Can't use Group Policy to disable items in Backstage view in Outlook
Original KB number: 3061214
Symptoms
In Microsoft Outlook 2013 and 2010, when you try to use Group Policy to disable items in the Info section in Backstage view (on the File tab), the controls are not disabled as expected.
Cause
This problem occurs when you try to disable the following controls by using Group Policy:
| Control | Policy value |
|---|---|
| Add Account | 20100 |
| Account Settings | 6863 |
| Delegate Access | 20103 |
| Download Address Book | 5658 |
| Prepare for Offline Use | 20300 |
| Automatic Replies | 5621 |
| Empty Deleted Items Folder | 1671 |
Resolution
Microsoft is aware of this issue in the versions of Outlook that are mentioned in the Symptoms section. There is currently no resolution for most of the controls. However, the following control was made available in recent updates for Outlook.
The Empty Deleted Items folder control:
- In Outlook 2010, apply March 10, 2015 update for Outlook 2010 (KB2956203)
More information
Typically, you'd use Group Policy to update the following keys and values in order to disable items in the UI:
Outlook 2010:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Outlook\DisabledCmdBarItemsList
Outlook 2013:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\15.0\Outlook\DisabledCmdBarItemsList
Outlook 2010 and 2013:
String: TCIDx (where x is an integer)
Value: Command bar value from the workbook that's available in the following Microsoft Download link:
However, this method doesn't disable the items that are mentioned in the Symptoms and Cause sections, except for those that have been made available, per the Resolution section.