How to disable the Windows Key shortcuts in Windows 11 Education?

Question

I want to disable the Windows Key shortcuts for students in our district. They use the Windows key + Tab key to open new desktops, so the teachers cannot see what they are doing. When the teacher walks past, they switch to the desktop that they are supposed to be on, and then when she walks away, they switch back to the desktop they are playing on instead of doing school work.

Answer 1

Hello Stacey

To disable the Windows Key shortcuts, you'll need to create a Group Policy Object (GPO) and apply it to the student users or devices. Here's the step-by-step process:

Prerequisites:

• You need to have a domain environment with an Active Directory and Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) installed.
• The students' devices should be joined to the domain and enrolled in Intune (if you're using Intune, we can explore additional options).

Step 1: Create a new GPO

1. Open the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) on your domain controller or a machine with the GPMC installed.
2. Right-click on Forest > Domain, then select Create a GPO in this domain, and Link it here.
3. Enter a name for your GPO, such as "Disable Windows Key Shortcuts" and click OK.

Step 2: Configure the GPO

1. In the Group Policy Editor, navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Windows Components > Windows Shell.
2. Find the setting "Turn off Windows key shortcuts" and double-click on it.
3. Set the policy to Enabled, and click Apply and then OK.

Step 3: Link the GPO to the student OU

1. In the GPMC, find the OU where your student accounts are located (e.g., "Students" or "Students Domain Users").
2. Right-click on the OU and select Link GPO, then choose the GPO you created earlier ("Disable Windows Key Shortcuts").
3. Click OK to link the GPO to the OU.

Step 4: Apply the policyTo disable the Windows Key shortcuts, you'll need to create a Group Policy Object (GPO) and apply it to the student users or devices. Here's the step-by-step process:

Prerequisites:

• You need to have a domain environment with an Active Directory and Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) installed.
• The students' devices should be joined to the domain and enrolled in Intune (if you're using Intune, we can explore additional options).

Step 1: Create a new GPO

1. Open the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) on your domain controller or a machine with the GPMC installed.
2. Right-click on Forest > Domain, then select Create a GPO in this domain, and Link it here.
3. Enter a name for your GPO, such as "Disable Windows Key Shortcuts" and click OK.

Step 2: Configure the GPO

1. In the Group Policy Editor, navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Windows Components > Windows Shell.
2. Find the setting "Turn off Windows key shortcuts" and double-click on it.
3. Set the policy to Enabled, and click Apply and then OK.

Step 3: Link the GPO to the student OU

1. In the GPMC, find the OU where your student accounts are located (e.g., "Students" or "Students Domain Users").
2. Right-click on the OU and select Link GPO, then choose the GPO you created earlier ("Disable Windows Key Shortcuts").
3. Click OK to link the GPO to the OU.

Step 4: Apply the policy

Answer 2

Hi Stacey,

Thanks for your post. Based on my researching, I find there's CSP to hide task view for taskbar on windows 11.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/configuration/supported-csp-taskbar-windows#csp-policies-to-customize-windows-11-taskbar-buttons

Based on my checking, the setting is not in Settings Catalog policy or Administrator Template policy. But we can configure it in custom configuration profile with the following setting and assign the policy to the user group.

Name: taskview

Description: Disable the task view

OMA-URI: ./User/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/Start/HideTaskViewButton

Data type: Integer

Value: 1

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/client-management/mdm/policy-csp-start#hidetaskviewbutton

Best Regards,

Ian Xue

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