Policy
Turn off password security in Input Panel
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
Adjusts password security settings in Touch Keyboard and Handwriting panel (a.k.a. Tablet PC Input Panel in Windows 7 and Windows Vista). These settings include using the on-screen keyboard by default, preventing users from switching to another Input Panel skin (the writing pad or character pad), and not showing what keys are tapped when entering a password. Touch Keyboard and Handwriting panel enables you to use handwriting or an on-screen keyboard to enter text, symbols, numbers, or keyboard shortcuts. If you enable this policy and choose “Low” from the drop-down box, password security is set to “Low.” At this setting, all password security settings are turned off. Users will not be able to configure this setting in the Input Panel Options dialog box. If you enable this policy and choose “Medium-Low” from the drop-down box, password security is set to “Medium-Low.” At this setting, when users enter passwords from Input Panel they use the on-screen keyboard by default, skin switching is allowed, and Input Panel displays the cursor and which keys are tapped. Users will not be able to configure this setting in the Input Panel Options dialog box. If you enable this policy and choose “Medium” from the drop-down box, password security is set to “Medium.” At this setting, when users enter passwords from Input Panel they use the on-screen keyboard by default, skin switching is not allowed, and Input Panel displays the cursor and which keys are tapped. Users will not be able to configure this setting in the Input Panel Options dialog box. If you enable this policy and choose to “Medium-High” from the drop-down box, password security is set to “Medium-High.” At this setting, when users enter passwords from Input Panel they use the on-screen keyboard by default, skin switching is allowed, and Input Panel does not display the cursor or which keys are tapped. Users will not be able to configure this setting in the Input Panel Options dialog box. If you enable this policy and choose “High” from the drop-down box, password security is set to “High.” At this setting, when users enter passwords from Input Panel they use the on-screen keyboard by default, skin switching is not allowed, and Input Panel does not display the cursor or which keys are tapped. Users will not be able to configure this setting in the Input Panel Options dialog box. If you disable this policy, password security is set to “Medium-High.” At this setting, when users enter passwords from Input Panel they use the on-screen keyboard by default, skin switching is allowed, and Input Panel does not display the cursor or which keys are tapped. Users will not be able to configure this setting in the Input Panel Options dialog box. If you do not configure this policy, password security is set to “Medium-High” by default. At this setting, when users enter passwords from Input Panel they use the on-screen keyboard by default, skin switching is allowed, and Input Panel does not display the cursor or which keys are tapped. Users will be able to configure this setting on the Advanced tab in Input Panel Options in Windows 7 and Windows Vista. Caution: If you lower password security settings, people who can see the user’s screen might be able to see their passwords.
Registry values
How enabled and disabled states update the registry.
| Scope | Registry location | Type | Enabled value | Disabled value | Copy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer | Path software\policies\microsoft\TabletTip\1.7 Value name PasswordSecurityState | 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 | Turn off password security in Input Panel ID PasswordSecurity | enum | Path software\policies\microsoft\TabletTip\1.7 Value name PasswordSecurity Type REG_DWORD | Options: Low (1), Medium Low (2), Medium (3), Medium High (4), High (5) |