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To prevent users from opening Windows connection status details, configure the user policy Prohibit viewing of status for an active connection. Its Policy CSP node is ADMX_NetworkConnections/NC_Statistics. This restricts access to the status interface; it does not disconnect a device, block network traffic, or disable Windows connectivity detection.
What the policy changes
Microsoft describes the setting as determining whether users can view the status for an active connection. When enabled, the connection status taskbar icon and Status dialog are unavailable. The Status option is disabled in the connection context menu and the Network Connections folder’s File menu, and users cannot select the option to show the connection icon in Connection Properties. These are interface restrictions, not changes to the connection itself.
The policy is user-scoped. Microsoft documents support for Pro, Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise editions, with applicability beginning at specified Windows 10 and Windows 11 versions. Check the current Policy CSP applicability table against the Windows builds and editions assigned to your users before deployment.
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Configure the policy through Intune MDM
The documented MDM URI is ./User/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_NetworkConnections/NC_Statistics. Microsoft classifies this as an ADMX-backed policy, which requires SyncML formatting. The Policy CSP documentation describes XML encoding and CDATA options for the payload.
- Confirm applicability. Check the target users’ Windows editions and builds against the CSP documentation before assigning a policy.
- Choose an Intune configuration method that supports the ADMX-backed setting. Configure it as an MDM policy using the documented URI and SyncML requirements. Microsoft’s general Windows device restriction guidance explains that Windows restriction settings are delivered through device configuration profiles, but it does not confirm that this specific policy is currently exposed as a named Settings Catalog item.
- Set the policy to enabled for the intended user scope, then assign the configuration to the appropriate users or groups using your organization’s deployment process.
- Verify on a targeted device. After the device receives the policy, check that the Status dialog and documented Status menu options are unavailable for a standard user. Confirm separately that network connectivity still works as expected.
Intune’s available profile experiences and labels can change. Confirm the current admin-center workflow and that your chosen method can send this ADMX-backed policy; do not assume a particular Settings Catalog label or click path without verifying it.
Quick Recap
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Do not confuse it with other network controls
| Control | What it changes | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
NC_Statistics — Prohibit viewing of status for an active connection |
Restricts access to the active connection’s Status interface. | It is a user-scoped ADMX-backed Policy CSP setting; it does not hide every networking indicator or control connectivity detection. Microsoft Policy CSP documentation. |
HideSCANetwork |
Removes the networking icon from the notification area when enabled. | This controls the notification-area icon, not access to the active connection Status dialog. Microsoft Policy CSP documentation. |
| NCSI controls | Affect Windows Network Connection Status Indicator behavior, including active connectivity tests. | These concern connectivity detection, not hiding the active connection Status interface. Microsoft NCSI documentation. |
| Settings page visibility | Restricts access to selected Windows Settings pages. | This is a separate restriction mechanism, not an equivalent way to configure NC_Statistics. Microsoft Settings page visibility guidance. |
Check the result without mistaking it for a network outage
- If users cannot open the Status dialog but can still connect, the behavior matches the purpose of this policy.
- If the networking notification-area icon is also missing, review icon-related policy separately;
NC_Statisticsis not documented as hiding every network indicator. - If Windows connectivity detection or active tests are affected, investigate NCSI controls separately rather than attributing that behavior to this status-interface policy.
- If administrators can still access the status interface, check the documented “Enable Network Connections settings for Administrators” exception and the device’s Windows version.
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