Restrict write access to c drive group policy. here is the Resultant policy in the applied user group.

Restrict write access to c drive group policy Jan 15, 2019 · The Group Policy management tools only have minimal built-in documentation, but they do usually say when a policy only applies to certain versions of Windows. This is a shot in the dark as I'm on my phone, but you could possibly use the local group policy manager. Steps to prevent user access to drives. Mar 8, 2021 · I have found instructions about restricting access by other users (for example here). If you are a Feb 23, 2012 · I’m trying to get an idea on how to fix this issue. This can help you to collect data from your customers securely and prevent unauthorized data transfer or malware infection from other external drives. Jul 24, 2020 · According to your description, as for the GPO to restrict users to access disk C:\, we could have a check whether this GPO is what we want. Users can choose to configure the setting through the Local Group Policy Editor or Windows Registry Editor, providing flexibility in management. Users are allowed read and write access to removable storage devices (ex: USB, SD Card, CD/DVD) they connect to the computer by Jul 22, 2020 · How can I restrict CD/DVD and USB write access to most computers in AD and allow it to select others using group policy? Aug 27, 2017 · Provides some information about using Group Policy Objects to hide specified drives. You’ll want the user profiles on a file server volume if you are employing folder redirection? I don’t think hiding the drive will prevent access, if a user was to navigate to the C drive, they’ll have access. Dec 29, 2009 · If you have a shared or public computer that several people use, you might want to restrict access to it’s drives to prevent users from deleting important data. Let’s check out. I’d definitely go with Adept’s solution of having the user profiles separate than the C drive of a VDA. 2 days ago · Key Points: How to configure write access for non-BitLocker drives Using the Group Policy Editor Using the Registry Editor (regedit) Using Local Security Policy Testing and verifying the configuration for write access to removable drives How to check if the policy is applied correctly Common troubleshooting steps if the setting does not take effect Security and compliance considerations when Sep 7, 2020 · I would like to block access to the C drive for a certain group of users. By combining a few Group Policy settings with Folder Redirection, you can block the C: drive while still allowing users to reach their Desktop, Documents, Pictures, and Downloads folders seamlessly. Jan 26, 2024 · Hi @ Mohammed Ahmed You have to follow the steps below: Create a Group Policy Object and linked in OU where you want deny save date in desktop Edit GPO and navigate through Computer Configuration ->Policy -> Windows Settings ->Security Settings -> File System . Jul 31, 2020 · Learn how to restrict USB device Read and Write access in Windows 10 using group policy. You can add other restrictions by modifying the System. Currently, all Domain Users are in the Local Administrator’s Group on each machine. However, it may be necessary to hide only certain drive, but retain access to others. May 15, 2020 · How to Enable or Disable Write Access to Removable Disks in Windows Users are allowed read and write access to all removable storage devices they connect to the computer by default in Windows. it’t not showing the policy of c drive this is the user group with the following privilege Mar 18, 2020 · File System Permission Change Group Policy: The Domain users have rights to create/delete files in Drive C:\ by default. By enabling these settings you can ensure that users do not inadvertently access data stored on other drives, or delete or damage programs or other critical system files on the C: drive. Also, they cannot use the Run dialog box or the Map Network Drive dialog box to view the directories on these drives. Enabling it under “Prevent access to drives from My Computer" in group policy editor only blocks my own access, and that's not ideal. This obviously makes it possible for all users to access C$ on every other machine on the network. I understand that Group Policies can be utilised to effects such as this. Nov 30, 2021 · I want to know if there is a policy to prevent users of a domain or group of an active directory, add files on the hard drives of the computer to which they access by remote desktop, there is a way to hide the disks but in my case I want to only be able to view the files contained on these disks Just tested out a Group Policy that blocks USB drives using the Active Directory Group Policy. here is the Resultant policy in the applied user group. Nov 17, 2014 · What we are trying to do is prevent users from accessing C:\\Windows and other folders as well. You should also note that the policy restricting access to drives isn't a security feature, i. There are several in-house apps and misc things that users need to be Admins for (on the local PC). Choose GPO object, Right Mouse Button click and click Edit; Navigate to Computer Configuration\Policies\Windows Settings\Security Oct 21, 2019 · Hi, We need to restrict access to remote c$ for a group of desktop admins, however we need them to be able to access c$ when then work on local PCs. Sep 20, 2023 · Then double-click Prevent access to drives from My Computer under Settings on the right side. Jan 11, 2024 · In Windows 10, you can use the Group Policy Editor or Registry Editor to prevent users from accessing drives from My Computer. Group Policy is a feature in Microsoft Windows that allows administrators to define and enforce security settings, configurations, and restrictions across a network. May 18, 2015 · Server 2008 R2 Windows 7 clients I want to create a GPO that limits specific users to saving files to their C: drive. To restrict access to various folders, simply right click and add \ \ %userprofile May 31, 2022 · Hi Techies, Is there any way to block access of C drive except Desktop folder and download folder? Tried GPO but it blocks whole C drive while we need Desktop and Download folder should be accessed. Hoop this helps! May 18, 2024 · That should do it! Conclusion: Implementing the “Deny write access to fixed drives not protected by BitLocker” policy setting ensures data protection on fixed data drives. You may also be able to create a logon script and/or use environmental variables to restrict some c drive access and use a cleanup script. We have a restricted Windows 7 computer that hides and prevents non-admin users from accessing the C Drive using the following policies: Prevent access to drives from My Computer Hide these specified Yes you could simply apply a group policy to hide and block access to the C:. Dec 5, 2024 · How to Restrict Access to Drives in Windows 10? A drive is a storage area formatted by a certain file system with a drive letter. If you don’t want other people to use your drives such as A and B drives (floppy disk), C drive (the system drive), etc. You can disable the access to the drive by gpo or just unplug the cable inside the desktop. If we Enable Desktop policy >Hide and disable all items on the Desktop. I want to deploy this policy on Hostname basis and not for specific user because that will restrict the same user to access Storage on… Apr 8, 2024 · Double-click on "All Removable Storage classes: Deny all access" policy. These users access devices that are enrolled in Intune. I found the GPO to hide the C drive but that is not exactly what we need. Sharing a link to the article that could help anyone looking for the GPO setting. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Here are some of the simple steps you need to follow. Users can download sensitive data on external drives, which, if misused, could affect the organization’s reputation. Go to Computer Configuration -> Preferences -> Windows Settings -> Network Shares; This is where Group Policy comes into play, offering a powerful and efficient solution for managing permissions for files and folders within a networked environment. You may relocate such folders to another disk. Today we look at restricting access to some or all drives on the machine using Local Group Policy. If anyone have idea,please help me. Aug 29, 2025 · Background The script in question is designed to enable or disable read, write, and execute access to various removable storage devices including floppy drives, CD/DVD drives, tape drives, Windows Portable Devices (WPD), and USB drives. z\\c$ they get access denied but if they login locally to that Same machine be able to work on C$. 1) Allow or Deny Write Access to Removable Drives via Group Policy This method will use the Local Group Policy Editor to allow or deny write access to removable drives. Even with FSLogix in place to handle profile redirection and OneDrive containers, the application still needs temporary file operations on local paths. May 10, 2024 · Restrict user access to a folder/drive in Windows 11 By configuring the security properties of a folder or drive, you can restrict a specific user account or a group of user accounts from accessing the folder or drive. Jan 22, 2023 · Hiding/Preventing Access to Drives You can use Group Policy settings to hide and restrict access to drives on the RD Session Host server. It is set to "Enabled" with the option "Restrict C drive only". When a new user login in windows by default "c" will be there. Jul 5, 2017 · How can I restrict access to certain drive on the machine? Windows 10 comes with a group policy setting that allows you to prevent other users from accessing to the content of selected drives. That users need there C drive read permission. Is there a way to restrict the root of C drive permissions via a group policy or is there a better way to do this? Any feedback would be appreciated. 3 Spice ups bmayer (bmayer) August 28, 2017, 10:53am 6 Sep 22, 2023 · Active Directory's Group Policy can be used to protect your network by disabling the ability of people to access removable media. Select "Enabled" to restrict access to all removable storage devices. Oct 29, 2019 · Can we prevent users to gain access outside of the local OneDrive known folders ? We are looking to restrict file saves to the local OneDrive known folders and sync to OneDrive. This is useful if you share your PC with others, but you want to restrict access to a drive for other accounts in the same computer. Learn how to disable removable storage using GPO in Windows to enhance security, prevent data theft, and restrict USB device access across your network. You can configure the Group Policy to prevent access to C drive through system File Manager, but you cannot restrict access through third-party file manager, for example, decompression software. Jul 25, 2007 · Learn how to use Group Policy Objects (GPOs) to deny folder permissions and give your users read access only. adm file for the default domain policy or any custom Jun 2, 2024 · Prevent users from accessing drives using Group Policy or Registry Editor. There are multiple reasons for restricting access to the C Drive for non admin users. Mar 28, 2024 · I want to prevent myself from ever accidentally saving a file into some remote corner of the "C:"-Drive. Jul 20, 2021 · How do I block C-drive access to all non admin users on server 2021? I have added all the users I want to block to a specific group - but not sure what to do next. Would it be please be possible to create a Group Policy that prevents all users from saving files to the "C:"-Drive? Dec 19, 2024 · Using Group Policy: Group Policy is a powerful tool that allows you to configure various settings on Windows computers, including restricting access to drives. 1. What is the way to achieve this Oct 23, 2025 · Windows Server 2016 GPO File System Security: Restricting Write Access to Root of Drive C:\. Mar 15, 2024 · If you are on a domain network, you can use Group Policy to prevent the local hard drives of the computers from being published as admin shares: Create a new GPO using the Group Policy Management snap-in. Aug 19, 2025 · In this blog post, we will explore the steps to block USB drives using group policy on Windows 10/11 devices. By default domain, users have rights to write in the root of Drive C:\, with this GPO we remove this ability. There are two options to disable the use of USB storage devices on Windows 10 computer. The article also provides some common questions and answers related to this topic, such as how to check who has access to a network share, how to prevent users from creating network shares, and how to audit access to network shares. Nov 5, 2015 · So, onto the question. So basically if they type \\w. Restrict users from accessing 1, more or all Drives in Explorer. Jul 22, 2022 · This xml file defines the policy to block write and execute permissions on all removable storage, but will exclude those devices defined in the Allow_Specific_Removable_Storage. Typical solution is to drop Write/Modify for Users in context menu Security, like this: Unfortunately it doesn't work. After that i wanted to apply my users Group Policy about… Jan 15, 2025 · With Group Policy Objects in Windows, there is a "Hide these specified drives in My Computer" option that lets you hide specific drives. I will be performing this demonstration using the Local Group Policy. Feb 18, 2022 · The path to the Group Policy to disable write access to a USB drive is: Computer Configuration or User Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates > System > Removable Storage Access Nov 22, 2021 · Blocking USB drives may seem to be too restrictive at times. Has anyone implemented this successfully? Dec 16, 2023 · In this article, we showed you how to configure your Windows PC to accept only a specific USB external drive and block all other devices using two methods: Group Policy Editor and Registry Editor. Mar 24, 2014 · I wanted to block the access of some domain users to the windows\system32 folder. zip, . Jun 13, 2022 · This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable read and write access to all removable storage devices for all or specific users in Windows 10 and Windows 11. Blocking removable storage devices on company-owned devices is essential Mar 1, 2022 · By default users only have write access to their profile which contains the desktop and documents. Learn how. bat, and . , you can restrict access to drives in Windows 10 to enhance the security of important data. I'm looking for a similar windows setting that just hides the C drive or otherwise prevents trivial access. Managing file access in Windows Server 2022 doesn’t have to be stressful. You can disable USB access for all users or an individual user. rar, . Jan 7, 2024 · how to stop domain user to delete any folder file from Desktop and access C drive, I have already blocked the C drive but not able to stop user from deleting folder file from desktop through group policy. Select "Enabled" to restrict access to floppy disk drives. You can block access to USB devices using an attack surface reduction policy in Microsoft Oct 6, 2014 · Prevent access to these drives from My Computer: If you enable this setting, users can browse the directory structure of the selected drives in My Computer or Windows Explorer, but they cannot open folders and access the contents. Navigate to Computer Configuration\Policies\Windows Settings\Security Settings Oct 16, 2020 · What would be the proper way to restrict users from Storing Data in Local Drive, Desktop, Document, Downloads Etc. This page shows you how to do that. However, when I logged in as a user, I am still able to access the drive over Command prompt. How can user save files and if the server Profile Drive during offline? May 7, 2018 · August 6, 2014 C drive write permission disable for specific domain users through group policy Software & Applications general-windows , windows-server , question 3 993 June 11, 2019 Need help with a couple GPO's Software & Applications general-windows , question 20 310 December 18, 2012 Enable access to folder on C while gpo is disabled How to Restrict Access to Drives in Windows 11 [Tutorial] If you want to prevent users from accessing the Drives in File Explorer, then the Local Group Policy Editor has a setting that allows Aug 30, 2023 · How can I apply a group policy on Windows 10 22H2 that restricts the copying of files with extensions . Nov 6, 2022 · How to Block USB Devices via Group Policy | How to Block Accessible Devices with Group policy | GPOs How to Block Disable USB devices using Group Policy Last Updated on: June 14, 2022 by Prajwal Aug 29, 2017 · I'm wondering if there is a way to prevent users from copying files into C: drive -- they still need write access as there's other programme writing log files. I never used Group Policy before and have very less idea about group policy and how it works. A normal user cannot write to C:\ directories and unless an app changes their permissions then they wouldn't have write access to subfolders either. All programs will run without problems. Option 1: Disable/restrict access to USB storage devices by Group Policy Editor Step 1: Open Local Group Policy Editor in Windows 10 by running gpedit. The policy must meet the following requirements; No access to C drive No ability for user to edit content in C drive … Feb 21, 2024 · Hi tj_zero, Thanks for your post. e. Feb 27, 2020 · Software & Applications general-windows , active-directory-gpo , question 8 1128 November 5, 2015 Need to restrict users from saving in C drive Software & Applications discussion , operating-systems 6 166 December 7, 2010 Restricting folders on C Software & Applications general-windows , active-directory-gpo , question 6 897 August 30, 2017 Mar 17, 2017 · Considering the eject process of the cd or dvd drive is a mechanical process it cannot be disabled by a gpo. Has anyone any experience with InTune and restricting access to local drives for a potential student policy? We obviously want to restrict access, but allow students the ability to use the OneDrive Files-on-Demand client. Apr 26, 2021 · Hi Team, How can I restrict a user to only access his profile C:\Users\exampleuser1. Moreover, I am also able… Feb 22, 2020 · Step-by-step instructions on how to use Group Policy Objects to block the use of unauthorized USB storage devices. How can I do this through group policy? I do not want to do redirection. This method can be more granular and restrictive. Thus, check 3 ways how you can deny write access to USB drives with MEM Intune. Jul 21, 2023 · With this in mind and to respond to certain customer requests, I made a PowerShell script to limit write rights for authenticated users using the icacls command. So a bit lost on how to proceed from here. It doesn’t block access to C drive but hides it in File Explorer. If all drives are restricted, they cannot use a flash drive to access a CD or DVD drive or to get files from it. Choose Enable, and then from the drop-down menu under Options, you can either restrict just one drive, a group of drives, or all drives. Mar 4, 2021 · I am using Windows Server 2019 Datacenter. The users themselves are administrators, simply for the sake of usability and I don’t have control over that. Thank you, and any other options is welcome. , a determined user may be able to bypass the restrictions. . Thanks! Archived post. ) and then specify the permissions. Configure Floppy Drives: Deny write access: Double-click on "Floppy Drives: Deny write access" policy. org Nov 17, 2021 · I am battling with trying to create a user with restricted access to the computer, but still to let them view and edit files and folders in the C:\Users\<username> folder. Mar 9, 2023 · For restricting drives, there is a specific policy setting named “ Prevent access to drives from My Computer ” in the Group Policy Editor. In our organisation we simply hide the drive as this tends to prevent the majority of stray files. When you enable a Group Policy Object (GPO) to prevent all read/write access to C:, you effectively block OneDrive from creating or updating its local caches and folders. x. May 5, 2024 · Hello, I'm using windows server 2022 from azure portal and i create users to have access my server, so when i created users in my server, users can they able to delete and create folder in C Drive. Nov 22, 2023 · In this article, we'll explain how to block USB drives using Intune. Jan 5, 2011 · One way would be to change the option in windows Group Policy and set the "shell" to something other than "explorer. Jul 14, 2022 · Is there a way to create a policy in intune that would hide the C Drive from students and prevent them from saving to it but allow them to save to their One Drive directly instead?? Oct 3, 2016 · 2 Is there any way I can restrict access to the C drive for one particular group? I've tried setting deny permissions on each folder in the root of the C drive for the group in question, however this doesn't work for folders such as C:\Windows because their permissions cannot be edited even by an administrator. Or by any other software for that matter. I applied the group policy to hide the drive and restrict users from accessing that drive. You can add the paths you want to restrict (like C:\Users\username\Documents, C:\Users\username\Desktop, etc. Nov 20, 2017 · Hello, I have a windows server 2016,I want to block access to all the other folders of the c drive except the user’s own profile folder. Standard read or write access to… Use the settings catalog in Microsoft Intune to restrict USB devices, including thumb drives, flash drives, USB cameras, and more. I applied the GPO Setting but it’s not working at all. The advice is to prohibit user B's folder from user C (and possible other already existing users). To typical PC user hiding is like restricting access so you shouldn’t be worried. Choose the GPO object, Right Mouse Button click, and click Edit; 3. A USB flash drive is a data storage device that includes flash memory with an integrated USB interface. rar on USB drives? Would you like to learn how to configure a group policy to disable access to CD and DVD? In this tutorial, we will show you how to deny access to CDs and DVDs using a GPO. Click "OK" to apply the policy. Another drive from server automatically comes to the user profile) How user can Restrict files not to be saved in desktop. Rest everything should be locked such as folders in C drive the user shouldn't be able to create any folders in C drive or any. Jun 7, 2019 · Hi, I want to create one policy for restrict C drive write permission for some domain users through group policy. Note: If you are using Windows Home Edition, then skip this method and try to use the Registry Editor method. If we want to restrict users then we can use this GPO : Start Group Policy Management console. The user groups are having the administrator privilege. There is always a security risk when USB storage drive access is allowed on corporate devices. xml May 5, 2024 · Here are some methods you can consider: File System Security Settings: Another approach is to use the File System security settings in Group Policy. There are seven default options for restricting access to drives. Blocking the C drive has always been one of the common restrictions that Group Policy admins enforced for standard user accounts. Mar 13, 2024 · In this article, we will show you how to block the use of external USB drives in Windows, prevent writing data to removable flash drives, or prevent executable files from running using Group Policy (GPO). Aug 5, 2022 · Below, we have shared some simple methods to allow or deny write access to removable drives in Windows 11. y. May 15, 2020 · How to Enable or Disable Access to All Removable Storage Devices in Windows Users are allowed read and write access to all removable storage devices they connect to the computer by default in Windows. Now I know you cannot fully block c: drive access since temp files have to be written so I want to block write access to desktop, documents, and downloads. By enabling this and selecting the drives in the list, will restrict access to those drives. May 7, 2018 · I’ve been asked to set up a Group Policy that Restricts write access on the C:\ folder to administrators only but still allows a user to write to their own user profile. I know that this can be done with ACLs and NTFS control permissions but because we are looking to roll this out via GPO it would be much better if it could be done through a local policy Aug 4, 2023 · 1 Writing/deleting files stored on the C drive (including the local User folder) You should examine the permissions of the folders on C and ensure that "User" does not have access, or that access is restricted to administrators. Not sure if this can be achieved by a group policy. Jan 26, 2023 · Good afternoon all. See - User Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\File Explorer When you don't want users to access certain or all drives, you can use GPO to quickly restrict access. I know that either removing the permission “Authenticated Users - Create Folder/Append Data” or changing it to deny will have the desired effect, but I can’t figure out how to do this via policy. User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Explorer > Prevent access to drives from My Computer. msc in Run (Win + R) dialog box. Nov 5, 2019 · In this article, we shall discuss “Deny execute access: Restrict Access to USB Drives on Windows”. Some folders are required, the most-used one is C:\Users\User. Start Group Policy Management console; 2. Oct 10, 2018 · The policy lets you choose between a series of pre-defined settings like restricting access to all drives, do not restrict access to any drives, or just restrict access to one specific drive. We have quite a few people that rotate and randomly use In this video, I demonstrate how you deploy a GPO to deny read/write access to CD/DVD drives and other removable storage classes. I have found helpful posts on this site about using Local Group Policy to "Prevent Access to Drives on My Computer" but that seems to block all access to C: drive including the user's area. Use other settings to allow specific USB devices on Windows 10/11 devices. May 2, 2024 · Common/ordinary users (domain users who are member of Remote Desktop Users group) should not be able to create a folder in root of system drive C:, but members of Administrators group should have those privileges. exe". Jul 8, 2021 · GPO has the option to prevent access of the drives but I am thinking if I add the User in the restricting C drive access GPOs when he is logging on to the standard laptop, he will not be able to access the drives there as well. Oct 20, 2023 · The article explains how to prevent users from accessing network shares on Windows Server using NTFS permissions, share permissions, and Group Policy. Oct 29, 2015 · In this tutorial we'll show you 2 ways to block read / write access to USB/CD drive in Windows 10, 8 and 7, by taking use of the group policy and registry trick. Jan 21, 2023 · (Eg. Jan 9, 2024 · To my knowledge, in a domain environment, if you want to restrict the use of removable storage devices but need to whitelist certain devices, it can indeed be achieved through group policy. You can use Group Policy to set up restrictions at the system level, applying them to all users on the computer. See full list on wintips. Can we deny access to write/modify to the C: drive without breaking other functions and apps ? May 22, 2024 · The policy involves configuring Group Policy settings to restrict domain users from saving files on the Desktop and the C drive in a Windows Server environment. I just want to disable write access to certain Nov 29, 2021 · I am looking with the policies of a Windows server 2016 how can I restrict users to have write permissions on any disk, if there is any GPO that allows to do this how would it be found and what is the configuration process. suirvbup srtgwk qfrsszux ckrmxe wdj ebsa epjnwr irvjiqx wjahmczk czym sub tcfugx qpapvaod mopd kccrpczl