How to Enable or Disable Access to Removable Storage Devices in Windows 11

Enable or Disable Removable Storage Access for All Users Using Group Policy

Local Group Policy Editor (a built-in tool for managing system settings) lets you disable removable storage access for all users on your computer at once. This method works on Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education. It is not available on Home, because Home does not include the editor. If you run Home, use the Registry method later in this guide. The change blocks everyone from using USB drives and portable disks.

⚠️ Admin privileges required Sign in with an administrator account before you start.

These steps open the policy that turns access to removable storage devices on or off for every user on the PC. The lists after the image then set it.

1. Press the Win and R together. The Run box opens.
2. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter. If you get a “not found” error, you are on Windows 11 Home, which has no Group Policy Editor. Use the registry method instead.
3. Click Yes if a User Account Control prompt appears. The Local Group Policy Editor window should now open.
4. Expand the folders in the left pane until you reach: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Removable Storage Access The right pane now lists the removable storage policies.
5. Double-click the policy called All Removable Storage classes: Deny all access. A settings window for that policy opens.

To Allow Access to Removable Storage Devices

To allow access again, set the policy back to its default. This is the default setting, so you only need to do this if someone changed it earlier. Do steps 6 to 8 below.

6. Select the Not Configured option by clicking the dot next to it. Disabled also allows access, but Not Configured returns the policy to its original state.
7. Click OK. The policy window closes and the policy list shows its state as Not configured.
8. Close the Group Policy Editor.

Unplug any drive that was already connected and plug it in again. If it still does not appear, sign out and back in, or restart the PC, so the policy refreshes.

To Block Access to Removable Storage Devices

To block access instead, do steps 6 to 8 below in place of the ones above.

6. Select the Enabled option by clicking the dot next to it.
7. Click OK. The policy list now shows the state as Enabled.
8. Close the Group Policy Editor.

Group Policy refreshes in the background, but not instantly. For a quick test, sign out and back in or restart the PC. Then plug in a USB drive. Windows should refuse to open it and show a message that access is denied. To undo the block, repeat the steps above and choose Not Configured.

Option Two

Enable or Disable Removable Storage Access for Specific Users Using Group Policy

Local Group Policy Editor also lets you disable removable storage access for specific user accounts while leaving other people free to use USB drives. This method requires Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education and administrative rights. You target individual user profiles without changing system-wide settings.

To limit the policy to one account or to the Administrators or Non-Administrators group, you need a user-specific local policy object, which you add through the Microsoft Management Console. Without that, a User Configuration setting applies to every account that signs in.

⚠️ Admin privileges required

These steps block or allow removable storage devices for one user or group only. The lists after the image set the policy.

1. Open the Microsoft Management Console as an administrator. An empty console window opens.
2. Click File › Add/Remove Snap-in. A list of available snap-ins appears.
3. Select Group Policy Object Editor and click Add. A wizard asks which Group Policy Object to use. The default is the local computer.
4. Click Browse. The Browse for a Group Policy Object window opens.
5. Open the Users tab and pick the account or group you want to control. Typical choices are Administrators, Non-Administrators, or a single user. Click OK.
6. Click Finish, then OK. The editor now shows the policy object for that user or group.
7. Expand the folders in the left pane until you reach: User Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Removable Storage Access
8. Double-click the policy called All Removable Storage classes: Deny all access. A settings window for that policy opens.

To Allow Access

To restore access for that user, set the policy back to its default. This is the default setting. Do steps 9 to 11 below.

9. Select the Not Configured option.
10. Click OK.
11. Close the Group Policy Editor.

The affected user should sign out and back in so the change takes effect.

To Block Access

To block access for that user instead, do steps 9 to 11 below in place of the ones above.

9. Select the Enabled option.
10. Click OK.
11. Close the Group Policy Editor.

Have the user sign out and back in, then test with a USB drive. Users who are not covered by the policy can keep using their drives as before.

Option Three

Enable or Disable Removable Storage Access for All Users Using the Registry

The Registry Editor method works on every edition of Windows 11, including Home. You change the setting with a command, so run it from an elevated window. Editing the registry can break things if you get it wrong, so copy the commands exactly.

⚠️ Admin privileges required

1. Right-click the Start button ⊞. A quick menu opens.
2. Choose Terminal (Admin) or Windows Terminal (Admin). The name depends on your Windows 11 build.
3. Click Yes at the User Account Control prompt. An elevated terminal window opens.

To Allow Access to Removable Storage Devices

This is the default setting. Run the command below to block access.

4. Run this command to block access. Copy it exactly, then press Enter.

reg delete "HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\RemovableStorageDevices" /v Deny_All /f
reg delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\RemovableStorageDevices" /v Deny_All /f

To Block Access to Removable Storage Devices

To undo the block later, use the command below.

5. Run this command to restore access. Copy it exactly, then press Enter.

reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\RemovableStorageDevices" /v Deny_All /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Summary

Blocking removable storage access on Windows 11 means using either the Local Group Policy Editor (Pro, Enterprise, and Education) or the Registry Editor (all editions). Both stop anyone from using unauthorized USB drives and portable storage devices. If a change does not seem to apply, restart the PC and reconnect the device. If you plan to reverse the block later, note which method you used and undo it the same way.