How to prevent Windows Users from changing the Screen Saver via the Registry Settings

If you’re managing a shared or corporate Windows environment, locking down user settings is often necessary to maintain a consistent experience—or enforce productivity and security policies. One common request: preventing users from changing the screen saver.

Here’s how to block access to screen saver settings by modifying the Windows Registry.

⚠️ Warning: Edit the Registry with Caution

Before you proceed, back up the Registry. Making incorrect changes can cause system problems. To back up:

1. Open the Registry Editor (regedit.exe).
2. Click File > Export, and save a backup.

Step-by-Step: Disable Screen Saver Changes

1. Open the Registry Editor
   • Press Win + R, type regedit, and hit Enter.
2. Navigate to the Policy Path
   • Go to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Control Panel\Desktop
   • If any of the folders in the path don’t exist, right-click and create them:
     • Right-click on Windows → New → Key → name it Control Panel
     • Right-click on Control Panel → New → Key → name it Desktop
3. Create or Modify the NoDispScrSavPage Value
   • Inside Desktop, right-click in the right pane → New → DWORD (32-bit) Value
   • Name it: ScreenSaverIsSecure
   • Set the value to: 1 (this enforces password protection if the screen saver is used)
   Now add this key to disable screen saver settings access:
   • Name: NoDispScrSavPage
   • Type: DWORD (32-bit)
   • Value: 1
   This hides the screen saver tab in Display Settings, making it inaccessible through the GUI.

Optional: Lock in a Specific Screen Saver

To enforce a specific screen saver, add the following values under the same Desktop key:

• SCRNSAVE.EXE (String Value)
  • Set this to the path of the screen saver file (e.g., C:\Windows\System32\logon.scr)
• ScreenSaveActive (String Value)
  • Set to 1
• ScreenSaveTimeOut (String Value)
  • Set to the number of seconds before the screen saver activates (e.g., 300 for 5 minutes)

Make It Global (For All Users)

To apply the same restriction system-wide, make the changes under:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Control Panel\Desktop

Same values, same logic—but it affects every user account on the machine.

Final Tip: Use Group Policy for Easier Management

If you’re in an Active Directory environment, it’s better to use Group Policy:

• Run gpedit.msc
• Navigate to:
  User Configuration → Administrative Templates → Control Panel → Personalization
• Enable the policy: Prevent changing screen saver

This is cleaner and avoids manual registry editing.

Conclusion

Controlling screen saver settings through the Registry is a powerful way to enforce user policies, especially in kiosk, public, or managed environments. Just be careful—Registry changes are instant and can impact usability if done incorrectly. When in doubt, test on a non-production machine first.

Need help applying this via script or remotely? Drop a comment or reach out.