despite the DC's applying the comparable 2016 update the domain group policy still does not show that setting....

 

any ideas?

[Arthur]

I have installed the latest patch on a few workstations (the one above has been replaced by another now) and yes Win10 shows this user 'settings page visibility' setting but despite the DC's applying the comparable 2016 update the domain group policy still does not show that setting

You will need to update the ADMXs in your central store.

 

However, Microsoft hasn't released new group policy templates for W10 v1809 and WS2019 so you would need to use the workaround I posted in the other thread (if you don't want to wait for MS?) .

[petben]

Thanks Arthur I thought that but the latest admx are still from july. do I get them off a win10 workstation?

[gmonks]

Thanks Arthur I thought that but the latest admx are still from july. do I get them off a win10 workstation?

 

1803 ADMX files can be downloaded here:

 

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=56880

 

But, as Arthur said, 1809 ones not yet released.

[Arthur]

do I get them off a win10 workstation?

The setting you're after is in the ControlPanel.admx & .adml so you could copy those two files from the local PolicyDefinitions folder to your central store.

 

Another way to do it would be via a GPP registry setting...

 

www.edugeek.net/forums/windows-10/199701-new-windows-10-cumulative-updates-20th-sept-lots-bugs-fixed.html#post1705173

 

I don't think we will have to wait much longer for Microsoft to release the updated 1809/2019 templates on their website.