Microsoft Store can be disabled from GPO or Registry. Follow the below steps to block Microsoft Store in Windows 10 Pro and Home editions.
The Microsoft Store in Windows 10 is growing day by day with new applications. In fact, you can even find regular desktop applications in the Store. One of the best things about the Store is that it allows quick installation, uninstallation, and automatic update. In addition to that, the Store also provides additional security compared to the regular win32 applications.
Though the Microsoft Store has several advantages, it also has its own set of disadvantages. Considering that, if you are not using the Microsoft Store or if you don’t want other users on your system using it, you can easily block Microsoft Store.
So, without further ado, let me show how to turn off Microsoft Store in Windows 10 using Group Policy Editor and Registry.
1] Block Microsoft Store Windows 10 GPO
Note: The steps shown below are only applicable to Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise versions. If you are using the Home edition, follow the alternative method shown below.
The easiest way to block Microsoft store in Windows 10 is to modify a group policy object. Once you change the policy, the Microsoft store will be disabled. Just follow the steps as is and you will be done in no time.
1. First thing, open the Group Policy Editor by searching for “gpedit.msc” in the start menu. After opening it, go to the following folder. This is where all the Microsoft Store related policies reside.
Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Store
2. Once you are in the Store folder, find and double-click on the “Turn off the Store application” policy. This is the policy that is responsible for enabling and disabling the Microsoft Store app. In the policy settings window, select the “Enabled” option. After that, click on the “Apply” and “Ok” buttons one after the other to save the changes.
3. Even though the changes are saved, they are still not applied. To apply the policy settings, either reboot Windows or execute gpupdate /force command in an elevated Command Prompt window.
After reboot or force updating the group policy editor, the Microsoft Store will no longer be available. As such, you cannot install new apps from the store. The installed apps should still work just fine but they will not be updated.
To reverse the process and enable Microsoft Store, go through the same steps but choose “Not Configured” in step 2.
2] Registry Method
If you cannot follow the first method, it is possible that you are using Windows 10 Home edition. If that is the case, then you have to edit the registry to block or disable Microsoft store app. Though not as easy as the group policy method, it is still easy to follow. Before making any changes, back up the registry.
1 . Just like with the Group Policy Editor, you can open the Registry Editor from the Start Menu. Simply search for “Registry Editor” and click on the result.
2. After opening it, go to the following folder. You can paste the below path in the address bar and press Enter.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\
3. Under the Microsoft folder, see if you have a folder named “WindowsStore”. If you have the folder, skip to the next step. Otherwise, right-click on the “Microsoft” folder, select “New → Key” and name folder as “WindowsStore“.
4. Select the WindowsStore folder, right-click on it and select the “New → Dword Value” option. This action will create an empty value with no name. Name the value as “RemoveWindowsStore“.
4. After creating the value, double-click on it. In the Value Data field, type “1“, and click “Ok” button.
5. Finally, close the Registry Editor and reboot Windows. After rebooting you will no longer be able to access the Microsoft Store.
To reverse the process and enable Microsoft Store, go through the same steps but type “0” in the Value Data field in step 4. Alternatively, you can also delete the “RemoveWindowsStore” value.
I hope that helps. If you are stuck or need some help, comment below and I will try to help as much as possible.
If you like this article, do check out how to stop automatic updates in Microsoft Store and how to terminate Microsoft apps in Windows 10.
Worked! Thanks!