Policy
Hide these specified drives in My Computer
Windows 11 25H2
Policy overview
Key metadata and intent for this policy.
Supported OS tags: Windows10, Windows10RT, Windows11, Windows2000, Windows7, Windows8, Windows81, WindowsRT, WindowsRT81, WindowsServer2003, WindowsServer2008, WindowsServer2012, WindowsServer2012R2, WindowsServer2016, WindowsVista, WindowsXP
This policy setting allows you to hide these specified drives in My Computer. This policy setting allows you to remove the icons representing selected hard drives from My Computer and File Explorer. Also, the drive letters representing the selected drives do not appear in the standard Open dialog box. If you enable this policy setting, select a drive or combination of drives in the drop-down list. Note: This policy setting removes the drive icons. Users can still gain access to drive contents by using other methods, such as by typing the path to a directory on the drive in the Map Network Drive dialog box, in the Run dialog box, or in a command window. Also, this policy setting does not prevent users from using programs to access these drives or their contents. And, it does not prevent users from using the Disk Management snap-in to view and change drive characteristics. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, all drives are displayed, or select the "Do not restrict drives" option in the drop-down list. Also, see the "Prevent access to drives from My Computer" policy setting.
Registry values
How enabled and disabled states update the registry.
No explicit registry values are set for enabled or disabled states.
Policy elements
Inputs and configuration options exposed by this policy.
| Element | Type | Registry mapping | Constraints & behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
Pick one of the following combinations ID NoDrivesDropdown | enum | HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\NoDrives Type REG_DWORD | Options: Restrict A and B drives only (3), Restrict C drive only (4), Restrict D drive only (8), Restrict A, B and C drives only (7), Restrict A, B, C and D drives only (15), Restrict all drives (67108863), Do not restrict drives (0) |
Other policies in this category
Explore related policies at the same level.
- UserAllow only per user or approved shell extensionsAt least Windows 2000
- ComputerAllow the use of remote paths in file shortcut iconsAt least Windows Server 2012, Windows 8 or Windows RT
- ComputerConfigure Windows Defender SmartScreenAt least Windows Server 2012, Windows 8 or Windows RT
- ComputerDisable binding directly to IPropertySetStorage without intermediate layers.At least Windows Vista
- UserDisable binding directly to IPropertySetStorage without intermediate layers.At least Windows Vista
- UserDisable Known FoldersAt least Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7
- UserDisplay confirmation dialog when deleting filesAt least Windows Server 2003 operating systems or Windows XP Professional
- UserDisplay the menu bar in File ExplorerAt least Windows Vista
- UserDo not allow Folder Options to be opened from the Options button on the View tab of the ribbonAt least Windows 2000
- ComputerDo not apply the Mark of the Web tag to files copied from insecure sourcesAt least Windows Server 2012, Windows 8 or Windows RT
- UserDo not display the Welcome Center at user logonWindows Vista only
- UserDo not move deleted files to the Recycle BinAt least Windows Server 2003 operating systems or Windows XP Professional