Sharing your Windows computer always carries the risk of other people installing unwanted software on it. Sometimes these freedoms also end up compromising your computer. However, you can prevent users from installing apps or software on your Windows 11 PC. This way, you can continue to share your PC with others without letting them install apps or software.
Luckily, Windows 11 offers a few definitive ways to beef up your computer’s guards. In this article, we will share 3 different ways to prevent users from installing new software on your Windows 11 PC. So, without further ado, let’s get to it.
1. Change Account Type to Standard User
There are two main types of accounts for Windows 11 users: administrator and standard user. Both come with a different set of privileges – mainly that allow or prevent making system-level changes, respectively. That said, you can prevent specific users from installing new programs or software by changing their account type to Standard User. This will prevent the user from making system-level changes that affect other user accounts.
Note that only accounts with administrative privileges can change the account type on a Windows computer. Follow the steps below to change user account type on Windows 11.
Step 1: Right-click on the Start icon and select Settings from the menu. Alternatively, you can press Windows Key + I to achieve the same result.
2nd step: Use the left pane to access the Accounts tab. Next, click on the Family option on your right.
Step 3: Click the user account whose account type you want to change.
Step 4: Click Change account type.
Step 5: Use the drop-down menu under Account Type to select Standard User and click OK to save changes.
Similarly, you can repeat the above steps to change the account type of other users on your PC and prevent them from installing new software.
2. Edit Group Policy
The Group Policy Editor on Windows allows you to make various changes at the administrative level. Among several options, there is a dedicated policy to disable Windows Installer, which effectively prevents users from installing new programs and applications.
It is important to note that the Group Policy Editor is only available on Windows Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions. So if you are using Windows 11 home edition, this method will not work for you.
Step 1: Press Windows key + R to launch the Run dialog box. Type gpedit.msc in the Open field and press Enter.
2nd step: In the Local Group Policy Editor window, use the left pane to navigate to the following folder:
Computer ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsWindows Installer
Step 3: Locate and double-click the “Disable Windows Installer” policy on your right.
Step 4: Select Enabled and select Always from the drop-down menu under Disable Windows Installer. Finally, press Apply.
It is more or less that. The policy change should take effect once you restart your PC. If you wish to undo the above change at any time, you can follow the same steps above and select Disabled or Not Configured in Step 4.
3. Edit registry files
Registry files on your PC contain important settings for Windows and its services. Similar to Group Policy, you can also make changes to your PC through Registry Editor to block software installation on Windows 11.
A word of warning. Careless editing or deletion of registry files can cause serious damage to your PC. Therefore, you should only use this method if you are comfortable editing registry files. We recommend backing up registry files or creating a restore point before making any changes.
With that out of the way, here’s how you can prevent users from installing new programs through the Registry Editor.
Step 1: Click the search icon on the taskbar or press Windows key + S to open the search menu. Type registry editor in the box and select Run as administrator.
2nd step: Click Yes when the User Account Control (UAC) prompt appears.
Step 3: Paste the following path into the address bar at the top and press Enter to access the DefaultIcon key.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareClassesMsi.PackageDefaultIcon
Step 4: Double click on the default string value on your right.
Step 5: Paste the following value into the Value data box and press OK.
C:WindowsSystem32msiexec.exe,1
After completing the above steps, restart your PC for the changes to take effect.
Also, if you want to unblock the program installation at any time, you can follow the same steps above and enter the following value in step 5.
C:WindowsSystem32msiexec.exe,0
Prevent future consternation
Apart from the methods listed above, third-party tools can help you block software installation on Windows 11. However, native tools work the best to protect your data, besides ensuring the security and stability of your computer. However, if the other person really wants to try them out, it’s best to switch the Standard user account to Administrator.