In the right-pane, double-click on the Start entry.Ĥ. On Registry Editor screen, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\USBSTOR.ģ. Open Run Command > type regedit in the Run command window and click on OK.Ģ. If the USB Storage Device has already been used on your computer, you need to make changes in the registry file to prevent its use on your computer.ġ. Disable USB Storage Devices Using Registry Note: You also need to Add the System Account to Deny List, using the same steps. Click on Apply & OK to apply this change on your computer. On usbstor.PNF permissions screen, check the Deny box located next to “Full Control” entry.ĥ. On INF Properties screen, click on the Security tab > select Users entry and click on the Edit button.Ĥ. In the INF Folder, right-click on usbstor.PNF File and click on Properties.ģ. Tip: You can access this location by typing “C:\windows\INF” in the search box.Ģ. Open the File Explorer on your computer and navigate to C:\Windows\INF folder. If you are using the Home Edition of Windows 10, you can disable the use of USB Drives and on your computer by changing security settings for usbstor.PNF file.ġ.
Note: It is important to apply Removable Disks: Deny Execute Access policy, if your intention is to prevent any malicious code in the USB Drive from running on your computer. If you only want to Apply the policy at User Level, navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Removable Storage Access. Similarly, you can disable Write Access for all Users by enabling Removable Disks: Deny Write Access Policy. This will apply the policy at Machine Level, preventing all Users on your computer from accessing files located on USB Storage Drives. On the next screen, select Disabled option > click on Apply & OK to save this setting. In the right-pane, double-click on Removable Disks: Deny Read Access entry.ĥ. Select Removable Storage Access in the left-pane. On Local Group Policy Editor screen, navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Removable Storage Access.Ĥ. On the Command screen, type gpedit.msc and click on OK.ģ. Right-click on the Start button and click on Run.Ģ. If you are using the Professional version of Windows 10, you can disable USB Drives on your computer using Group Policy Editor.ġ. Another reason for disabling USB Drives on a Windows computer is to protect data and prevent anyone making a copy of your files on the computer.