The Windows start menu is equipped to being the quick access hub t get things done without needing to go down the rabbit hole of Windows settings and customizations.
Since Windows 7, Microsoft had continued to tweak up the Start Menu and making it better through periodic updates. The current Windows 10 has the tiled Start menu which has the “Uninstall” feature that allow users to easily uninstall an application they do not want on their Windows PC.
The thing about this feature is that anyone that currently have an access to your computer can uninstall an app just from the start menu or it can happen accidentally for whatever reason.
So in this short guide, we’ll learn how to block that access by shutting off this feature that allows users to be able to easily uninstall a program from your PC.
How to uninstall Apps from Windows 10 Start Menu
More like popular smartphone operating systems such as Android and iOS, Windows for as a Desktop operating system comes with different ways by which you could uninstall an application off the computer.
The Start menu is one of the many options you have to uninstall a program just as I’ve mentioned earlier.
In order to do it via this fast route, you just have to click on either the Start button or tapping on the physical Windows Key on the computer’s keyboard to open the start menu tray then right click on an app to show the Uninstall option which when clicked will require you confirm then it’s gone.
Then verify you want to uninstall the app.
How to Stop Users from Uninstalling Apps from Start Menu
To go the opposing route which is to disable users’ ability to uninstall apps from the start menu on your PC.
For those using the Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise and Education, you can tweak up the settings via the Group Policy. To do this, follow this simple guide below.
Note: If you are running the Home version of Windows 10, scroll down to the next section where we show how to do the same thing by hacking the Registry.
The first thing to do is to use the keyboard shortcut Windows Key + R in order to open the Run dialog. Next thing is to type gpedit.msc and then click on the Enter key or Ok button.
After the Group Policy Editor opens, navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Template > Start Menu and Taskbar. Click the Standard tab at the bottom of the screen. Then scroll down and double-click on Prevent users from uninstalling applications from Start from the list on the right.
Next, select Enabled at the top and then click OK.
Well, that’s all there is to be done at the Group Policy Editor which can be closed. Next is to basically click on the Windows Key or simply the Start Menu button in order to test out the configuration, right-click on an application and you’ll immediately notice the disappearance of the “Uninstall” option just like that.
How to block Uninstalling Apps Using the Registry
For those who use the Windows 10 Home Edition, you can do this by merely making a bit of a tweak up to the Registry which will output the same result.
However, you should be careful with the Registry as messing up some options can alter the behavior of your Windows 10 PC.
That is why it might be advisable to basically create a Restore Point or just back up your drive and the Registry just in case things go southward.
Hit the keyboard shortcut Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog and type: regedit and click OK or hit Enter.
Navigate to the following path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows or just copy this and paste it in the location address area at the top box.
Right-click the Windows key (folder) and select New > Key and name it: Explorer.
From within the Explorer key, you should then create a new DWORD Value which can be named “NoUninstallFromStart” and then give it the value of 1 before clicking Ok to proceed.
That’s all there is to be done. In order to see the changes taking effect, you might need to sign out of your computer first and then sign back in. Then you can head over to the Start Menu area and then right-click on an application and you’ll notice that the “Uninstall” option is no longer available.
Also, if you go to Start > Settings > Apps > Apps & features and select an app; the option to uninstall it will be grayed out.
This is particularly good because when you share your computer with others, it will prevent applications from being removed directly from the Start Menu which might require your permission or make you look cool as a Geek!
You can always reverse this settings by restoring your PC using the restore point created earlier just in case you missed something. Else, you can also reverse this by backtracking each steps and restoring every editing to its default state.
