How to Hide a Specific Settings Category for Standard Users on Windows 11

IT administrators and power users often need to restrict access to specific parts of Windows 11 Settings for standard user accounts. A common requirement is hiding a single category, such as the Personalization page, from users who should not change desktop backgrounds or themes. This restriction prevents accidental or intentional modifications to system configuration without affecting other settings. The Group Policy Editor and Registry Editor are the two built-in methods to hide a specific Settings category on Windows 11.

How Windows 11 Settings Page Visibility Works

Windows 11 Settings app uses a URI-based navigation system. Each Settings category has a unique page identifier, such as ms-settings:personalization for Personalization or ms-settings:network for Network and Internet. The Page Visibility policy in Group Policy or the corresponding registry value lets you control which of these URIs are shown to users.

The policy accepts two modes:

Show only specified pages. Enter a list of URIs separated by semicolons. Only those pages appear in Settings. All other categories are hidden. This mode is useful when you want to limit users to a very small set of options.

Hide specified pages. Prefix a URI with hide:. For example, hide:ms-settings:personalization hides only the Personalization category while keeping every other category visible. This mode is the correct choice when you need to hide a single category.

You can combine both modes in one policy string, but for hiding a single category, the hide prefix is simpler. The policy applies to all users on the computer, including standard users and administrators. To target only standard users, apply the policy to the computer and ensure the affected users do not have administrative rights to override it.

Use Group Policy to Hide a Specific Settings Category

This method works on Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions. Windows 11 Home does not include the Group Policy Editor. If you use Windows 11 Home, skip to the Registry method below.

1. Open the Local Group Policy Editor
   Press Windows + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter. If User Account Control prompts you, click Yes.
2. Navigate to the Page Visibility policy
   Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel. In the right pane, double-click Settings Page Visibility.
3. Enable the policy
   Select Enabled. This activates the page visibility settings.
4. Enter the hide command for the target category
   In the Settings Page Visibility text box, type hide:ms-settings:personalization to hide the Personalization category. Replace personalization with the URI of the category you want to hide. A list of common URIs is provided in the next section.
5. Apply and close
   Click OK, then close the Group Policy Editor. The change takes effect immediately on most systems. Standard users who log in next will not see the hidden category in the Settings app.

Common Settings Page URIs for Windows 11

Replace the URI in the hide command with the correct identifier for the category you want to hide:

• ms-settings:personalization – Personalization (themes, background, colors)
• ms-settings:network – Network and Internet
• ms-settings:bluetooth – Bluetooth and Devices
• ms-settings:privacy – Privacy and Security
• ms-settings:windowsupdate – Windows Update
• ms-settings:apps – Apps
• ms-settings:accounts – Accounts
• ms-settings:system – System (display, sound, notifications)

To hide multiple categories, separate each hide command with a semicolon. For example: hide:ms-settings:personalization;hide:ms-settings:network hides both Personalization and Network and Internet.

Use the Registry to Hide a Specific Settings Category

The Registry method works on all Windows 11 editions, including Home. It applies the same page visibility rules as Group Policy. Use this method when Group Policy is not available or when you need to deploy the setting via a script.

1. Open Registry Editor
   Press Windows + R, type regedit, and press Enter. Click Yes when User Account Control appears.
2. Navigate to the Policies key
   Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer. If the Explorer key does not exist, right-click Policies, select New > Key, and name it Explorer.
3. Create or modify the SettingsPageVisibility value
   Right-click in the right pane, select New > String Value, and name it SettingsPageVisibility. If the value already exists, double-click it to edit.
4. Enter the hide command
   In the Value data field, type hide:ms-settings:personalization (or the URI of your target category). Click OK.
5. Restart the Settings app or sign out
   Close Registry Editor. For the change to take effect, standard users must sign out and sign back in. Alternatively, restart the Settings app from Task Manager if you are testing on an admin account.

To remove the restriction later, delete the SettingsPageVisibility value or set the value data to an empty string. The Settings app will then show all categories again.

Common Issues When Hiding a Settings Category

The hidden category still appears after applying the policy

This issue usually occurs when the policy string contains a typo or an incorrect URI. Verify the URI spelling in the Group Policy or Registry value. The URI must match the exact category identifier. Also confirm that the policy is enabled in Group Policy and not set to Not Configured. In the Registry, ensure the value name is spelled SettingsPageVisibility with no spaces.

The policy hides all Settings pages instead of just one

This happens when you enter a page URI without the hide: prefix. A string like ms-settings:personalization tells Windows to show only that page, hiding everything else. Always prefix the URI with hide: when you want to remove only one category. If you already made this mistake, edit the policy or registry value and add the prefix.

Standard users can still open the hidden page via a direct link

The Page Visibility policy only hides the category from the Settings app navigation. It does not block the underlying URI. A standard user who knows the direct ms-settings URI can still open the page by typing it into the Run dialog or a browser address bar. To fully block access, combine this policy with AppLocker or a third-party restriction tool that prevents execution of specific ms-settings URIs.

Group Policy vs Registry: Which Method to Use

Item	Group Policy Editor	Registry Editor
Windows edition support	Pro, Enterprise, Education	All editions including Home
Deployment method	Local or domain-based GPO	Manual or script via .reg file
Immediate effect	Yes, after policy refresh	After sign-out or Settings restart
Ease of management	Graphical UI with clear options	Requires manual key navigation
Risk of error	Low if URI is correct	Higher due to manual typing

Both methods produce the same end result. Choose Group Policy if you manage multiple computers or prefer a graphical interface. Choose the Registry method for quick testing on a single machine or when deploying to Windows 11 Home systems.

You can now hide a specific Settings category for standard users using either Group Policy or the Registry. Test the change on a non-administrator account to verify the category is hidden. For broader restrictions, consider combining this with AppLocker to block direct ms-settings URI access. A practical next step is to export the registry key as a .reg file for deployment across multiple computers.