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Hide Privacy Tab

Verified with Windows 11 25H2 — updated on July 30, 2026

Windows 11 25H2

Supported on: Windows Media Player 9 Series and later.

Path in the GPO console

User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Media Player\User Interface

Description

This policy setting allows you to hide the Privacy tab in Windows Media Player. If you enable this policy setting, the "Update my music files (WMA and MP3 files) by retrieving missing media information from the Internet" check box on the Media Library tab is available, even though the Privacy tab is hidden, unless the "Prevent music file media information retrieval" policy setting is enabled. The default privacy settings are used for the options on the Privacy tab unless the user changed the settings previously. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, the Privacy tab is not hidden, and users can configure any privacy settings not configured by other polices.

Registry

HKCU Software\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsMediaPlayer

Value name: HidePrivacyTab

Enabled: HidePrivacyTab = 1

Disabled: HidePrivacyTab = 0

MDM / Intune (CSP)

./User/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_WindowsMediaPlayer/HidePrivacyTab
User Since Windows 10, version 2004 with KB5005101 [10.0.19041.1202] and later | Windows 10, version 20H2 with KB5005101 [10.0.19042.1202] and later | Windows 10, version 21H1 with KB5005101 [10.0.19043.1202] and later | Windows 11, version 21H2 [10.0.22000] and later Official mapping (Microsoft Learn)

Microsoft Learn documentation Mapping data: Microsoft Learn (CC BY 4.0)

Export Builder

BETA

Configure 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: Hide Privacy Tab
; State: Enabled
; Supported on: Windows Media Player 9 Series and later.

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsMediaPlayer]
"HidePrivacyTab"=dword:00000001
More formats (PowerShell, Intune, SCCM)

PowerShell

# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Hide Privacy Tab
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: Windows Media Player 9 Series and later.
# 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\WindowsMediaPlayer'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'HidePrivacyTab' -Value 1 -Type DWord

Building a multi-setting collection? Add this setting and generate combined .reg / PowerShell / GPO scripts.

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