Prohibit User Installs
Verified with Windows 11 25H2 — updated on July 30, 2026
Supported on: Microsoft Windows XP or Windows 2000 with Windows Installer v2.0
Path in the GPO console
Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Installer Description
This policy setting allows you to configure user installs. To configure this policy setting, set it to enabled and use the drop-down list to select the behavior you want. If you do not configure this policy setting, or if the policy setting is enabled and "Allow User Installs" is selected, the installer allows and makes use of products that are installed per user, and products that are installed per computer. If the installer finds a per-user install of an application, this hides a per-computer installation of that same product. If you enable this policy setting and "Hide User Installs" is selected, the installer ignores per-user applications. This causes a per-computer installed application to be visible to users, even if those users have a per-user install of the product registered in their user profile.
Registry
Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer MDM / Intune (CSP)
./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_MSI/MSI_DisableUserInstalls 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: Prohibit User Installs
; State: Enabled
; Supported on: Microsoft Windows XP or Windows 2000 with Windows Installer v2.0
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer]
"DisableUserInstalls"=dword:00000001More formats (PowerShell, Intune, SCCM)
PowerShell
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Prohibit User Installs
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: Microsoft Windows XP or Windows 2000 with Windows Installer v2.0
$path = 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'DisableUserInstalls' -Value 1 -Type DWordIntune XML
OMA-URI: ./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_MSI/MSI_DisableUserInstalls
Data type: String
Value:
<enabled/>
<data id="MSI_DisableUserInstallsBox" value="1"/>Intune Remediation
# === Detection script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Prohibit User Installs
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: Microsoft Windows XP or Windows 2000 with Windows Installer v2.0
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
}
$checks = @(
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer' -Name 'DisableUserInstalls' -Expected 1 -Kind DWord)
)
if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1
# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Prohibit User Installs
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: Microsoft Windows XP or Windows 2000 with Windows Installer v2.0
$path = 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'DisableUserInstalls' -Value 1 -Type DWordSCCM scripts
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Prohibit User Installs
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: Microsoft Windows XP or Windows 2000 with Windows Installer v2.0
# 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: Prohibit User Installs
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: Microsoft Windows XP or Windows 2000 with Windows Installer v2.0
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
}
$checks = @(
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer' -Name 'DisableUserInstalls' -Expected 1 -Kind DWord)
)
if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1
# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Prohibit User Installs
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: Microsoft Windows XP or Windows 2000 with Windows Installer v2.0
$path = 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'DisableUserInstalls' -Value 1 -Type DWordBuilding a multi-setting collection? Add this setting and generate combined .reg / PowerShell / GPO scripts.