In this blog post, I will demonstrate how to deploy an Intune policy to remove/unpin Microsoft Store from taskbar using Intune. By default, Microsoft Store app is pinned to the taskbar on Windows 11 devices. If your organization has disabled or blocked the Microsoft Store app, clicking on the icon may result in an error message.
Therefore, it is recommended to remove the icon from the taskbar to prevent users from being encouraged to click on it. After this policy is applied, users will also not be able to pin the store app to the taskbar.
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Remove/Unpin Microsoft Store from Taskbar Intune Policy
The easiest way to remove/unpin Microsoft store app from taskbar on Windows 11 devices is by using a Settings catalog policy setting Do not allow pinning Store app to the Taskbar (User). Let’s check the steps:
- Sign in to Intune admin center > Devices > Windows > Configuration > Create > New Policy.
- Platform: Windows 10 and later
- Profile type: Settings catalog
- Click Create.
- On the Basics tab, provide a Name and Description of the policy and click Next.
- On Configuration settings tab, click on + Add settings and use the Settings picker to search using Do not allow pinning Store keyword and select Administrative Templates\Start Menu and Taskbar category. Select Do not allow pinning Store app to the Taskbar (User).
This policy setting allows you to control pinning the Store app to the Taskbar. If you enable this policy setting, users cannot pin the Store app to the Taskbar. If the Store app is already pinned to the Taskbar, it will be removed from the Taskbar on next login. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, users can pin the Store app to the Taskbar.
About the Policy (Official definition)
- Use the toggle switch to Enable the policy Do not allow pinning Store app to the Taskbar (User).
- Scope tags: Click Next
- Assignments: Assign this policy to an entra security group containing users not devices. If you assign this policy to devices, you may get Not applicable error and the policy may not apply. Also, It’s a best practice to test the policy on a few users first. If it’s working fine, then extend it to other users.
- Review + create: Review the policy settings and click on Create.
Monitoring Unpin Store App Policy
- Sign in to the Intune admin center > Devices > Configuration.
- Select the Device Configuration profile you want to work with, and at the top of the page, you’ll see a quick view of the Success, Failure, Conflict, Not Applicable, and In Progress status.
- Click on View report to access more detailed information.
Sync Intune Policies
The device check-in process might not begin immediately. If you’re testing this policy on a test device, you can manually kickstart Intune sync from the device itself or remotely through the Intune admin center.
Alternatively, you can use PowerShell to force the Intune sync on Windows devices. Restarting the device is another way to trigger the Intune device check-in process.
End User Experience
After the deployment is completed successfully, you will notice that Microsoft Store app Icon has been disappeared from the taskbar. If you still see Microsoft Store app Icon on the taskbar even after applying the policy, restart your computer once.
You will also notice that you are no longer able to pin Microsoft Store app to the taskbar. The only option you get when you right-click on Microsoft Store app is to Unpin from Start.
Remove/Unpin Microsoft Store App from Taskbar using Registry
You can also remove or unpin Microsoft Store app from taskbar of Windows 11 devices using Windows registry editor. Let’s check the steps:
- Open the Registry editor on your Windows 11 device.
- Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer and create a DWORD registry entry called NoPinningStoreToTaskbar and set its value to 1.
- Restart your computer.
