Windows allows you to customize the color and appearance settings with ease. You can change the color of the taskbar, the action center, and other features to your liking. However, it’s annoying when someone suddenly changes the color and appearance settings without your permission.

So, let's explore the two solutions that can help you tackle this issue. We’ll start by checking how you can restrict access to the Color and Appearance Settings. From there, we’ll show you how to restrict access to the Color Scheme settings.

1. How to Restrict Access to the Color and Appearance Settings on Windows

A lady using a Windows computer

Let’s check out how you can prevent other users from configuring the Color and Appearance settings. We’ll explore how you can do this using the Local Group Policy Editor and the Registry Editor.

Using the Local Group Policy Editor

Are you using the Windows Pro, Enterprise, or Pro Editions? If so, then you can easily access the Local Group Policy Editor (LGPE).

If you’re using the Home edition, then you can apply some tricks to access the LGPE on Windows Home. But if you feel like this will be a long process, you can skip directly to the next step.

Otherwise, here’s how you can use the LGPE to restrict access to the Color and Appearance settings:

  1. Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box.
  2. Type gpedit.msc and then press OK to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
  3. Navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization.
  4. Double-click the Prevent changing color and appearance option on the right-hand side pane.
Using the LGPE to Prevent Others From Changing the Color and Appearance Settings

Next, select the Enabled option in the pop-up window. From there, press Apply and then press OK to save the changes. Finally, restart your computer when you finish.

Now, here’s how you can verify whether these settings were effective or not:

  1. Press Win + I to open the system settings.
  2. Click the Personalization option from the menu items.
  3. Next, select the Colors option on the left-hand side pane. If your settings were effective, the Colors settings on the right-hand side should be grayed out. Additionally, you should see a pop-up message that reads, “Your system administrator has disabled these settings.”

In case you decide to re-enable the Color and Appearance settings, here are steps you can follow:

  1. Apply the previous steps and navigate to the Personalization option.
  2. Double-click on Prevent changing color and appearance.
  3. Select either the Disabled or the Not Configured option.
  4. Press Apply, press OK, and then restart your device to save these changes.

Using the Registry Editor

The Registry Editor is a built-in Windows tool that helps you configure various system settings.

However, you need to be careful when handling Registry keys. If you configure the wrong settings, you might end up damaging your Windows device. So, it's always best to back up the Registry first before you tweak its settings.

Now, here’s how you can use the Registry Editor to disable the Color and Appearance settings:

  1. Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box.
  2. Type Regedit and press OK to open the Registry Editor.
  3. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Policies > Microsoft > Windows > Personalization.
  4. Right-click on a blank space on the right-hand side and then select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
  5. Name the value as NoChangingColor and then press Enter to save these changes.
Using the Registry Editor to Prevent Others From Changing the Color and Appearance Settings

Next, double-click the NoChangingColor value and set its Value data to 1. From there, click OK, close the Registry Editor, and then restart your device.

If you want to re-enable the Color and Appearance settings, here are the steps you should follow:

  1. Navigate to the ColorAndAppearance key as per the previous steps.
  2. Double-click on the NoChangingColor value and set its Value data to 0.
  3. Click OK, close the Registry Editor, and then restart your PC.

2. How to Restrict Access to the Color Scheme Settings

Windows PC with a colorful desktop background

Let’s now explore a different method of restricting access to the Color and Appearance settings. In this case, we’ll check out how you can disable the Color Scheme settings. We’ll use the Local Group Policy Editor and the Registry Editor to restrict access to these settings.

Using the Local Group Policy Editor

Here's how you can prevent access to the Color Scheme settings using the LGPE:

  1. Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box.
  2. Type gpedit.msc and press OK to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
  3. Navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization.
  4. Double-click on the Prevent changing color scheme option.
Using the LGPE to Prevent Others From Changing the Color Scheme Settings

Next, select the Enabled option on the pop-up window. From there, press Apply, press OK, and then restart your computer.

Want to know how you can re-enable the Sound Scheme settings? Here’s what you can do:

  1. Follow the previous steps and navigate to the Personalization option.
  2. Double-click on Prevent changing color scheme.
  3. Next, select either the Disabled or the Not Configured option.
  4. Press Apply, press OK, and then restart your PC to save these changes.

Using the Registry Editor

Here’s how you can restrict access to the Color Scheme settings using the Registry Editor:

  1. Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box.
  2. Type Regedit and press OK to open the Registry Editor.
  3. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Policies > Microsoft > Windows > Personalization.
  4. Right-click on a blank space on the right-hand side and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
  5. Name the value as NoChangingColorScheme and then press Enter.
  6. Double-click on this value and set its Value data to 1. Click OK, close the Registry Editor, and restart your device to save these changes.
Using the Registry Editor to Prevent Others From Changing the Color Scheme Settings

Here’s how you can re-enable the Color Scheme settings:

  1. Follow the previous steps and double-click on the NoChangingColorScheme value.
  2. Set the Value data to 0 and click OK.
  3. Close the Registry Editor and then restart your device to save these changes.

The Windows Color and Appearance Settings Are Now Inaccessible

It’s always frustrating when others keep changing the settings on your Windows device. If you want to restrict access to the color settings, the solutions we’ve covered are all you need!

Now, you can focus on other cool things such as changing the look and feel of your Windows desktop.