After Anniversary Update, Windows 10 Pro prevents disabling Windows Store

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Microsoft introduced a lot of changes to Windows 10 with the Anniversary Update. Some of them are highly visible to everyone, while others can only be noticed by more advanced users. That’s the case with Windows 10’s Policy Editor, which is going to receive some restrictions in the next major update for Windows 10.

Before the Anniversary Update, users of all Windows 10 versions (expect Windows 10 Home) were able to change system policies without any problems. Now, however, Microsoft is restricting the ability to change certain policies to users of some Windows 10 versions.

Among the policies affected is the ability to turn off the Windows Store and UWP apps, an option no longer available to Windows 10 Pro users. If you want to disable the Windows Store, you must upgrade to the Enterprise, Education, or Server SKU version of Windows 10.

If you’re a Windows 10 Pro user and you try to disable Windows Store apps, your action simply won’t make any changes to the system. Of course, if you’re using more advanced versions of Windows 10, you’ll be able to make changes normally.

anniversary update store group policy

It is known that a lot of companies have decided to actually turn the Windows Store feature off in Windows 10 because it also turns off all pre-installed Windows 10 apps. By doing that, companies are able to get rid of bloatware and have more space for apps that they usually use.

This move will surely draw more criticism towards Microsoft, especially from smaller companies running Windows 10 Pro. Some people will also interpret this Microsoft’s decision as a way to force people to use the Windows Store apps.

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More about the topics: windows 10 anniversary update, windows store