Policy
Prevent installation of devices using drivers that match these device setup classes
Microsoft Windows
Policy overview
Key metadata and intent for this policy.
Supported OS tags: Windows10, Windows10RT, Windows11, Windows7, Windows8, Windows81, WindowsRT, WindowsRT81, WindowsServer2008, WindowsServer2012, WindowsServer2012R2, WindowsServer2016, WindowsVista
This policy setting allows you to specify a list of device setup class globally unique identifiers (GUIDs) for driver packages that Windows is prevented from installing. By default, this policy setting takes precedence over any other policy setting that allows Windows to install a device. NOTE: To enable the "Allow installation of devices that match any of these device IDs" and "Allow installation of devices that match any of these device instance IDs" policy settings to supersede this policy setting for applicable devices, enable the "Apply layered order of evaluation for Allow and Prevent device installation policies across all device match criteria" policy setting. If you enable this policy setting, Windows is prevented from installing or updating driver packages whose device setup class GUIDs appear in the list you create. If you enable this policy setting on a remote desktop server, the policy setting affects redirection of the specified devices from a remote desktop client to the remote desktop server. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, Windows can install and update devices as allowed or prevented by other policy settings.
Registry values
How enabled and disabled states update the registry.
| Scope | Registry location | Type | Enabled value | Disabled value | Copy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer | Path Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DeviceInstall\Restrictions Value name DenyDeviceClasses | REG_DWORD | HKLM 1 | HKLM 0 |
Policy elements
Inputs and configuration options exposed by this policy.
| Scope | Element | Type | Registry mapping | Constraints & behavior | Copy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer | Also apply to matching devices that are already installed. ID DeviceInstall_Classes_Deny_Retroactive | boolean | Path Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DeviceInstall\Restrictions Value name DenyDeviceClassesRetroactive Type REG_DWORD | Options: true (1), false (0) True: Set value = 1 · False: Set value = 0 | |
| Computer | Prevent installation of devices using drivers for these device setup classes: ID DeviceInstall_Classes_Deny_List | list | Path Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DeviceInstall\Restrictions\DenyDeviceClasses Value name DenyDeviceClasses Type REG_MULTI_SZ | List: standard |