Turn off Spotlight collection on Desktop
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 removes the Spotlight collection setting in Personalization, rendering the user unable to select and subsequentyly download daily images from Microsoft to desktop. If you enable this policy, "Spotlight collection" will not be available as an option in Personalization settings. If you disable or do not configure this policy, "Spotlight collection" will appear as an option in Personalization settings, allowing the user to select "Spotlight collection" as the Desktop provider and display daily images from Microsoft on the desktop.
Registry
HKCU
Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CloudContent Value name: DisableSpotlightCollectionOnDesktop
Enabled: DisableSpotlightCollectionOnDesktop = 1
Disabled: DisableSpotlightCollectionOnDesktop = 0
MDM / Intune (CSP)
./User/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/Experience/AllowSpotlightCollection Microsoft Learn documentation Mapping data: Microsoft Learn (CC BY 4.0)
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: Turn off Spotlight collection on Desktop
; State: Enabled
; Supported on: At least Windows 10
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CloudContent]
"DisableSpotlightCollectionOnDesktop"=dword:00000001More formats (PowerShell, Intune, SCCM)
PowerShell
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Turn off Spotlight collection on Desktop
# 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 'DisableSpotlightCollectionOnDesktop' -Value 1 -Type DWordIntune XML
OMA-URI: ./User/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/Experience/AllowSpotlightCollection
Data type: String
Value:
<enabled/>Intune Remediation
# === Detection script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Turn off Spotlight collection on Desktop
# 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
}
$checks = @(
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CloudContent' -Name 'DisableSpotlightCollectionOnDesktop' -Expected 1 -Kind DWord)
)
if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1
# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Turn off Spotlight collection on Desktop
# 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 'DisableSpotlightCollectionOnDesktop' -Value 1 -Type DWordSCCM scripts
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Turn off Spotlight collection on Desktop
# 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: Turn off Spotlight collection on Desktop
# 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
}
$checks = @(
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CloudContent' -Name 'DisableSpotlightCollectionOnDesktop' -Expected 1 -Kind DWord)
)
if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1
# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Turn off Spotlight collection on Desktop
# 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 'DisableSpotlightCollectionOnDesktop' -Value 1 -Type DWordBuilding a multi-setting collection? Add this setting and generate combined .reg / PowerShell / GPO scripts.