How to Prevent Others From Pinning or Unpinning Apps From the Windows Taskbar
Pinning and unpinning the Windows taskbar apps is easy and has some benefits. For example, pinning items to the taskbar makes those apps easily accessible. Meanwhile, unpinning taskbar items can help you avoid taskbar clutter.
However, it’s frustrating when others randomly pin and unpin taskbar apps without your permission.
To resolve this issue, we’ll show you the various ways to prevent others from pinning and unpinning taskbar apps.
How to Prevent Others From Pinning Apps to the Taskbar
To prevent others from pinning apps to the taskbar, you can use either the Local Group Policy Editor or the Registry Editor. So, let’s explore both methods.
Using the Local Group Policy Editor (LGPE)
You can always rely on the LGPE whenever you want to troubleshoot system issues or tweak some settings. This tool can also help youblock access to the mouse pointer settingsand other tools.
The only problem is that the LGPE isn’t available on the Windows Home Edition. Fortunately, there is a workaround foraccessing the LGPE on Windows Home. But if that sounds too complicated for you, you can skip straight to the “Registry Editor” method.
Now, here’s how to prevent others from pinning apps to the taskbar using the LGPE:
Next, selectEnabledin the top-left corner of the screen. Finally, pressApplyand then pressOK.
Thinking of changing these settings at a later stage? Here’s what you need to do:
In some instances, you might want to configure these settings for the Microsoft Store only. In this case, here are the steps to follow:
To prevent others from pinning the Microsoft Store to the taskbar, selectEnabledon the next screen. Otherwise, select eitherNot ConfiguredorDisabledto allow others to pin this item.
Using the Registry Editor
Instead of using the LGPE, you could also check out the Registry Editor. However, if you tweak the wrong keys, you might end up harming your device. So, the best thing to do is toback up the Registrybefore you proceed.
From there, follow these steps to prevent others from pinning items to the taskbar:
Locate theExplorerkey within the Windows folder (key). If the Explorer key is missing, right-click on theWindowsfolder and selectNew > Key. From there, name the key asExplorer.
Next, click theExplorerkey and then right-click on a blank space on the right-hand side. From there, selectNew > DWORD (32-bit) Valueand then name the value asNoPinningToTaskbar.
To prevent others from pinning taskbar items, double-click on theNoPinningToTaskbarvalue and set theValue datato1. PressOKand then close the Registry Editor when you finish.
To allow others to pin items to the taskbar, follow the previous steps and set NoPinningToTaskbar’sValue datato0(zero).
To apply these changes to the Microsoft Store only, follow these steps:
To allow others to pin the Microsoft Store, double-click theNoPinningStoreToTaskbarvalue and set theValue datato1. Otherwise, set theValue datato0if you don’t want others to pin this app to the taskbar.
How to Prevent Others From Unpinning Apps From the Taskbar
Now, how do you prevent others from unpinning apps from the taskbar? Let’s find out:
Using the Local Group Policy Editor
Here’s how to prevent others from unpinning apps on the taskbar using the LGPE:
From there, selectEnabledto prevent others from unpinning taskbar items. Finally, pressApplyand then pressOK.
To change these settings at a later stage, follow these steps:
Alternatively, you may use the Registry Editor to prevent others from unpinning taskbar apps:
Next, right-click on a blank space on the right-hand side and selectNew > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name this value asTaskbarNoPinnedList.
To prevent others from unpinning items, double-click on theTaskbarNoPinnedListvalue and set theValue datato1. PressOKand then close the Registry Editor when you finish.
To allow others to unpin items from the taskbar, apply the previous steps but set NoPinningToTaskbar’sValue datato0(zero).
No One Will Tamper With Your Taskbar Apps Anymore
The Windows taskbar makes it easy for you to access most of the apps on your device. Now, do you want to prevent others from pinning or unpinning taskbar items? Go ahead and apply any of the methods we’ve covered.
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