Policy
Prevent installation of devices not described by other policy settings
Windows 11 25H2
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 prevent the installation of devices that are not specifically described by any other policy setting. NOTE: This policy setting has been replaced by the "Apply layered order of evaluation for Allow and Prevent device installation policies across all device match criteria" policy setting to provide more granular control. It is recommended that you use the "Apply layered order of evaluation for Allow and Prevent device installation policies across all device match criteria" policy setting instead of this policy setting. If you enable this policy setting, Windows is prevented from installing or updating the driver package for any device that is not described by either the "Allow installation of devices that match any of these device IDs", the "Allow installation of devices for these device classes", or the "Allow installation of devices that match any of these device instance IDs" policy setting. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, Windows is allowed to install or update the driver package for any device that is not described by the "Prevent installation of devices that match any of these device IDs", "Prevent installation of devices for these device classes" policy setting, "Prevent installation of devices that match any of these device instance IDs", or "Prevent installation of removable devices" policy setting.
Registry values
How enabled and disabled states update the registry.
| Registry location | Type | Enabled value | Disabled value |
|---|---|---|---|
| HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DeviceInstall\Restrictions\DenyUnspecified | REG_DWORD | 1 | 0 |
Policy elements
Inputs and configuration options exposed by this policy.
This policy has no additional user input fields.
Other policies in this category
Explore related policies at the same level.
- ComputerAllow administrators to override Device Installation Restriction policiesAt least Windows Vista
- ComputerAllow installation of devices that match any of these device IDsAt least Windows Vista
- ComputerAllow installation of devices that match any of these device instance IDsAt least Windows Server 2016, Windows 10 Version 1909
- ComputerAllow installation of devices using drivers that match these device setup classesAt least Windows Vista
- ComputerApply layered order of evaluation for Allow and Prevent device installation policies across all device match criteriaAt least Windows Server 2016, Windows 10 Version 2106
- ComputerDisplay a custom message title when device installation is prevented by a policy settingAt least Windows Vista
- ComputerDisplay a custom message when installation is prevented by a policy settingAt least Windows Vista
- ComputerPrevent installation of devices that match any of these device IDsAt least Windows Vista
- ComputerPrevent installation of devices that match any of these device instance IDsAt least Windows Server 2016, Windows 10 Version 1909
- ComputerPrevent installation of devices using drivers that match these device setup classesAt least Windows Vista
- ComputerPrevent installation of removable devicesAt least Windows Vista
- ComputerTime (in seconds) to force reboot when required for policy changes to take effectAt least Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7