Configure Windows spotlight on lock screen
Verified with Windows 11 25H2 — updated on July 30, 2026
Supported on: At least Windows 10
Path in the GPO console
User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Cloud Content Description
This policy setting lets you configure Windows spotlight on the lock screen. If you enable this policy setting, "Windows spotlight" will be set as the lock screen provider and users will not be able to modify their lock screen. "Windows spotlight" will display daily images from Microsoft on the lock screen. Additionally, if you check the "Include content from Enterprise spotlight" checkbox and your organization has setup an Enterprise spotlight content service in Azure, the lock screen will display internal messages and communications configured in that service, when available. If your organization does not have an Enterprise spotlight content service, the checkbox will have no effect. If you disable this policy setting, Windows spotlight will be turned off and users will no longer be able to select it as their lock screen. Users will see the default lock screen image and will be able to select another image, unless you have enabled the "Prevent changing lock screen image" policy. If you do not configure this policy, Windows spotlight will be available on the lock screen and will be selected by default, unless you have configured another default lock screen image using the "Force a specific default lock screen and logon image" policy. Note: This policy is only available for Enterprise SKUs
Registry
Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CloudContent Value name: ConfigureWindowsSpotlight
Enabled: ConfigureWindowsSpotlight = 1
Disabled: ConfigureWindowsSpotlight = 2
MDM / Intune (CSP)
./User/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/Experience/ConfigureWindowsSpotlightOnLockScreen Microsoft Learn documentation Mapping data: Microsoft Learn (CC BY 4.0)
CSP values
-
0- Windows spotlight disabled. -
1 (Default)- Windows spotlight enabled. -
2- Windows spotlight is always enabled, the user can't disable it. -
3- Windows spotlight is always enabled, the user can't disable it. For special configurations only.
Export Builder
BETAConfigure the state, scope and options, then generate .reg, PowerShell, Intune and SCCM outputs — or add the setting to a multi-setting collection.
These exports write the registry — this is not a managed GPO. ⓘ
.reg file
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
; Exported from gporais.com
; Policy: Configure Windows spotlight on lock screen
; State: Enabled
; Supported on: At least Windows 10
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CloudContent]
"ConfigureWindowsSpotlight"=dword:00000001
"IncludeEnterpriseSpotlight"=dword:00000000More formats (PowerShell, Intune, SCCM)
PowerShell
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Configure Windows spotlight on lock screen
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows 10
# Warning: In SYSTEM context (the Intune default), HKCU targets the SYSTEM profile. Run this script using the logged-on credentials.
$path = 'HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CloudContent'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'ConfigureWindowsSpotlight' -Value 1 -Type DWord
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'IncludeEnterpriseSpotlight' -Value 0 -Type DWordIntune XML
OMA-URI: ./User/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/Experience/ConfigureWindowsSpotlightOnLockScreen
Data type: String
Value:
<enabled/>
<data id="ConfigureWindowsSpotlight_Checkbox" value="0"/>Intune Remediation
# === Detection script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Configure Windows spotlight on lock screen
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows 10
# Warning: In SYSTEM context (the Intune default), HKCU targets the SYSTEM profile. Run this script using the logged-on credentials.
function Test-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Name,
[object]$Expected,
[ValidateSet('String', 'DWord', 'MultiString')][string]$Kind = 'String',
[switch]$Absent
)
try {
$item = Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction Stop
} catch {
return $Absent.IsPresent
}
if ($Absent.IsPresent) { return $false }
$actual = $item.$Name
if ($Kind -eq 'DWord') { return ([int64]$actual) -eq ([int64]$Expected) }
if ($Kind -eq 'MultiString') {
$actualValues = @($actual)
$expectedValues = @($Expected)
if ($actualValues.Count -ne $expectedValues.Count) { return $false }
for ($i = 0; $i -lt $expectedValues.Count; $i++) {
if ([string]$actualValues[$i] -ne [string]$expectedValues[$i]) { return $false }
}
return $true
}
return [string]$actual -eq [string]$Expected
}
$checks = @(
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CloudContent' -Name 'ConfigureWindowsSpotlight' -Expected 1 -Kind DWord)
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CloudContent' -Name 'IncludeEnterpriseSpotlight' -Expected 0 -Kind DWord)
)
if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1
# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Configure Windows spotlight on lock screen
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows 10
# Warning: In SYSTEM context (the Intune default), HKCU targets the SYSTEM profile. Run this script using the logged-on credentials.
$path = 'HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CloudContent'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'ConfigureWindowsSpotlight' -Value 1 -Type DWord
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'IncludeEnterpriseSpotlight' -Value 0 -Type DWordSCCM scripts
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Configure Windows spotlight on lock screen
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows 10
# SCCM Configuration Item guidance:
# Create a Configuration Item of type "Setting: Script".
# Discovery script: use the Detection script below.
# Remediation script: use the Remediation script below.
# Compliance rule: the Discovery script output equals 'Compliant'.
# === Detection script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Configure Windows spotlight on lock screen
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows 10
# Warning: In SYSTEM context (the Intune default), HKCU targets the SYSTEM profile. Run this script using the logged-on credentials.
function Test-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Name,
[object]$Expected,
[ValidateSet('String', 'DWord', 'MultiString')][string]$Kind = 'String',
[switch]$Absent
)
try {
$item = Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction Stop
} catch {
return $Absent.IsPresent
}
if ($Absent.IsPresent) { return $false }
$actual = $item.$Name
if ($Kind -eq 'DWord') { return ([int64]$actual) -eq ([int64]$Expected) }
if ($Kind -eq 'MultiString') {
$actualValues = @($actual)
$expectedValues = @($Expected)
if ($actualValues.Count -ne $expectedValues.Count) { return $false }
for ($i = 0; $i -lt $expectedValues.Count; $i++) {
if ([string]$actualValues[$i] -ne [string]$expectedValues[$i]) { return $false }
}
return $true
}
return [string]$actual -eq [string]$Expected
}
$checks = @(
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CloudContent' -Name 'ConfigureWindowsSpotlight' -Expected 1 -Kind DWord)
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CloudContent' -Name 'IncludeEnterpriseSpotlight' -Expected 0 -Kind DWord)
)
if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1
# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Configure Windows spotlight on lock screen
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows 10
# Warning: In SYSTEM context (the Intune default), HKCU targets the SYSTEM profile. Run this script using the logged-on credentials.
$path = 'HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CloudContent'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'ConfigureWindowsSpotlight' -Value 1 -Type DWord
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'IncludeEnterpriseSpotlight' -Value 0 -Type DWordBuilding a multi-setting collection? Add this setting and generate combined .reg / PowerShell / GPO scripts.