Disable/Uninstall Task View (Virtual Desktop Feature)

Hello  adlloyd，

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community forum.

To disable Task View on the taskbar and render the hotkey combination unusable, you can follow these steps:

1. Right-click on the taskbar and select "Taskbar settings".
2. Scroll down to the "Multiple desktops" section and toggle off the "Show Task View button" option.
3. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
4. Type "gpedit.msc" and press Enter to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
5. Navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer.
6. Double-click on the "Turn off Windows + X hotkeys" policy and select "Enabled".
7. Click "Apply" and then "OK" to save the changes.

This will disable Task View on the taskbar and make the Windows key + Control + D hotkey combination unusable. However, it is not possible to uninstall Task View as it is a built-in feature of Windows.

I hope the information above is helpful.

If you have any question or concern, please feel free to let us know.

Best Regards,

Haijian Shan

Hello Again,

Hope this finds you well. Thank you for the reply. However, this information is readily available in several blogs on the internet. Rendering the Windows key unusable eliminates all other functions available with the Windows key.

What I am looking for is a way to disable "Windows + Control Key + D" keystroke combination.

I can hide the Task View Icon, however, the key stroke combination is still functional.

I have found an article on the internet where the end user was able to turn off the Windows + Shift + S and I have managed to turn off Windows + F (these were done as a test ). Both of these worked by editing the registry. Here is the article I found.

https://superuser.com/questions/1760485/disabling-three-key-snipping-tool-hotkey-via-disabledhotkeys-registry-value#:~:text=You%20can%20make%20a%20new,disable%20Win%20%2B%20E%20and%20etc

It seems that older Windows versions are affected by the registry changes but newer Windows, i.e.. 10 and 11 are not affected. Also, I believe because Task View appears to be part of "system" functions, this also seems to be why the registry edits are not working.

I thank you in advance for any insight you can provide.

Annamarie D. Lloyd

Hello adlloyd,

You are correct that the registry edits may not work for disabling the Windows key + Control + D hotkey combination as it is a system function. Unfortunately, there is no built-in way to disable this specific hotkey combination. However, there are third-party tools available that can help you achieve this. One such tool is AutoHotkey, which allows you to remap or disable hotkeys. Please note that using third-party tools may have unintended consequences and it is recommended to proceed with caution and backup your system before making any changes.

Best Regards,

Haijian Shan

I too would like a way to disable this wholesale, not just removing the button from the taskbar.

I'm a sysadmin for a number of schools. We see this feature as useful for staff but for students, it becomes a convenient method to hide inappropriate behavior from a teacher, especially for those students who learn the keyboard shortcuts (and that sort of knowledge gets passed around the students fast, believe me!)

I do not have a button to toggle for multiple desktops. The registry did not recognize "gpedit.msc" .