Microsoft provides an extensive set of Group Policy Objects for managing Windows 10 computers. Only a handful — 12 to be exact — are specific to Windows 10 Enterprise.
Even so, those 12 Windows 10 GPOs can go a long way in IT’s quest to control users’ desktops. The group policies allow IT to enable Windows Spotlight, prevent the lock screen from displaying, manage the Start layout and more.
The administrative template files (ADMX), which are where the group policies live, are made up of structured Extensible Markup Language (XML) that provides a language-neutral reference to each policy. The files work in conjunction with language-specific resource files (ADML) that provide the actual display name and help descriptions for those policies.
A quick introduction to the ADMX file
Each ADMX file includes a set of related policies that corresponds to a policy path within the Group Policy structure. For example, the CloudContent.admx file includes the policy Configure Windows spotlight on lock screen. If IT pros use the Group Policy Editor on a Windows 10 machine to view the local group policies, they would find the policy at the following path:
User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Cloud Content
User Configuration indicates the scope of the policy, which, in this case, is User. If the scope were Machine, the first element would read Computer Configuration. A policy can be available at the User scope, Machine scope or both.
Windows 10 GPOs can go a long way in IT’s quest to control users’ desktops.
Administrative Templates is common to all policies in the ADMX files. As a result of this structure, the Computer Configuration node and the User Configuration node are both in the Group Policy Editor, with each node containing the Administrative Templates subnode.
The remaining elements in the policy path are specific to the policies within a particular ADMX file. In this case, the elements Windows Components > Cloud Content correspond to the CloudContent.admx file, which includes the Configure Windows spotlight on lock screen policy, along with other policies.
Each policy has a friendly display name and a formal reference name. Configure Windows spotlight on lock screen is the display name in this example. The reference name is ConfigureWindowsSpotlight. The ADMX and ADML files use the reference names to sync with one another. The display name appears only in the applicable ADML file and is the name that shows up within the local Group Policy Editor in Windows.
The following sections provide an overview of the Windows 10 Enterprise Group Policy that is specific to that version of the OS based on their ADMX files.
CloudContent.admx template file
Policy path: [scope] > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Cloud Content
The CloudContent.admx file contains several policies related primarily to Windows Spotlight, an option for displaying different background images on the lock screen and for automatically displaying suggestions about Windows 10 features. A few of them are Windows 10 GPOs exclusively.
Configure Windows spotlight on lock screen
Reference name: ConfigureWindowsSpotlight
Scope: User
Implements Windows Spotlight on the lock screen and prevents users from modifying the lock screen. IT can also set up the lock screen to display internal communications.
Turn off all Windows Spotlight features
Reference name: DisableWindowsSpotlightFeatures
Scope: User
Turns off Windows Spotlight on the lock screen. It also turns off Microsoft consumer features, Windows tips and other related features.
Turn off Microsoft consumer experiences
Reference name: DisableWindowsConsumerFeatures
Scope: Machine
Prevents users from receiving notifications about their Microsoft accounts or personalized recommendations from Microsoft.
Do not show Windows Tips
Reference name: DisableSoftLanding
Scope: Machine
Prevents users from receiving Windows tips, which are contextual pop-up messages explaining how to use Windows.
ControlPanelDisplay.admx template file
Policy path: [scope] > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization
The ControlPanelDisplay.admx file contains a number of policies for managing personalization settings on the desktop.
Do not display the lock screen
Reference name: CPL_Personalization_NoLockScreen
Scope: Machine
Allows users to see their selected tiles after locking their PCs, rather than seeing the lock screen. This policy only applies to users who do not have to press CTRL+ALT+DEL when they log on.
Force a specific default lock screen and logon image
Reference name: CPL_Personalization_ForceDefaultLockScreen
Scope: Machine
IT can specify the default image users see on their lock and logon screens. When configuring this policy, IT must provide the fully qualified path and file name for the image.
Logon.admx template file
Policy path: [scope] > Administrative Templates > System > Logon
The Logon.admx file contains a number of policies specific to users starting up and logging onto their systems. Although none of these are Windows 10 GPOs only, there is an important issue IT should be aware of related to the policy Turn off app notifications on the lock screen.
If IT enables this policy and also enables the local security policy Do not require CTRL+ALT+DEL — in the Windows Settings node — Windows automatically disables lock screen apps. As a result, IT cannot configure assigned access on the device, which limits users to interacting with only one application, something IT might want to do when setting up a device in kiosk mode.
Turn off app notifications on the lock screen
Reference name: DisableLockScreenAppNotifications
Scope: Machine
Prevents applications from appearing on the lock screen. Otherwise, users can choose which notifications appear on the lock screen.
Do not require CTRL+ALT+DEL
Policy path: Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Local Policies > Security Options
Scope: Machine
The policy is not part of the Logon.admx template file. That said, if IT enables it, the user is not required to press CTRL+ALT+DEL when logging on. This policy is disabled by default on domain-controlled computers.
Search.admx template file
Policy path: [scope] > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Search
The policies in the Search.admx file let IT control search-related features on users’ desktops.
Don’t search the web or display web results
Reference name: DoNotUseWebResults
Scope: Machine
Prevents Search from querying the web and prevents Search from displaying web results.
StartMenu.admx template file
Policy path: [scope] > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar
The StartMenu.admx file includes a wide range of policies related to the Start menu, only one of which applies exclusively to Windows 10 Enterprise.
Start layout
Reference name: LockedStartLayout
Scope: User and Machine
IT can specify the Start layout for managed devices and prevent users from modifying the Start configuration. IT must first generate the XML files necessary to store the Start layout configuration.
WindowsStore.admx template file
Policy path: [scope] > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Store
The WindowsStore.admx file includes several policies related to the Windows Store application and application updates.
Turn off the Store application
Reference name: RemoveWindowsStore
Scope: User and Machine
Prevents users from accessing the Windows Store application. Access to the Windows Store application is required to install application updates.
Only display the private store within the Windows Store app
Reference name: RequirePrivateStoreOnly
Scope: User and Machine
This policy prevents users from viewing the retail catalog in the Windows Store app. It does not affect users’ ability to view apps in a private store.
Sign in to your MUO account
When you search for something using Windows Search, you may notice that it has included results from OneDrive, Outlook, Bing, SharePoint, or other Microsoft Cloud services. This is the Cloud content search feature in action, and Windows enables it by default.
However, there are scenarios where you might not want these results mixed in with the others. For instance, if you have sensitive files and documents on OneDrive, you wouldn’t want others to find them when they’re using Windows Search on your computer.
So here’s how to disable Cloud content search in Windows.
How to Disable Cloud Content Search Through Settings
The easiest way to turn off Cloud content search is to use the Settings app. Let’s start by looking at how to do it in Windows 10.
Right-click Start on the Taskbar and select Settings. In the window that opens up, scroll down and click on Search.
Under Cloud content search, set both toggles for Microsoft account and Work or School account to Off.
To turn off Cloud content search in Windows 11, right-click Start on the Taskbar and head to Settings > Privacy & security > Search permissions.
In the Cloud content search section, turn off the toggles under Microsoft account and Work or School account.
How to Disable Cloud Content Search With the Local Group Policy Editor
Another way to disable Cloud content search in Windows 10 and 11 is by using the Local Group Policy Editor. Press Win + R to open Windows Run. Type gpedit.msc in the text box and press Enter to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
The Local Group Policy Editor isn’t pre-installed in Windows Home editions, meaning you’ll have to add gpedit.msc manually if you want to use it.
Now, Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Search. Then, double-click on Allow Cloud Search.
Click on the Enable radial button. Then, under Options, expand the Cloud Search Setting dropdown and select Disable Cloud Search.
Click OK to apply the settings.
Control the Cloud Content Search on Windows
You shouldn’t have to see results from Microsoft Cloud services every time you’re searching for something with Windows Search. And you certainly don’t have to worry about others stumbling onto your sensitive information stored on the Cloud when they borrow your computer and use the search feature.
By following the steps outlined above, you should be able to turn off Cloud content search in Windows.
This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable Cloud content search for your account or all users in Windows 11.
Windows Search lets you search from your taskbar to find what you’re looking for, whether it’s on your device, in the cloud, or on the web.
Windows Search can personalize your search results by including your content from OneDrive, SharePoint, Outlook, Bing, and other services.
If you turn on the Microsoft account setting for Cloud content search, Windows Search will show results from items in your personal OneDrive, Outlook, and other Microsoft services. If you search the web or get web search suggestions with Windows Search, Bing will personalize your results. You can also earn Microsoft Rewards points when you search with Bing in the Windows search box. Windows Search can save and use your web search history with your Microsoft account so you can get more relevant web search results and suggestions.
If you turn on the Work or School account setting for Cloud content search, Windows Search will show results from OneDrive for Business, Outlook, SharePoint, and more from Microsoft Search. Windows Search saves your Microsoft Search history to your work or school account. To view the history associated with your work or school account go to the Bing Search History page and sign in using your work or school account.
Reference:
Contents
- Option One: Turn On or Off Cloud Content Search for Current User in Settings
- Option Two: Turn On or Off Cloud Content Search for Current User using REG file
- Option Three: Enable or Disable Cloud Content Search for All Users in Local Group Policy Editor
- Option Four: Enable or Disable Cloud Content Search for All Users using REG file
Option One
Turn On or Off Cloud Content Search for Current User in Settings
1 Open Settings (Win+I).
2 Click/tap on Privacy & security on the left side, and click/tap on Search permissions on the right side. (see screenshot below)
Open Search permissions settings
3 Turn On (default) or Off Microsoft account for what you want under Cloud content search on the right side. (see screenshot below)
4 Turn On (default) or Off Work or School account for what you want under Cloud content search on the right side.
5 You can now close Settings if you like.
Option Two
Turn On or Off Cloud Content Search for Current User using REG file
1 Do step 2 (Microsoft account) or step 3 (Work or School account) below for what you want.
2 Turn On or Off Cloud Content Search for Microsoft account
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below you want to use, and go to step 4 below.
(default) Turn_ON_Cloud_content_search_for_Microsoft_account.reg
(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SearchSettings]
"IsMSACloudSearchEnabled"=dword:00000001OR
Turn_OFF_Cloud_content_search_for_Microsoft_account.reg
(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SearchSettings]
"IsMSACloudSearchEnabled"=dword:000000003 Turn On or Off Cloud Content Search for Work or School account
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.
(default) Turn_ON_Cloud_content_search_for_Work_or_School_account.reg
(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SearchSettings]
"IsAADCloudSearchEnabled"=dword:00000001OR
Turn_OFF_Cloud_content_search_for_Work_or_School_account.reg
(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SearchSettings]
"IsAADCloudSearchEnabled"=dword:000000004 Save the .reg file to your desktop.
5 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.
6 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.
7 You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.
Option Three
Enable or Disable Cloud Content Search for All Users in Local Group Policy Editor
You must be signed in as an administrator to use this option.
The Local Group Policy Editor is only available in the Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions.
All editions can use Option Four for the same policy.
1 Open the Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc).
2 Navigate to the policy location below in the left pane of the Local Group Policy Editor. (see screenshot below)
Computer Configuration>Administrative Templates>Windows Components>Search
3 In the right pane of Search in the Local Group Policy Editor, double click/tap on the Allow Cloud Search policy to edit it. (see screenshot above)
4 Do step 5 (force enable), step 6 (disable), or step 7 (default) below for what you would like to do.
5. Force Enable Cloud Content Search for All Users
This will turn on cloud content search for «Work or School account», and prevent using Option One and Option Two to change it.
A) Select (dot) Enabled. (see screenshot below step 6)
B) Select Enable Cloud Search in the «Cloud Search Setting» drop menu.
C) Click/tap on OK, and go to step 8 below.
6. Disable Cloud Content Search for All Users
This will turn off cloud content search for «Microsoft account» and «Work or School account», and prevent using Option One and Option Two.
A) Select (dot) Enabled. (see screenshot below)
B) Select Disable Cloud Search in the «Cloud Search Setting» drop menu.
C) Click/tap on OK, and go to step 8 below.
7. Default User Choice Cloud Content Search
This is the default setting to allow using Option One and Option Two.
A) Select (dot) Not Configured. (see screenshot below)
B) Click/tap on OK, and go to step 8 below.
8 You can now close the Local Group Policy Editor if you like.
Option Four
Enable or Disable Cloud Content Search for All Users using REG file
You must be signed in as an administrator to use this option.
1 Do step 2 (Force enable), step 3 (disable), or step 4 (default) below for what you want.
2. Force Enable Cloud Content Search for All Users
This will turn on cloud content search for «Work or School account», and prevent using Option One and Option Two to change it.
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.
Force_enable_Cloud_Search_for_all_users.reg
(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search]
"AllowCloudSearch"=dword:000000013. Disable Cloud Content Search for All Users
This will turn off cloud content search for «Microsoft account» and «Work or School account», and prevent using Option One and Option Two.
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.
Disable_Cloud_Search_for_all_users.reg
(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search]
"AllowCloudSearch"=dword:000000004. Default User Choice Cloud Content Search
This is the default setting to allow using Option One and Option Two.
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 5 below.
Default_user_choice_Cloud_Search.reg
(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search]
"AllowCloudSearch"=-5 Save the REG file to your desktop.
6 Double click/tap on the downloaded REG file to merge it.
7 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.
8 You can now delete the downloaded REG file if you like.
That’s it,
Shawn Brink
Related Tutorials
- Enable or Disable Search Cloud Content from Apps in Windows 11
- Change Bing SafeSearch Filters in Windows 11
- Enable or Disable Recent Search History in Windows 11
- Delete Bing Search History in the Cloud
- Enable or Disable Search Highlights in Windows 11
This article explains how to turn on or off cloud content search in Windows 11.
Cloud content search in Windows refers to the ability of Windows Search to search for files and information not only on your local device but also in the cloud (such as your OneDrive, Outlook, and SharePoint accounts).
If you sign in with a personal Microsoft account or work and school accounts, you can use Windows Search to search for files and information across different Microsoft services.
Because Windows Search can return results from the web, you can turn SafeSearch on or off to help keep adult content out of your web previews.
Enabling or disabling cloud content search in Windows 11 gives you control over how Windows Search behaves when searching for files and information. If you prefer to keep your search results limited to your local device and avoid results from the cloud, you can turn off cloud content search.
On the other hand, if you want to access files and information from your Microsoft accounts, you can turn on cloud content search. You can also use SafeSearch to filter out adult content from your web previews.
How to enable or disable cloud content search in Windows 11
As mentioned above, Windows Search lets you search from your taskbar to find what you’re looking for, whether on your device, in the cloud, or on the web.
Here’s how to enable or disable cloud content search in Windows.
First, open the Windows Settings app.
Then, select Privacy & security on the left and the Search permissions tile on the right to expand it.
Next, toggle the “Cloud content search” switch button under your Microsoft, Work, or School account to enable or disable Cloud content search.
Exit the Settings app when you’re done.
Enable or disable cloud content search using group policy
Another way to disable or enable Cloud content search is to use the Local Group Policy Editor.
First, open the Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc). (Search for “Edit group policy”) on the Start menu.
Then, navigate the folders below:
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Search
In the Group Policy details pane on the right, locate and double-click the “Allow Cloud Search” settings.
On the “Allow Cloud Search” window, set the option to Not Configure, Enabled, or Disabled.
- Not Configured (default)
- Enabled – Allow search and Cortana to search cloud sources like OneDrive and SharePoint.
- Disabled – Deny search and Cortana to search cloud sources like OneDrive and SharePoint.
Click OK to save your changes. You may have to reboot your device to apply the settings.
Turn on or off cloud content search using the Windows Registry Editor
Yet another way to enable or disable Cloud content search is to use the Windows Registry editor.
First, open the Windows Registry and navigate to the folder key path below.
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search
Next, double-click the AllowCloudSearch (REG_DWORD) name on the Windows Search key’s right pane to open it.
Then, enter a value 1 to enable Cloud content search for all users.
Enter 0 to disable the Cloud content search for all users.
If you do not see the “AllowCloudSearc” item, right-click a blank area and create a new DWORD (32-bit) registry item.
Then, enter the name “AllowCloudSearc” and the value you want.
To restore the default behavior and allow Cloud content search, delete the “AllowCloudSearc” name created above.
Save your changes and restart your computer.
That should do it!
Conclusion:
- Enabling or disabling cloud content search in Windows 11 allows users to control the behavior of Windows Search when seeking files and information, providing flexibility and privacy options.
- Users can use the Windows Settings app to toggle the “Cloud content search” switch button under their Microsoft, Work, or School account or utilize the Local Group Policy Editor to manage this feature.
- Another alternative involves using the Windows Registry Editor to enable or disable cloud content search by adjusting the “AllowCloudSearch” value.
- Regardless of the chosen method, users can tailor their search experience, whether limiting results to their local device or accessing files and information from their Microsoft accounts.
Last week Microsoft released an updated set of Administrative Templates for the November Update of Windows 10.
One of the new templates included was CloudContent.admx
This new template gives network administrators control over the Windows 10 consumer experiences.
If you choose to enable the policies within this template then the consumer focused features of Windows 10 will be reduced, a desired feature by network administrators.
An example of the consumer experience is the personalized recommendations that suggest apps on the start menu.
The policy settings apply to the computer configuration and can be found under Computer Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Cloud Content.
The policies that can be applied are:
- Do not show Windows Tips
- Turn off Microsoft consumer experiences
For each of these you have the option to set the state to:
- Not Configured
- Enabled
- Disabled
Not Configured leaves the default Windows 10 configuration, which is that users may see suggestions from Microsoft and notifications about their Microsoft accounts.
Enabled forces the feature to be disabled.
Disabled forces the feature to be enabled, as it is by default.
The new Administrative Templates can be downloaded here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=48257
