Hiding the Security and Previous Versions Tabs in Windows Using the Registry

In Windows environments, there may be cases where users should not have access to advanced file and folder property options. This is especially useful on corporate workstations, shared computers, RDS environments, or hardened Windows 11 clients.

Two commonly restricted sections are:

• Security
• Previous Versions

These tabs can be hidden from the Windows user interface by applying simple Registry settings.

Registry Commands

The following commands apply the restrictions to the currently logged-on user:

reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer" /v NoSecurityTab /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer" /v NoPreviousVersionsPage /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Because the settings are written under HKCU, which stands for HKEY_CURRENT_USER, they apply only to the current user profile.

Hiding the Security Tab

The first command creates the following Registry value:

NoSecurityTab = 1

Command:

reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer" /v NoSecurityTab /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

When this setting is enabled, the Security tab is hidden from the file or folder properties window.

Under normal conditions, users can access it by following:

Right-click the file or folder
→ Properties
→ Security

The Security tab normally provides access to information such as:

• User and group permissions
• Read permissions
• Write permissions
• Modify permissions
• Full Control
• Advanced Security Settings
• Ownership information
• NTFS permissions

When NoSecurityTab is set to 1, this tab is hidden from the Windows Explorer interface.

Important Security Note

This setting does not modify the actual NTFS permissions.

In other words, hiding the Security tab does not change what the user is authorized to access.

It is primarily a user-interface restriction.

Actual file and folder security should still be enforced through mechanisms such as:

• NTFS ACLs
• Active Directory security groups
• Least Privilege
• Group Policy
• Proper administrative delegation

Hiding the Previous Versions Tab

The second command hides the Previous Versions section:

reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer" /v NoPreviousVersionsPage /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

This creates the following Registry value:

NoPreviousVersionsPage = 1

Depending on the environment, the Previous Versions feature may provide access to older copies of files and folders.

It is commonly associated with technologies such as:

• Volume Shadow Copy Service
• Shadow Copies
• File server previous versions
• Restore points
• File history mechanisms

Normally, users can access this section through:

Right-click the file or folder
→ Properties
→ Previous Versions

When NoPreviousVersionsPage is set to 1, the Previous Versions page is hidden from the user interface.

Registry Structure

After applying both settings, the Registry structure will look similar to the following:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER
 └── Software
     └── Microsoft
         └── Windows
             └── CurrentVersion
                 └── Policies
                     └── Explorer
                         ├── NoSecurityTab            REG_DWORD    1
                         └── NoPreviousVersionsPage  REG_DWORD    1

In this case:

1 = Policy enabled

Verifying the Settings

You can verify that the Registry values were created successfully by running:

reg query "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer" /v NoSecurityTab
reg query "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer" /v NoPreviousVersionsPage

A successful configuration should return output similar to:

NoSecurityTab                       REG_DWORD    0x1
NoPreviousVersionsPage    REG_DWORD    0x1

Applying the Changes

After modifying the Registry, Windows Explorer may need to be restarted.

You can do this with:

taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
start explorer.exe

Alternatively, the user can sign out and sign back in.

In a domain environment, you may also run:

gpupdate /force

if the setting is being delivered through Group Policy.

Reverting the Changes

To restore the Security tab, remove the Registry value:

reg delete "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer" /v NoSecurityTab /f

To restore the Previous Versions page:

reg delete "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer" /v NoPreviousVersionsPage /f

Then restart Explorer:

taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
start explorer.exe

Another option is to set the values to 0:

reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer" /v NoSecurityTab /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer" /v NoPreviousVersionsPage /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

However, removing unused policy values is often cleaner in centrally managed environments.

Why HKCU Matters

The Registry path starts with:

HKCU

which means:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

This is important because the settings apply only to the currently logged-on user.

For example, if the commands are executed while User-A is logged in, the restrictions apply to User-A.

If User-B later logs on to the same computer, the same settings may not automatically apply.

For Active Directory environments with many users and endpoints, centrally deploying the settings through Group Policy is generally more manageable than configuring them manually on each workstation.

Where Can These Settings Be Used?

These settings can be useful in environments such as:

• Corporate Windows 10/11 workstations
• Standard user endpoints
• Shared computers
• RDS and Terminal Server environments
• Kiosk systems
• Training or laboratory computers
• Golden Image deployments
• Hardened Windows clients

For example, when preparing a hardened Windows 11 Golden Image, these settings can help reduce unnecessary access to advanced file-system management options for standard users.

Security Considerations

These Registry settings should not be treated as a complete security control.

For example, hiding the Security tab does not automatically prevent a user from modifying permissions through another method if that user already has sufficient privileges.

Real security should therefore be enforced through controls such as:

• NTFS permissions
• Active Directory security groups
• Least Privilege
• Restricted local administrator access
• Windows LAPS
• UAC
• Group Policy
• Application Control
• PowerShell and Command Prompt restrictions where appropriate

The Registry settings described here are best used as an additional user-interface restriction rather than as a replacement for proper access control.