Key Points
Turn Online Tips On or Off in Windows 10 Settings
- Online Tips in Settings can be controlled using Group Policy or Registry Editor, depending on the Windows edition in use.
- Policy changes may not apply or persist due to system restarts, missing registry keys, or higher-level domain policies.
- Some tips are built into the Windows interface and cannot be fully disabled through policy or registry settings.
This is a straightforward guide to enabling or disabling Windows settings online tips and provides troubleshooting tips tailored for IT professionals managing multiple systems.
To recap, one of the many built-in features of Windows 10 is the inclusion of online tips, suggestions, and help content embedded into the Settings app. These tips are pulled from Microsoft’s servers and intended to offer helpful context about available features or suggest related settings a user might want to explore. As seen from its name, Windows settings online tips are not static elements— they are dynamic and constantly changing based on diagnostic data and user behavior.
These online tips can appear in various ways, such as;
- Highlighted boxes prompting users to try new features
- Sidebars suggesting additional settings
- Hyperlinks that lead to Microsoft’s online documentation
While these tips can be beneficial, they may not always be desirable in professional or managed IT environments. MSPs and IT admins may prefer to disable this feature to limit unnecessary network traffic or prevent Microsoft from collecting and using personal data. See the data collection summary for Windows here.
For a visual guide, watch our video on how to enable or disable online tips and help for settings app in Windows 10.
How to enable or disable online tips in settings
Method 1: Using Group Policy Editor (for Windows 10 Pro & Enterprise only)
- Open the Group Policy Editor.
Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.
If you’re still experiencing issues, we recommend checking out this guide, “How to Get to the Group Policy Editor in Windows 10”.
- Navigate to the Settings Page Visibility policy.
Navigate to the following path: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Allow Online Tips
- Modify the policy.
Double-click on the Allow Online Tips in the right-hand pane. Set the policy to Enabled.
- Apply the changes.
Click Apply, then Ok.
- Restart your computer.
Restart your system to ensure that changes are applied. Alternatively, you can open Command Prompt as an administrator and run gpupdate /force to immediately enforce the policy.
Method 2: Using the Registry Editor (for Windows 10 Home & all versions)
- Open the Registry Editor.
Press Windows + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
- Navigate to the Explorer Policies key.
Inside Registry Editor, browse to the following keys: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
And
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PolicyManager\default\Settings\AllowOnlineTips
- Modify or create the “AllowOnlineTips” value
Look for a DWORD value named AllowOnlineTips (if you followed the first key string ending with \Explorer. If you used the second string ending with \AllowOnlineTips, you should be in the needed key already.) If you cannot find it:
- Right-click on an empty space and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
- Name the new value AllowOnlineTips.
Set the value based on your desired configuration:
- 1: Enables online tips (default behavior)
- 0: Disables online tips
Click Ok to confirm.
- Apply the changes.
Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer for the changes to take effect. The setting should now apply system-wide, including non-admin users.
Alternative method in Windows 10 settings to disable tips and tricks
If you don’t want to fully disable online tips and tricks but still want to reduce Microsoft’s data usage and tracking, you can adjust related privacy settings. Keep in mind that this method, while viable, is not as effective as the Group Policy or Registry methods but may be suitable in some environments.
Open Settings > Privacy > Diagnostics & feedback and turn off the following options:
- Tailored experiences with diagnostic data: Disables Microsoft’s ability to personalize tips based on device usage.
- Improve inking and typing: Limits how much diagnostic data Microsoft can use to generate suggestions related to input methods. We’ve discussed this in more detail in this guide, “How to Turn On or Off Improve Inking & Typing Recognition in Windows 10”.
Troubleshooting & common issues
The table below describes the most common issues users encounter when managing online tips or snippets in Settings.
| Issue | Why this happens | How to resolve it |
| Group Policy Editor is not available | The Group Policy Editor is a built-in feature in Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions. It is not available if you’re using Windows 10 Home. | Use the Registry Editor method instead. It provides equivalent control over online tips and works across all editions of Windows 10, including Home. |
| Registry changes are not taking effect | This typically happens if you haven’t rebooted your system after making changes. Alternatively, there can be a syntax error in the registry value or key. | Double-check that you’ve created the AllowOnlineTips DWORD (32-bit) value exactly as named. Ensure it’s located under: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PolicyManager\default\Settings\AllowOnlineTips Set the value to 0 to disable tips. From there, restart your system to apply the change. |
| Group Policy settings are not applying | This can occur when policy changes are overridden by higher-level domain policies in the Active Directory environments. | Open an elevated Command Prompt and run: gpudate /force. If you’re in a domain environment, check with your system administrator to ensure local policies aren’t being overridden by domain-level GPOs. |
| Still seeing some tips after disabling | Not all tips are retrieved online. Some online tips are embedded within the Windows UI and function independently of online content. | Unfortunately, built-in UI tips cannot be disabled using the Group Policy or Registry Editor. However, disabling telemetry-related settings (such as tailored experiences) may reduce these occurrences. We recommend using kiosk mode or device lockdown configurations to completely suppress online tips. |
| Explorer key missing in the Registry | This key is not created by default unless specific policies or settings require it. It must | Right-click on Policies, select New > Key, and name it Explorer. Once created, you can proceed to add the AllowOnlineTips DWORD value inside it. |
| Policy settings are reverted after reboot | Sometimes, a Windows update or reboot resets or overrides certain policy or registry settings, especially if telemetry or sync settings are enabled via a Microsoft account. | After each major Windows update, verify your Group Policy and Registry settings. If you’re using a Microsoft account, consider disabling settings sync under Settings > Accounts > Sync your settings to prevent policy reversal across devices. |
If these remediation steps are ineffective, review policy precedence and verify related settings, especially when transitioning from a major system update.
Related topics:
- How to Enable or Disable Control Panel and Settings in Windows
- How to Configure Device Portal for Desktop on Windows 10 and Windows 11
- How to Back Up and Restore Security and Maintenance Settings for Messages in Windows 10/11
Configure Windows 10 settings: Disable tips and tricks
Online tips and help content in Windows 10 are designed to help users find relevant content based on their previous behavior. However, they can be intrusive in professional environments where you don’t want everyone to know where you’ve been. In this guide, we’ve listed two ways for you to disable online tips to gain greater control over the user experience and help protect privacy.
