Posts Tagged ‘lock start menu layout’

Windows 10 Start Menu: Restrict User from Rearranging or Unpinning Tiles

April 26th, 2016 by Admin

Is there a way to prevent users unpinning tiles (apps/programs) from Start Menu? You need to lock the Start Menu layout in order to restrict users from customizing or altering it. In previous post we’ve covered a registry hack to lock the Start Menu layout. Here we’ll show you another two ways to restrict users from rearranging, pinning or unpinning tiles from Start Menu in Windows 10.

unpin-from-start

Method 1: Lock Start Menu Layout via Group Policy

The Group Policy Editor is not available in Windows 10 Home. If you’re running the Home edition, please check out Method 2 below.

  1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type gpedit.msc and hit Enter to access the Local Group Policy Editor.
  2. If you want to lock the Start Menu layout for all users, navigate to:
    Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar

    computer-start-layout

    If you just want to lock the Start Menu layout for the currently logged on user, navigate to:
    User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar > Start Layout

    user-start-layout

  3. On the right-side of Local Group Policy Editor, double-click the entry labelled Start Layout to open its properties, select Enabled, and then click Apply.

    enable-start-layout

  4. Reboot your PC to apply the changes. From now on, you couldn’t alter the Start Menu layout, pin a program to Start Menu, or unpin a tile.

    locked-start-menu

Method 2: Lock Start Menu Layout via Registry Editor

  1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type regedit and hit Enter to access the Registry Editor.
  2. If you want to lock the Start Menu layout for all users, navigate to:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer

    If you just want to lock the Start Menu layout for the currently logged on user, navigate to:
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer

    Note: If the Explorer subkey doesn’t exist, create it (from the Edit menu, select New > Key and type “Explorer” without the quotes).

  3. From the right pane, right-click in the empty area and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Give the new registry value a name: LockedStartLayout. Double-click the created value, set it to 1, then click OK.

    LockedStartLayout

  4. Restart the Explorer or reboot your PC to apply the changes. That’s it!

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How to Lock the Start Menu Layout from Being Changed in Windows 10

November 22nd, 2014 by Admin

With Windows 10, the Start button and the traditional Start Menu are back, and it’s much more customizable than it ever has been before. In our previous post we’ve covered how to customize the Start Menu in Windows 10. After personalizing and organizing the Start Menu, you might want to lock the Start Menu layout to prevent any accidental changes. Here are 2 simple ways to lock the Start Menu layout.

Method 1: Using GPO to Lock the Start Menu Layout from Being Changed

  1. Open the Local Group Policy Editor and go to: User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Start Menu and Taskbar. On the right-pane, double-click on the “Prevent users from customizing their Start Screen” policy to edit it.

  2. Select the Enabled radio button and click on Apply.

  3. That’s it! Restart the system and now you will be unable to Pin / unpin items to the Start Menu.

Method 2: Using Registry Hack to Lock the Start Menu Layout from Being Changed

  1. Press the Windows key + R to bring up the Run box. Type regedit and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
  2. Navigate to the following registry key:
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies
    In left-side pane, right-click on Policies and select “New -> Key” and give it name Explorer.
  3. Now right-click on the right-side pane, and then create a new 32-bit DWORD and name it NoChangeStartMenu, and set the value to 1.

  4. That’s it. You will need to restart your system for the changes to come into effect. Your current user should be unable to rearrange the Start Menu layout, pin or unpin items to or from Start Menu. This trick also works with Windows 8.1 and Windows 8.

This method will lock the Start Menu layout only for your current user. If you want to lock the layout for all users, just navigate to the registry location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies, then repeat the same steps above to create a NoChangeStartMenu entry and it will work.

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Posted in Tips & Tricks, Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8

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