How Do I Prevent the Installation of Applications in Windows?

How Do I Prevent the Installation of Applications in Windows? thumbnail
Swipe in from the right edge on Windows 8.1 tablets to display the Settings icon.

Applications can be installed in two ways on your Windows 8 computer: automatically by Windows Update and manually by individual users. You can turn off the installation of automatic updates on the Windows Update configuration screen. Prevent individual users from installing applications by downgrading their account type and thereby removing their administrative rights.

Instructions

  1. Turn Off Automatic Updates

    • 1

      Point your mouse to the lower-right corner of your screen, click the “Settings” icon, click “Change PC Settings” and then select “Update and recovery" to launch the Windows Update configuration screen.

    • 2

      Select “Choose how updates get installed” and then click “Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them.” You can also instruct Windows not to check for updates at all, but selecting this option could leave your computer open to malicious threats that would otherwise be stopped by installing the latest updates.

    • 3

      Place a check mark in the “Give me updates for other Microsoft products when I update Windows” check box if you want to be kept informed about updates for other Microsoft software on your computer, including Office programs such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

    • 4

      Click the “Apply” button to confirm your changes to Windows Update. From now on, you will authorize each software installation.

    Downgrade Another User's Permissions

    • 5

      Sign in to Windows using an administrator account. Point your mouse to the bottom-right corner of your screen, click “Settings” and then click “Change PC Settings.”

    • 6

      Select “Accounts” and then select “Other accounts” to load a list of Windows user accounts configured for use on your computer.

    • 7

      Select the account you want to edit, click “Edit, click the “Account type” box and select “Standard user.” Downgrading a user to Standard account status revokes the software installation capabilities.

    • 8

      Click “OK” to save the changes. Repeat these steps for each account you want to prevent from installing applications.

Tips & Warnings

  • As an administrator, you can delete user accounts entirely to prevent users from installing software. User account data can’t be recovered, so proceed with caution. To delete a user, click “Remove” instead of “Edit” after selecting a user account in the Change Another User’s Permissions section. Click “Delete and remove data” to completely remove the user from your system.

  • You must have at least one administrator account on your computer. If you have only one administrator account, Windows does not let you convert it to a Standard user account.

  • Keep your administrative password to yourself and use a difficult password hint to prevent standard users from logging in to your administrator account.

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References

  • Photo Credit Joe Raedle/Getty Images News/Getty Images

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