How to Restrict or Lock Start Menu Layout from being Changed in Windows 11/10?

With the launch of Windows 11/10, the Start button and the traditional Start Menu are back but have more customization possibilities than it ever has been before. One can add or remove tiles, resize the start menu, change the start menu color, etc.

After customizing and organizing the Start Menu, you might want to lock or prevent the Start Menu layout from accidental changes. There are at least two ways to prohibit the users from changing the Start Menu layout. These are the following:-

1. Lock the Start Menu Layout from being changed using Local Group Policy Editor.
2. Restrict the Start Menu Layout from being changed via  Windows Registry Editor.

How to Lock the Start Menu Layout from being changed using Local Group Policy Editor?

Gentle Reminder: If you are using Windows 11/10 Home Edition, you will not find the Group Policy Editor. You can use the Registry Editor method to stop the Start Menu Layout change or first enable the gpedit.msc in Home Edition Windows 11/10.

To lock the Start Menu layout of Windows 11/10, perform the following steps:-

Step 1. Press the Windows logo + R keys from the keyboard to open the Run dialog box.

Step 2. Type the following and hit Enter from the keyboard:-

gpedit.msc

Step 3. Navigate to the following path in the Local Group Policy Editor window:-

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar

Step 4. On the right side of the Start Menu and Taskbar, double-click on the policy name “Start Layout” to open its setting.

Step 5. Select the Enabled option.

Step 6. Click Apply.

Step 7. Click OK.

Step 8. Again, in the Local Group Policy Editor window, navigate to the following path:-

User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar

Step 10. Select the Enabled radio button.

Step 11. Click Apply.

Step 12. Click OK.

Once you complete the above steps, any users on your PC will no longer alter the Start menu layout. If you want to remove the restriction, follow the above steps and change Start Layout & Prevent users from customizing their Start Screen policy to Not Configured.

How to Restrict the Start Menu Layout from being changed via  Windows Registry Editor?

This is the alternate method to restrict or lock the Start Menu Layout from being changed by any user. Perform the following steps to stop users from changing Start Menu Layout:-

Step 1. Press and hold the Windows logo key, and then press the R key to open the Run dialog box.

Step 2. In the Run box, type the following command and hit Enter from the keyboard to open the Registry Editor window:-

regedit

Step 3. In the Registry Editor window, navigate to the following registry key:-

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies

Note: If you don’t find the Explorer key, then right-click on the Policies, select New, and then Key, rename the newly created key as Explorer.

Step 5. Now right-click on Explorer, select New, and then DWORD (32-bit) Value, name it NoChangeStartMenu.

Step 6. Double-click on NoChangeStartMenu and change its value from 0 to 1.

Step 7. Click OK.

Step 8. Close the Registry Editor window and restart your machine.

Once you complete the above steps, it will lock the Start Menu layout for all users on your PC. If you want to allow changes in Start Menu Layout, change the Value data of NoChangeStartMenu from 1 to 0 in step 6 above.