Posted by How do I stop users from changing screen savers in Windows 10, 8, or 7? With the default configuration of Windows 10, the Screen Saver feature remains deactivated. There are several ways to open the Screen Saver on Windows PC. On Windows 10, it is also possible to enable or disable the Screen Saver Settings dialog through the Settings app. You can also refer to our easy fix Screen Saver Settings is greyed out on Windows 10 / 8 / 7.
There are numerous features on Windows PC available for that you don’t have to take the help of a third-party freeware app. If you are wondering if there is a way to lock the screen saver settings so others cannot change them? Yes, it is possible without third-party software. It is useful if you share your computer with other family members or friends and want to lock out your favorite screensaver so that nobody can change it.
In this gearupwindows article, we’ll show you two simple methods to prevent users from changing screen savers on Windows 10 / 8 / 7. These are the following:-
- Using Group Policy Editor
- Via Windows Registry
Note: Preventing users from changing screen savers will not stop the current screen saver from running. To stop all users on your PC from changing the screen saver, you need to log in to an administrative account to perform these steps. To prevent a particular user account from changing the screen saver, log on as that user and perform the steps.
How to Restrict Users from Changing Screen Saver Using Group Policy?
If you use Windows Home Edition or cannot open the Local Group Policy, please use the second method, Registry Editor.
Step 1. Press the
Step 2. In the Run box, type the following and click the
gpedit.msc
Step 3. In the left side pane of the Local Group Policy Editor, navigate to the following:-
User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization
Step 4. On the right side pane, look for the policy “Prevent changing screen saver.”
Step 5. Double-click on the policy “Prevent changing screen saver” to open its settings. Select
Step 6. Click
Step 7. Click
Once you complete the above steps, individual or all users will be unable to change the Screen Saver on your PC. The change is immediate, which means you don’t need to restart your computer.
How to Prevent Users from Changing Screen Saver via Windows Registry?
For those users using the Home edition of Windows 10 / 8 / 7, the Local Group Policy Editor is not available. To restrict users from changing the Screen Saver, one needs to take the help of a registry hack.
Step 1. Open the Run command box by pressing the
Step 2. In the Run dialog box, type in
If the User Account Control dialog box appears, click the
Now, the Registry Editor window opens.
Step 3. From the left pane of Registry Editor, steer the following key:-
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies
Step 4. Right-click on the
Step 5. Right-click on the newly created key and name it
Step 6. Now, right-click on the
Step 7. The above action will create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value on the right side pane of the System key. Rename it to
Step 8. On the right-side pane, double-click on
Step 9. Click
Step 10. Close the Registry Editor window.
Step 11. Reboot your computer or laptop.
Once you finish the above steps, individual or all users will be unable to change the Screen Saver on your PC.
When you try to change the screen saver on Windows 10 by navigating to Settings apps >> Personalization >> Lock Screen and clicking on the link “Screen saver settings,” you will get the following screen:-
