One of the good things about Windows 10, Is the array of native options and features that allow you to customize It according to your computing environment. A native app commonly used to configure & customize the OS, Is the
Windows Settings utility. If you're sharing your PC with other users, they can also do the very same and mess up your Implementations. As such, In this tutorial, I will show you
how to block access to Windows Settings & Control Panel.
Before I make a start, here's what I'm referring to In terms of the
Windows Settings. Upon right-clicking on a blank area on your desktop and selecting
Personalize, the utility will open as per the Image below. Beneath this facade, are some very useful tools and settings to configure, troubleshoot and customize the OS.
This Is actually considered a
Control Panel replacement, but It (Control Panel) Is still available In Windows 10, and can be accessed the same way as previous Windows versions. Due to their Interchangeability, I will demonstrate how to block each one by using a neat little tool named
Win10 Settings Blocker that can be downloaded from the
official website, or via this
reputable source.
Essentially, once
Win10 Settings Blocker Is applied, both Control Panel & Windows Settings will be rendered nonfunctional. The process Is very simple and straightforward, so without further delay, let's rip Into this tutorial.
Step One:
Once you've downloaded
Win10 Settings Blocker, there's no need to Install It. Launch the executable file, and select
Block Control Panel as shown below.
Step Two:
Next, simply hit the
Save settings button to finalize the process. This will now block access to both the
Windows Settings and Control Panel.
Step Three:
Let's make sure the changes have taken effect. I'll first try accessing
Windows Settings, by right-clicking on a blank area on my desktop and selecting
Personalize.
Step Four:
As you can see, an
error message has been returned, Indicating that there's no association with the file and the program. Perfect!
Step Five:
Now to test
Control Panel. I've opened the
Run menu, entered
control panel and hit
OK.
Step Six:
As expected, the same
error message as per
Step Four above has been returned. Essentially,
Control Panel cannot be accessed.
Last Step:
To reverse all changes and have Windows Settings & Control Panel functioning normally, select
Disable Blocking via the drop-down menu and hit
Save settings.
Final Thoughts:
The good thing about this tweak, Is not only the fact that It can be enabled & disabled with a few clicks of the mouse, but also the majority of users are not aware of
Win10 Settings Blocker.
As such, they'd most likely search for a native setting In (for example) the
Group Policy Editor, or the
Windows Registry to disable the block. Be sure to keep the tool on your USB Stick, hence can apply It on any PC you like.
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