Will Windows updates re‑enable the Home page?

Policy‑backed settings survive updates. After major feature releases, re‑validate the setting as part of your regular pilot testing.

Can I scope this to specific users only?

Yes. Apply the setting through a User‑Configuration GPO or create the HKCU SettingsPageVisibility value for the targeted accounts.

Is there a way to display only selected Settings pages?

Yes. Use the showonly:system;bluetooth;network;privacy syntax to display only selected Settings pages, but apply it sparingly due to the access limitations it introduces..

Can I deploy this via Intune or another MDM?

Yes. Based on testing on recent Windows 11 builds, using hide:home has been observed to hide the Settings Home page and cause the Settings app to open directly to a specific category.

Does hiding the Settings Home page affect Windows 11 performance or resource usage?

No. The Settings Home page visibility display configuration only changes the UI layout and will not use additional services or consume extra resources.

Manage the Settings Home Page Visibility (Windows 11)

Instant Summary

This NinjaOne blog post offers a comprehensive basic CMD commands list and deep dive into Windows commands with over 70 essential cmd commands for both beginners and advanced users. It explains practical command prompt commands for file management, directory navigation, network troubleshooting, disk operations, and automation with real examples to improve productivity. Whether you’re learning foundational cmd commands or mastering advanced Windows CLI tools, this guide helps you use the Command Prompt more effectively.

Key Points

The Settings Home page displays device information and settings that administrators may want to hide for selected users.
The value SettingsPageVisibility in the registry can be configured via the Registry or PowerShell to enforce this policy in managed environments.
After editing, sign out/in or restart Explorer to confirm if changes have been applied.

IT administrators may choose to hide the Home page in Settings to streamline the user experience or limit access to system or device settings. This guide explains how to configure the SettingsPageVisibility in the registry to enforce this policy across managed endpoints.

Methods for disabling the Home page in Settings

Before you begin, verify that you have all the necessary components to apply and test the registry change safely.

Local administrator rights on each target device.
Group Policy Editor access (gpedit.msc) for GPO configuration method.
Test or pilot system to validate the action and ensure other settings are not affected.

Once you’re set, use the table to quickly navigate to your preferred activation steps.

Click to Choose a Method	💻 Best for Individual Users	💻💻💻 Best for Enterprises
Method 1: Windows Registry	✓	✓
Method 2: Group Policy		✓
Method 3: PowerShell	✓	✓

Method 1: Configure SettingsPageVisibility values in the registry

These steps can be used by advanced users to configure personal and managed devices. It’s also an excellent alternative for systems without GPO access.

Press Win + R, type regedit, and tap OK to open the Registry Editor.
Navigate to the following registry path. If the Explorer key does not exist, create it manually under Policies:

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

Within the Explorer key, create a new String Value (REG_SZ) named SettingsPageVisibility, or modify it if it already exists.
Set the Value data to: hide:home. This configuration hides the Settings Home page and opens the Settings app directly to a specific category (such as System).
Close the Registry Editor and sign out and sign back in, or restart the Explorer process, to apply the change.

Editing the registry can cause system issues. Create a registry backup before proceeding.

Method 2: Hide Settings Home page via Group Policy

The Local Group Policy Editor is exclusive to Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education editions. If a conflict is detected between two policies, the local policy will be overruled by Group Policy in Active Directory.

Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and tap OK to open the Group Policy Editor.
Go to Computer Configuration or User Configuration → Administrative Templates → Control Panel.
Open Settings Page Visibility.
Set to Enabled, and in the options box, enter: hide:home.
Click OK, then Apply.

The hide:home syntax must be entered exactly as shown. It will instruct Windows to hide only the Home entry while leaving all other pages accessible. Instead of hiding just ‘Home’, you can use the showonly:system (or bluetooth, network, privacy) syntax to display only a curated set, but use it sparingly because it limits access and may confuse users.

You can run gpupdate /force to apply the changes immediately. Otherwise, the new configuration will be applied on the next update interval. You can refer to this GPUpdate video guide for reference.

Method 3: Disable the Home page in Settings via a PowerShell script

First, open an elevated PowerShell session on the target machine.

If missing, create the Explorer key first: New-Item -Path 'HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies' -Name Explorer -Force | Out-Null
Then, add the SettingsPageVisibility value: New-ItemProperty -Path 'HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer' -Name 'SettingsPageVisibility' -PropertyType String -Value 'hide:home' -Force | Out-Null
Sign out and sign back in, or restart Explorer with Stop-Process -Name explorer -Force; Start-Process explorer to apply the change.

For a machine‑wide deployment, repeat the same commands using the HKLM hive (HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer) and run PowerShell as Administrator.

This script may run or fail without displaying any confirmation or prompt. To confirm if changes have been applied successfully, check the corresponding registry keys or system settings.

Validate and rollback the SettingsPageVisibility configuration

After applying the change, open Settings to confirm the Home page is gone while other pages remain accessible. If you need to revert, simply delete the SettingsPageVisibility value (or set it to an empty string) and sign out/in or restart Explorer. This restores the default Home page instantly.

Things to look out for when configuring Settings visibility

Below are common risks, their possible consequences, and some practical ways to reverse or prevent issues.

Risks	Potential Consequences	Reversals
Applying the setting at the wrong scope (HKCU vs. HKLM)	Only some users see the change, leading to an inconsistent experience	Verify scope before editing; use HKCU for per‑user, HKLM for all users
Overriding GPO with a higher‑priority policy	Registry change is overridden, causing confusion	Review GPO hierarchy; set the same value in the appropriate GPO or disable conflicting policies
Overusing the showonly: syntax excessively	Users lose access to needed Settings pages, increasing support tickets	Limit showonly: to essential pages, validate on a pilot device, and ensure a rollback path is available before broad rollout

Applying policy instead of ad‑hoc edits gives consistency and auditability, and keeping rollback steps enables quick recovery and reduces downtime.

Disabling the Windows 11 Settings Home page for managed endpoints

By configuring the SettingsPageVisibility value in the registry, administrators can influence how the Windows 11 Settings app is presented to users, including hiding the Home page in some Windows 11 builds.

For at-scale enforcement of this policy, you can use Group Policy, the registry, or PowerShell, depending on the availability of these tools or an equivalent deployment function via Intune or an RMM. Apply the change in a testing environment or a controlled segment, validate the UI, and document the changes to enable swift reversion if needed.

Related topics: