How to remove new Settings ‘Home’ page on Windows 11

UPDATED 10/13/2023: On Windows 11 23H2 (and October 2023 update), the Settings gets a new “Home” with interactive cards, but you can always remove the page, and in this guide, you will learn how.

The “Home” page in the Settings app isn’t new since the version of the experience for Windows 10 also included a similar page, but the new start page for the app is different. Instead of giving you a list of the available sections, the development team introduced interactive cards that surface different settings recommendations based on how you use the app, and you can adjust with one click.

The Settings Home page can show up to seven cards, including Recommended settings, Cloud storage, Account recovery, Personalization, Microsoft 365, Xbox, and Bluetooth devices, but the company plans to add even more cards in future releases.

Although the homepage can make it easier to change system settings, it’s possible to disable or remove it for a more classic experience through the Group Policy Editor and Registry.

This guide will teach you two ways to change the visibility to hidden on Windows 11.

• Hide new Home page on Settings app through Group Policy
• Hide new Home page on Settings app through Registry

Hide new Home page on Settings app through Group Policy

To hide and remove the new Settings Home on Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education, use these steps:

1. Open Start on Windows 11.

2. Search for gpedit and click the top result to open the Local Group Policy Editor.

3. Browse the following path:

   Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel

4. Double-click the “Settings Page Visibility” policy.

   

5. Choose the Enabled option.

6. Change the “Settings Page Visibility” setting value to hide:home.

   

7. Click the Apply button.

8. Click the OK button.

9. Restart the computer.

Once you complete the steps, restart the computer to apply the changes, and then the next time you launch the Settings app, you will no longer see the Home page, and the app will open directly into the System settings as before.

If you change your mind, it’s possible to revert the changes using the same instructions, but in step 5, choose the “Not Configured” option.

Hide new Home page on Settings app through Registry

If you’re running the Home edition of Windows 11, you won’t have access to the Group Policy Editor, but you can achieve the same result from the Registry.

To hide and remove the new Settings Home on Windows 11 through the Registry, use these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for regedit and click the top result to open the Registry Editor.

3. Browse the following path:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

4. Right-click the Explorer key, select New, and choose the String Value option.

   

5. Confirm the SettingsPageVisibility for the string and press Enter.

6. Double-click the newly created string and change its value to hide:home.

   

7. Click the OK button.

8. Restart the computer.

After you complete the steps, the Settings app will start in the System section, and the Home page with the interactive cards will no longer be available.

It’s possible to enable the Home page back in the Settings using the same instructions, but on step 4, right-click the SettingsPageVisibility string, choose the “Delete” option, and restart the computer.

Update October 13, 2023: Added a new instructional video demonstrating how to remove the page from the Settings app. If the new page interface isn’t present after updating, and you want to enable it instead, you can use these instructions.