How to prevent others from changing your Windows desktop theme and icons

If you want tips on how to restrict access to desktop icon and theme settings, you've come to the right place. The following article will show you how to disable these settings using Local Group Policy Editor and Registry Editor.

How to prevent others from changing desktop icons

Let's explore first how you can disable desktop icon settings using Local Group Policy Editor and Registry Editor.

Using Local Group Policy Editor

How to prevent others from changing your Windows desktop theme and icons Picture 1

You can edit various Windows settings using the Local Group Policy Editor (LGPE). This incredible tool is available on every version of Windows, except Windows Home.

Fortunately, there are some LPGE tricks you can apply on Windows Home. From there, you will have full access to the tool.

However, applying these LGPE tricks can sometimes take too long. So it's best to go straight to the next method if your device doesn't support LGPE.

If not, here's how you can use LGPE to restrict access to desktop icon settings:

1. Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box.

2. Type gpedit.msc and click OK to open the Local Group Policy Editor.

3. Navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization.

4. Double-click the Prevent changing desktop icons option on the right side.

How to prevent others from changing your Windows desktop theme and icons Picture 2

Next, select Enabled from the options. Finally, click Apply > OK, then restart your computer.

If you want to check if these settings have been applied, here's what you can do:

1. Press Win + I to open system settings.

2. Click the Personalization option and then select Themes on the left pane.

3. Next, click on the Desktop icon settings option on the right hand side.

4. The option that appears on the next screen will be grayed out. This shows that the settings are not accessible and no one can edit them.

If you want to re-enable desktop icon settings, here's what you need to do:

1. Follow the previous steps and double-click the Prevent changing desktop icons option.

2. Next, select the Disabled or Not Configured option.

3. Click Apply > OK. Finally, reboot the device to save these changes.

Using Registry Editor

How to prevent others from changing your Windows desktop theme and icons Picture 3

You can also disable desktop icon settings using Registry Editor. However, Windows Registry Editor contains sensitive keys and should be handled with care.

If you edit the wrong Registry keys, your system may crash. So, just to be safe, back up the Registry before proceeding.

Alternatively, you can back up your entire Windows device to the cloud before dealing with Registry Editor. That way, all your system files will be safe in case something goes wrong with the Registry.

Now, here's how you can restrict access to desktop icon settings using Registry Editor:

1. Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box.

2. Type Regedit and click OK to open the Registry Editor.

3. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Policies > Microsoft > Windows > Personalization.

4. Right-click the empty space on the right-hand side and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.

5. Name the value NoDesktopIcons and then press Enter.

How to prevent others from changing your Windows desktop theme and icons Picture 4

Double-click the NoDesktopIcons value and set the Value data to 1. Click OK and then close the Registry Editor. From there, restart your PC to save these changes.

To re-enable desktop icon settings, here's what you need to do:

1. Follow the previous steps and double-click the NoDesktopIcons value.

2. Set Value data to 0 and then click OK.

3. Finally, close Registry Editor and then restart your device to apply these changes.

How to prevent others from changing your desktop theme

Now, let's discover how you can restrict access to desktop theme settings using LGPE and Registry Editor.

Using Local Group Policy Editor

Here's how you can disable desktop theme settings using Local Group Policy Editor:

1. Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box.

2. Type gpedit.msc and click OK to open the Local Group Policy Editor.

3. Navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization.

4. Double-click the Prevent changing theme option.

How to prevent others from changing your Windows desktop theme and icons Picture 5

Next, select the Enabled option. From there, click Apply > OK, and then restart the computer.

Now, here's how you can confirm if these settings have been applied:

1. Press Win + I to open System Settings.

2. Click the Personalization option and then select Themes on the left pane. The options that appear on the next screen will be grayed out.

In case you decide to re-enable desktop theme settings, follow these steps:

1. Open the Personalization option according to the previous steps.

2. Double-click the Prevent changing theme option and select the Disabled or Not Configured option.

3. Click Apply > OK, then reboot the device to save these changes.

Using Registry Editor

Alternatively, you can use Registry Editor to restrict access to desktop theme settings. Let's see how you can do this:

1. Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box.

2. Type Regedit and click OK to open the Registry Editor.

3. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Policies > Microsoft > Windows > Personalization.

4. Right-click the empty space on the right-hand side and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.

5. Name the value NoThemes and then press Enter.

How to prevent others from changing your Windows desktop theme and icons Picture 6

Double-click the NoThemes value and set the Value data to 1. Click OK and then close the Registry Editor. Finally, restart your PC to save these changes.

To re-enable desktop theme settings, follow these steps:

1. Open the Personalization key (folder) according to the previous steps.

2. Double click the NoThemes value and set the Value data to 0.

3. Click OK, close Registry Editor, and then restart the device to save these changes.

Sharing Windows devices with others is pretty cool. However, it can be quite annoying if other users keep changing your system settings.

If you want to restrict access to desktop icons and theme settings, try the solutions mentioned in the article. From there, you can check out other amazing tips like how to customize your icons and themes.

4 ★ | 1 Vote

May be interested

  • Theme Win 10 - How to install and use the Theme on Windows 10Theme Win 10 - How to install and use the Theme on Windows 10
    theme win 10 - how to install and use the theme on windows 10. changing the theme on windows 10 is a way to help us personalize the interface of the computer to become more beautiful, consistent with your own preferences. previously on windows 7 we could too
  • 3 ways to remove the green check mark on Windows desktop icons3 ways to remove the green check mark on Windows desktop icons
    green check marks on your windows desktop icons show the sync status with cloud services - usually microsoft onedrive because it's built into windows. while helpful, these can be distracting.
  • Arrange desktop icons horizontally on Windows and Mac computersArrange desktop icons horizontally on Windows and Mac computers
    today's tipsmake will show you how to arrange icons on the desktop of your windows or mac computer horizontally. this operation is not simple. if you use windows, you will have to change some settings first, then you can drag and drop icons horizontally.
  • How to Change or Create Desktop Icons on WindowsHow to Change or Create Desktop Icons on Windows
    today's wikihow will show you how to change the icons that appear on your windows computer screen. you can change to another icon system, download it, or create your own icons. additionally, you can add your own custom shortcuts to your desktop, change the icons, and even remove the arrow on the shortcut icon.
  • How to Arrange Icons on the Desktop HorizontallyHow to Arrange Icons on the Desktop Horizontally
    today's tipsmake will show you how to arrange the icons on the desktop of your windows or mac computer horizontally. this operation is not easy, if you use windows, you will have to change some settings first, then you can drag and drop icons horizontally.
  • Fix error of not displaying icons on Windows desktopFix error of not displaying icons on Windows desktop
    while using windows, some of you often encounter the situation where all the icons on the desktop are lost and not displayed. in the following article tipsmake will guide you how to fix it, please follow us.
  • How to hide desktop icons on Ubuntu 20.04How to hide desktop icons on Ubuntu 20.04
    if you find hiding the top toolbar and side panel isn't enough and want everything to disappear from your ubuntu desktop, then you may want to get rid of those annoying icons from its surface.
  • How to Change or Create Desktop Icons for WindowsHow to Change or Create Desktop Icons for Windows
    this wikihow teaches you how to change a desktop icon's appearance on windows, both by changing the icon to a different system icon and by downloading or creating your own icon. you can also add your own custom shortcuts to the desktop,...
  • Prevent Windows 10 from syncing themes between devicesPrevent Windows 10 from syncing themes between devices
    if you are using a microsoft account to log in to windows 10, the operating system will sync themes between the devices you use. if you feel uninterested, or feel uncomfortable about this, you can prevent windows 10 from stopping syncing themes between devices.
  • Looking Back at Icons in Windows: From Windows 1 to 11Looking Back at Icons in Windows: From Windows 1 to 11
    over the past three decades, microsoft windows icons have evolved with improvements in screen resolution and color.