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To block both Control Panel and the Windows Settings app for targeted users, deploy the user-scoped ADMX-backed policy Prohibit access to Control Panel and PC settings (NoControlPanel) through Intune. Its documented policy node is ./User/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_ControlPanel/NoControlPanel. This is different from Intune’s separate Settings-app block, which addresses Windows Settings but does not name Control Panel as part of the restriction.
Which Intune policy blocks both interfaces?
Use NoControlPanel, the policy named Prohibit access to Control Panel and PC settings. Microsoft documents that it prevents Control.exe and SystemSettings.exe from starting, disabling Control Panel programs and the PC Settings app. See Microsoft’s ADMX_ControlPanel Policy CSP reference.
The policy is User scope, not Device scope. Assign the Intune configuration to the user population whose access you intend to restrict; a device-targeted deployment does not match the documented scope.
Check Windows applicability before deployment
Microsoft’s CSP applicability table lists Pro, Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise / IoT Enterprise LTSC editions. It lists Windows 10 version 2004 with the specified KB5005101 servicing baseline and later releases shown in the table, and Windows 11 version 21H2 and later. Check the current CSP table against the target devices’ editions, builds, and servicing status before assigning the policy; applicability can change as Microsoft updates its documentation.
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Configure the policy in Intune
The CSP reference provides the policy name, behavior, scope, and OMA-URI, but it is not a complete portal walkthrough. To deploy it as an Intune custom configuration, create a Windows configuration profile using the ADMX-backed policy node and SyncML-formatted policy data.
- In the Microsoft Intune admin center, create a Windows configuration profile that supports a custom OMA-URI setting.
- Set the OMA-URI to
./User/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_ControlPanel/NoControlPanel. - Use SyncML-formatted data, as required for this ADMX-backed CSP policy. Follow the CSP documentation’s data and format requirements for the policy rather than treating the URI alone as a complete profile.
- Assign the profile to the intended user group, then monitor deployment and policy status in Intune.
- Validate on a supported, enrolled test account by attempting to open Control Panel and Windows Settings before broad rollout.
Microsoft’s CSP entry is the authoritative reference for the node and its supported behavior. Because the source does not provide a portal-by-portal custom-profile recipe, do not assume that entering the URI without the required policy data and SyncML structure is sufficient.
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What users will experience
When the policy applies, the documented behavior is that the executable files for Control Panel and PC Settings do not start. Control Panel entry points are disabled, and Microsoft notes that a user opening a Control Panel item through a context-menu Properties action receives a blocking message. The policy is intended to restrict access to these interfaces; the cited documentation does not establish that it makes every underlying Windows setting immutable or blocks every alternate configuration path.
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Choose a narrower or different restriction when appropriate
| Option | What it restricts | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
NoControlPanel ADMX-backed user policy |
Control Panel programs and the PC Settings app | The requirement is to block both interfaces for selected users. |
| Intune Windows device restriction: Settings app: Block | Access to the Windows Settings app | You need the broad Settings-app block in that template. Verify separately whether Control Panel must also be restricted. Microsoft documents this option in its Windows device restriction settings. |
| Settings Page Visibility | Selected Settings pages, or all pages except those listed | Users should retain access to most Settings pages while particular pages are hidden. |
For a limited Settings restriction, Microsoft documents Settings Page Visibility through the Intune Settings catalog or CSP. Configure a semicolon-separated list of page identifiers or URIs; the Group Policy examples use page URIs without the ms-settings: prefix. See Configure the Settings Page Visibility in Windows and Manage the Settings app with Group Policy.
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Do not substitute DisallowCpls (hide selected Control Panel items) or RestrictCpls (show only selected Control Panel items) when the goal is to block both interfaces. Microsoft says those policies affect Control Panel but not items in PC Settings; Settings Page Visibility is the relevant option for controlling Settings pages.
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