In this article, I will show you how to disable taskbar settings using Intune. We will configure a policy that will prevent users from changing the taskbar settings using Intune configuration profiles.
You might be aware that you can now import ADMX templates into Intune. This is a huge benefit for Intune admins because it means they can use these settings to make a device configuration policy and then assign that policy to the devices they manage.
The taskbar settings on Windows allow you to customize many settings which include:
- Lock the taskbar.
- Hide the taskbar.
- Show badges on taskbar buttons.
- Enable or disable taskbar items such as Search, Task View, Widgets, Chat icon and much more.
Few organizations prefer not to allow users to customize the taskbar settings. This is done to make sure that all desktops and laptops have the same icons and settings in the taskbar. In Windows 11, there are a lot of taskbar customization options, and you can prevent users from changing the taskbar settings via Intune.
You can make use of Group Policy as an alternate way to prevent changes to taskbar and start menu settings. You can use the GPO method if your company does not use Intune. To put it simply, what we’re attempting to do is prevent any user from opening Taskbar Properties and making any changes.
By turning on the setting Prevent Changes to Taskbar and Start Menu Settings in the settings catalog for Intune, you can disable or lock all taskbar settings. Ensure you have a basic understanding of creating settings catalog policy in Intune.
How to Disable Taskbar Settings using Intune
Let’s look at the steps to disable taskbar settings using Intune:
- First, sign in to the Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin center (Intune Portal).
- Go to Devices > Windows > Configuration Profiles.
- On Configuration Profiles page, select Create Profile.
On create a profile page, the device configuration profile applies for Windows 10 and later and select the profile type as Settings Catalog. Click Create.
On the Basics tab of the Create Profile page, specify the name of the profile as “Prevent Taskbar Changes using Intune” or something similar. You may add a brief description about the profile. Click Next.
On the Configuration Settings section, under Settings Catalog, click Add Settings. Settings catalog in Intune include several settings for Taskbar and Menu settings and allows you to enable and configure those settings.
On the Settings picker window, type “Taskbar” in the search box and click Search. From the search results, select Administrative Templates/Start Menu and Taskbar. From the list of settings, select “Prevent changes to Taskbar and Start Menu Settings (User)“. Close the Settings Picker.
Prevent changes to Taskbar and Start Menu Settings (User): This policy setting allows you to prevent changes to Taskbar and Start Menu Settings. If you enable this policy setting, the user will be prevented from opening the Taskbar Properties dialog box. If the user right-clicks the taskbar and then clicks Properties, a message appears explaining that a setting prevents the action.
To enable this setting, move the slider to Enabled and click Next.
In Intune, Scope tags determine which objects admins can see. On the Scope tags section, you specify scope tags. Click Next.
In the Assignments window, specify the groups to which you want to apply this policy. I advise disabling the taskbar settings on a small number of test users first, and then rolling it out to more users if the testing is successful.
On the Review + Create page, review all the settings that you have defined to disable the taskbar settings via Intune and select Create.
After you create a configuration policy in Intune, a notification appears “Policy created successfully“. This confirms the policy is created and is being applied to groups that we selected. The new profile that we created to disable taskbar settings appears under list of Configuration Profiles in Intune.
You must wait for the policy to apply to the targeted groups and once the devices check-in with the Intune service they will receive your profile settings. You can also force sync Intune policies on your computers. To monitor the deployment, select the policy and review the Device and user check-in status.
End-User Experience
Let’s check to see if the policy is being applied to devices and what users see when they access the taskbar settings after you have successfully deployed the Intune device configuration profile to disable taskbar settings.
Right-click on the Windows taskbar and select Taskbar settings. A restriction box pops up with the following message: This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator. This confirms the taskbar settings are disabled, and users will not have any access to change the taskbar and start menu settings.
