How to Enable or Disable Pin and Unpin Items on Jump Lists in Windows 11

Jump lists are a convenient Windows feature that lets users quickly access recently or frequently used resources. While it was introduced in Windows 7, the feature remains in Windows 11 because of how streamlined the pinned items on the jump list make navigation.

How to configure the pin and unpin items functions of jump lists

For individual users, the ability to quickly access frequently used resources in an application is crucial for a faster workflow. However, in managed environments, this may not be the case; as such, configuring the ability of users to pin and unpin items is essential to ensure consistency and compliance across their network.

📌 Prerequisites: To use any of the methods below, users need:

• Windows 11 OS
• Administrator privileges (for registry and group policy modifications)

📌 Recommended deployment strategies:

Method 1: Configuring the jump list pins via Group Policy Editor

📌 Use Cases: Use of the Group Policy Editor is ideal for:

• Centralized management for enterprise environments
• Prevention of jump list customization by users
• Enforcement of a standard desktop environment for UX improvement or ensuring compliance across Windows 11 devices

📌 Prerequisite: Users need Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions to use the Group Policy Editor. This method will not work on the Home edition.

To use this method, follow these steps:

1. Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter to launch the Local Group Policy Editor.
2. Navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar.
3. In the right pane, double-click on Do not allow pinning items in jump lists.
4. Select your preferred settings:
   • To disable, select Enabled.
   • To enable, select Not Configured or Disabled..
   • Once you’ve chosen your settings, click Apply, then OK.
5. Restart File Explorer to apply the changes.

💡 Tip: If changes aren’t applied even after rebooting, you might need to force a Group Policy update.

Method 2: Changing the setting using Registry Editor

📌 Use Cases: Modifying the registry is a good option for:

• Advanced users making manual changes to individual devices
• Users with no access to Group Policy Editor (e.g., Home edition users)

⚠️ Warning: Editing the registry can cause system issues. Create a backup before proceeding with this method. Read more about the potential risks of this step in the Things to look out for section.

To use this method, follow these steps:

1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer
   • If the Explorer key does not exist, right-click on Windows, select New > Key, and name it Explorer.
3. In the right pane, right-click and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
4. Name the new value NoPinningToDestinations
5. Configure the value data:
   • Use 1 to disable the pinning and unpinning function.
   • Delete the NoPinningToDestinations value or set its data to 0 to enable the function.
6. Close the Registry Editor.
7. Restart File Explorer to apply changes.

Method 3: Changing jump list settings via Command Prompt

📌 Use Cases: Using the Command Prompt is a good alternative for those who prefer a text-based interface. It is also good for:

• Remote desktop sessions with limited GUI access
• Quick automations for devices using legacy scripting

To use the Command Prompt to modify the pinned items function on jump lists:

⚠️ Important: Make sure that you’re opening Command Prompt as an administrator; otherwise, the method will silently fail.

1. Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
2. Execute the following commands to change your settings for jump list pinned items:
   • To disable pinning and unpinning:
     

     reg add “HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer” /v NoPinningToDestinations /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

   • To enable pinning and unpinning:
     

     reg delete “HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer” /v NoPinningToDestinations /f

3. Restart File Explorer to apply your changes.

Method 4: Using PowerShell to automate jump list pin settings

📌 Use Cases: PowerShell is a powerful tool that’s great for automating tasks.

To use this method, do the following steps:

⚠️ Important: Make sure that you’re opening PowerShell as an administrator; otherwise, the command will fail.

1. Open PowerShell as an administrator.
2. Use the following commands to disable or enable pinned items on jump lists:
   • To disable pinning and unpinning:
     

     Set-ItemProperty -Path “HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer” -Name “NoPinningToDestinations” -Value 1

   • To enable pinning and unpinning:
     

     Remove-ItemProperty -Path “HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer” -Name “NoPinningToDestinations”

3. Reboot your computer for changes to apply.
   

⚠️ Things to look out for

What to consider when editing the jump list settings

When you’re enabling or disabling the function to pin items on the Windows jump list, you need to consider how it will affect your system.

Existing pinned items

Enabling or disabling the function will not affect existing pinned items. You will have to manually add or remove items, whether they’re on the Start menu or taskbar.

Scope of function

This function will affect both your Start menu and taskbar jump lists. If you’re looking to modify only one, deploying any of the methods above may not be the best option.

Enterprise environments

If you use Group Policy, your configuration will be more consistent across user accounts. However, if you need to tweak only one device, consider using other methods.

Streamline your workspace by enabling or disabling pinned items on your jump lists

The jump list is a useful and convenient feature for many users. Since it allows for quicker access to application-related resources. However, giving individual users the ability to modify jump lists may not be ideal for organizational consistency and compliance. By using the methods above, administrators can easily control the modification of pinned items on jump lists across their environment.

Related topics:

• How to Enable or Disable Showing Remote Locations in Jump Lists in Windows
• How to Pin a File, Folder, App or Website to the Taskbar in Windows
• How to Always or Never “Combine Taskbar Buttons and Hide Labels” in Windows 11
• How to Show All Open Windows on the Taskbar for All Desktops in Windows 11
• How to Pin Taskbar Items with PowerShell in Windows
• Enable or Disable Recent Items in Start, Jump Lists, and File Explorer in Windows 11