How to Hide the Account Protection Section in the Windows Security apps on Windows 11

This guide shows you how to hide or show the Windows Security app Account Protection section in Windows 11.

Applies to

This guide applies to Windows 10 and Windows 11. These steps work on Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions. If you are using Windows 11 Home, you will need to use the Registry method as the Group Policy Editor is not included by default.

Why hide the Account Protection section?

Why: You might want to hide these settings to stop other people from changing your security preferences. This is useful for system administrators managing shared computers or parents wanting to restrict access to account settings like Windows Hello or Dynamic Lock.

What happens when done: The Account Protection section will disappear from the Windows Security app interface, preventing users from modifying those specific security configurations.

Prerequisites and Limitations

Before you begin, ensure you are logged in with an account that has administrator privileges. Modifying the registry carries risks; always back up your registry before making changes. Note that hiding this section does not disable the actual security features; it only removes the user interface access to them. The Windows Security CSP (Configuration Service Provider) manages these policy configurations.

Hide or Show Account Protection via Group Policy

Note: This method requires administrator privileges.

1. Open the Local Group Policy Editor by clicking the Start menu and searching for gpedit.msc.

2. In the menu on the left, go to: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Security > Account protection

3. On the right side, double-click the setting named “Hide the Account protection area.”

4. Choose your setting:

• Not Configured: This is the default setting.
• Enabled: This hides the Account protection area.
• Disabled: This shows the Account protection area.

Hide or Show Account Protection via Registry

Note: This method requires administrator privileges.

If you cannot use the Group Policy Editor, you can use the Windows Registry instead. Warning: Back up your registry before proceeding.

1. Open the Registry Editor by searching for regedit.exe in the Start menu.

2. Go to this path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender Security Center\Account protection

If those folders do not exist, right-click on the “Windows” folder and create the new keys manually.

3. Right-click in the empty space on the right, select New, then DWORD (32-bit) Value.

4. Name this new file UILockdown.

5. Double-click UILockdown and change the Value data:

• Enter 0 to show the section in the Windows Security app.
• Enter 1 to hide the section.

6. Restart your computer to apply the changes.

Summary

You can control the visibility of the Account Protection section in Windows 11 using either the Local Group Policy Editor or the Windows Registry. This allows you to secure your settings or restore them if they have been hidden. Always restart your computer after making changes to the Registry to ensure they take effect. For more information, see Microsoft.com.