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Turn Off Windows Spotlight Ads on the Lock Screen

The lock screen can show new pictures alongside tips and suggestions you did not ask for. If this policy is not configured, Windows Spotlight features remain allowed and can be controlled individually. Set Turn off all Windows spotlight features to Enabled to manage this feature group.

Problems this setup can solve

  • The lock screen keeps showing tips, suggestions, or ads next to the picture.
  • The default background changed to Windows Spotlight after an update and I want it gone.
  • I manage several PCs and want Spotlight turned off on all of them in one step.

Before you start

This policy applies to the whole feature group. It cannot keep the daily pictures while removing only the tips.

This management option is available on the Enterprise, Education, IoT Enterprise, and IoT Enterprise LTSC editions (Windows Spotlight, Experience Policy CSP).

Steps

  1. Press Win + R and run gpedit.msc.
  2. Go to User Configuration › Administrative Templates › Windows Components › Cloud Content and open Turn off all Windows spotlight features.
  3. Set the status to Enabled.
  4. Save the setting.
  5. Open Command Prompt as administrator and run this command to apply the policy right away:
gpupdate /force
  1. Lock the PC with Win + L and check that the lock screen no longer shows Spotlight pictures, tips, or suggestions.

The Turn off all Windows spotlight features page has more information about the policy.

Apply it with the registry

If you do not use the Group Policy Editor, apply the same setting through the registry. The registry value page provides a .reg file, CMD, or PowerShell commands to copy and apply as a complete block.

Policy or personalization settings

These options work differently:

  • The policy turns off the whole group of Spotlight features and is intended for administrators managing multiple PCs.
  • For one user, change the lock screen personalization choice to a static picture or slideshow. If the desktop background switched to Spotlight after the October 2024 update (KB5046633), choose a different background there too.

Use this policy when you need to manage the feature group across multiple PCs.

How to undo it

To restore the default behavior, set the policy to Not Configured and run gpupdate /force. Windows Spotlight then turns on again by default. You can then choose the preferred lock screen display.

Cautions

  • Before deployment, check whether managed workflows depend on Windows tips or consumer features.
  • Pilot the change on one PC before rolling it out across the managed group.

This article reflects the policy templates for Windows 11 version 26H2 (OS build 26300), published 2026-09-29.

References