Tick the radio button to Enabled, and the text box under Options will become editable.ģ. Navigate to Computer Configuration | Administrative Templates | Control Panel, and locate the Settings Page Visibility policy. Make sure you do so with an account that has rights to edit the policy.Ģ. Launch the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC). Lock down individual Settings panes through Group Policyġ. Luckily, as of Windows 10 build 1703, Microsoft added the required policy templates to Group Policy in an effort to prevent unauthorized access to the individual panes, or the entire Settings app (Figure A). Even in single user environments, it would behoove systems administrators to lockdown unnecessary panes in addition to securing those panes which IT specifically wishes to keep out of the hands of end-users. This can pose issues for multi-user setups where more than one user will work from a machine. SEE: Windows 10 April 2018 Update: An insider’s guide (free PDF) (TechRepublic) Not all - but many - of these settings do impact other users or the way in which the computer operates itself. With this in mind, the Settings app can be used by any user on the computer to modify critical (and not so critical) settings. While the Control Panel is still available, Microsoft defaults to using Settings as the means of controlling the OS’s configuration. Must-read Windows coverageĭefend your network with Microsoft outside-in security services The Settings app is a perfect example of this, not just redesigning but completely rewriting the application that handles configuration changes that affect users on the computer and in some cases, how the computer behaves. Since releasing Windows 8, Microsoft has modernized many of the commonly-used applications that come pre-installed with each iteration of Windows. Here's how to prevent unauthorized changes to how the OS operates. Microsoft's streamlined Settings application lets users modify vital Windows 10 components.

How to lock down the Settings app in Windows 10

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