Personalization Enable or Disable Simplified Quick Settings in Windows 11

Brink · Apr 30, 2022

This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable simplify Quick Settings layout for all users in Windows 11.

Quick Settings (Win+A) gives you quick access from the taskbar corner to commonly used settings and apps like Volume, Brightness, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Airplane mode, Rotation lock, Battery saver, Accessibility, Night light, Mobile hotspot, Nearby sharing, Cast, and Project. Directly above your Quick Settings, you will see media playback controls when playing music or videos in Microsoft Edge or streaming music in apps like Spotify.

You can enable the Simplify Quick Settings Layout policy to reduce Quick Settings (Win+A) to only having the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Accessibility buttons, the brightness and volume sliders, battery indicator, and Settings link. Users will not be able to edit Quick Settings when simplified.

You must be signed in as an administrator to enable or disable simplify Quick Settings layout.

Contents

Option One: Enable or Disable Simplified Quick Settings in Local Group Policy Editor
Option Two: Enable or Disable Simplified Quick Settings using REG file

EXAMPLE: Quick Settings and Simplified Quick Settings on taskbar corner

Option One

Enable or Disable Simplified Quick Settings in Local Group Policy Editor

The Local Group Policy Editor is only available in the Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions.

All editions can use Option Two to configure the same policy.

1 Open the Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc).

2 Navigate to the policy location below in the left pane of the Local Group Policy Editor. (see screenshot below)

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar

3 In the right pane of Start Menu and Taskbar in the Local Group Policy Editor, double click/tap on the Simplify Quick Settings Layout policy to edit it. (see screenshot above)

4 Do step 5 (enable) or step 6 (disable) below for what you want.

5 Enable Simplified Quick Settings

A) Select (dot) Enabled, click/tap on OK, and go to step 7. (see screenshot below)

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6 Disable Simplified Quick Settings

This is the default setting.

A) Select (dot) Not Configured, click/tap on OK, and go to step 7. (see screenshot below)

7 Close the Local Group Policy Editor.

8 Either restart the explorer process, sign out and sign in, or restart the computer to apply.

Option Two

Enable or Disable Simplified Quick Settings using REG file

1 Do step 2 (enable) or step 3 (disable) below for what you would like to do.

2 Enable Simplified Quick Settings

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

Enable_Simplified_Quick_Settings.reg

Download

(Contents of REG file for reference)

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer]
"SimplifyQuickSettings"=dword:00000001

3 Disable Simplified Quick Settings

This is the default setting

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

Disable_Simplified_Quick_Settings.reg

Download

(Contents of REG file for reference)

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer]
"SimplifyQuickSettings"=-

4 Save the REG file to your desktop.

5 Double click/tap on the downloaded REG file to merge it.

6 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

7 Either restart the explorer process, sign out and sign in, or restart the computer to apply.

8 You can now delete the downloaded REG file if you like.

That's it,
Shawn Brink