How to Disable Edge Swipe in Windows 11

Disable via Windows Settings

Start in Settings, because it is the safest place and needs no system edits. Windows 11 does not have a single “edge swipe” switch in Settings on most builds, so what you can do here is limited. The options below do help in practice.

• To stop the left-edge swipe from opening Widgets, turn Widgets off. Go to Settings › Personalization › Taskbar and switch Widgets to Off. The panel is then gone, and the swipe has nothing to open.
• To review touch gesture options, go to Settings › Bluetooth & devices > Touch. Check the toggles you see there, such as the three- and four-finger touch gestures. The exact list depends on your Windows 11 version and your hardware.

If the swipe from the right edge still opens the Notification Center after this, Settings can’t switch it off. Move on to the Group Policy or Registry method below.

Touchpad vs. Touchscreen

Before you change anything, be clear about which input device is causing the problem. A touchscreen is the display itself, and edge swipe works when your finger or stylus moves in from the edge of the glass. A touchpad is the pad below the keyboard on a laptop, and its gestures are set separately.

If the panels open when you touch the screen, the methods in this guide apply to you. If they open when you swipe on the touchpad, go to Settings › Bluetooth & devices > Touchpad and review the gesture options there instead. If your device has no touchscreen, edge swipe has no effect on it, and you can skip the rest of this guide.

Disable Edge Swipe using Group Policy

You can disable edge swipe in Windows 11 with the Local Group Policy Editor if your account has administrator rights. This built-in tool turns off the screen edge gesture with a single policy change, so menus stop popping up when you touch the sides of your screen.

The Local Group Policy Editor is only included in Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise and Education. It is not available on Home. If you run Home, skip to the Registry method later in this guide.

1. Open the Local Group Policy Editor by searching for “Edit group policy” in the Start menu ⊞. Select the top result. The Local Group Policy Editor window opens, with a folder tree on the left.

   

2. In the left menu, expand the folders and go to this path: Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Edge UI When you select the last folder, its policies are listed on the right.
3. On the right side, double-click Allow Edge swipe. A settings window for that policy opens.

   

4. To turn edge swipe off, select Disabled. To turn it on, select Enabled. Not Configured is the default and leaves Windows to decide.

   

5. Click OK and close the editor.

The change usually applies after you sign out and back in, or restart the PC. If the gesture still works, restart before you try anything else. To undo the change, return to the same policy and set it to Not Configured.

Disable Edge Swipe using the Registry

You can disable edge swipe in Windows 11 by editing the Windows Registry. This is the method to use on Windows Home, which has no Group Policy Editor. It changes a specific system key to turn off touch gestures from the screen edges.

Back up the registry before you make changes. In Registry Editor, choose File › Export, set the export range to All, and save the file somewhere safe. You can also create a restore point first. A wrong edit in the registry can cause problems, so follow the steps exactly.

1. Press the Win+R on your keyboard. The Run box opens in the lower-left corner of the screen.
2. Type regedit in the box and press Enter. If User Account Control asks for permission, click Yes. Registry Editor opens.

   

3. Go to this folder path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EdgeUI You can paste it into the address bar at the top of Registry Editor, or expand the folders on the left one at a time. If a folder in the path is missing, right-click the folder above it, choose New › Key, and name it to match the path.
4. Find the AllowEdgeSwipe value. Double-click it and set it to 0 to turn it off. If the value does not exist, right-click an empty area on the right, choose New › DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it exactly as shown. Then double-click it to set the data.

   

5. Finally, restart Windows Explorer 📁, or restart your 🔄 PC to save your changes.

After you sign back in, try the edge swipe on the touchscreen. It should no longer open Widgets or the Notification Center. To undo the change, set the value back to its previous data, or delete the value you created, and then sign out and back in again.

Troubleshooting Persistent Gestures

Sometimes edge swipe gestures come back after a Windows update. You can usually fix this by checking drivers and reapplying the policy or registry setting.

• Check that the setting is still in place. Reopen the policy or the registry value and confirm it is still set to Disabled or to the value you entered.
• Reapply the setting if it has changed, then sign out and back in or restart.
• Update your touchscreen and chipset drivers. Open Settings › Windows Update › Advanced options › Optional updates to look for driver updates, or download them from your device maker's support page.
• If you manage the PC through a work or school account, a policy from your organization may overwrite local changes. Ask your IT team in that case.

Summary

You can turn off the edge swipe feature in Windows 11 with standard Settings, Group Policy, or the Registry if it keeps opening menus by accident. Try Settings first, use Group Policy on Pro, Enterprise or Education, and use the Registry on Home. Restart after any change, and keep the undo steps handy in case you want the gesture back.