How to Stop Windows 10 from Installing Apps in Different Cases

Want to stop Windows 10 from installing apps?

Windows 10, which was first released in 2015, has been updated for more than 6 years. Many users have upgraded to Windows 10 at the beginning. Its stability has been gradually enhanced and its various features have been increasing, providing more convenience for the majority of users.

However, some users have fed back that Windows 10 sometimes automatically installs unwanted applications, and they have to uninstall them manually, which is quite annoying.

From the feedback collected from users, the problem can actually be divided into the following 3 scenarios.

1. Stop Windows 10 from installing Apps on another computer
2. Stop Windows 10 from automatically installing suggested Apps
3. Prevent other users from installing Apps in Windows 10

Different causes need different solutions. Let’s get to know each case and figure out how to fix them one by one.

Case 1 - Stop Windows 10 from installing on another computer

"I just installed Windows 10 Pro on an old laptop and logged into my Microsoft account. However, after using it for a few minutes, I found that many applications were automatically installed on the computer. I've installed and used them on other computers, but not on this laptop.

The only possibility is that I'm logged into the same Microsoft account. To be honest, I hate this seemingly clever approach by Windows 10, and now I just want to know how to stop Windows 10 from installing unwanted Apps? Thanks for any advice and help!"

As mentioned above, when you sign in to the same Microsoft account on two different computers, Windows 10 will download and install the required apps from the Microsoft Store without permission. You may try the following methods to solve it.

Tips: if you encounter Windows 10 user profile cannot be loaded while log in account, click to find out solution.

Method 1. Turn off the synchronization of your settings

In fact, applications such as TeamViever are not the default applications recommended by Windows and normally they are not installed automatically unless you have enabled the synchronize your settings feature on another computer. To solve this problem, you must disable this feature.

Step 1. Use Windows + S to open the search box, enter the Sync your settings and press Enter.

Step 2. In the Sync Your Settings window, turn this feature off.

Method 2. Change the Local Group Policy Editor on Windows 10

Note: This Local Group Policy Editor is only available for Windows Education, Professional and Enterprise editions.

Step 1. Use Windows + R to open the Run window, type gpedit.msc and press Enter.

Step 2. In the new window, navigate to: Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Push To Install.

Step 3. Double-click to open and Turn off Push To Install service, and change it to Enabled in the new window, and click the Apply and OK buttons in turn.

That are 2 methods of preventing Windows from installing software on another computer when you logged in the same Microsoft account.

Case 2 - Stop Windows 10 from automatically installing suggested Apps

"The new installation of Windows 10 pins some recommended Apps to the start menu that have never been installed before, and Windows 10 automatically downloads and installs them from the Microsoft Store when I connect to the Internet.

I go through this process every time I create and sign in to a new user account, and I have to uninstall these apps every time. I want to keep automatic updates while stopping Windows 10 from installing automatically!"

Windows 10 is smart enough to automatically install some of the recommended Apps, whether you like them or not, just by connecting to the Internet and your computer will start running them automatically.

This problem often occurs when you create and sign into a new user account, or upgrade Windows 10, and you can't even stop these Apps from downloading and installing, so you have to uninstall them manually.

The following part gives a way on how to block downloading Apps on Windows 10.

Fix: Change Windows settings to stop installing suggested Apps

How to stop auto install software in Windows 10 step by step:

Step 1. Right-click on a blank area of the desktop and select Personalization from the expanded menu.

Step 2. Switch to the Start tab in the left panel, and close the option Show suggestions occasionally in Start.

Note: Disabling this feature will only prevent Windows 10 from automatically installing suggested Apps, it will not delete existing suggested Apps, so you will need to manually uninstall them.

Step 3. Click on the Start button again, and in the expanded menu, find and click on Microsoft Store.

Step 4. In the Microsoft Store window, click the avatar at the top right and select Application Settings from the drop-down menu.

Step 5. In the Application settings window, disable the Application update function.

Note: Disabling this feature will disable automatic updates for all installed applications.

Case 3 - Block other users from installing Apps in Windows 10

In some cases, users are worried about the unknown viruses or malware that are caused by unauthorized software installation. To prevent other users from installing Apps, you may try these two methods.

Method 1. Try AppLocker to prevent installing

Step 1. Use Windows+R to open the Run window, type secpol.msc and press Enter.

Step 2. In the Local Security Policy window, navigate to: Security Settings > Application Control Policies> AppLocker.

Step 3. Expand AppLocker and select the Packaged app Rule.

Step 4. Right-click on the blank area to the right and select Create New Rule….

Step 5. In the Create Blocked Application Rules window, click Next.

Step 6. At the Permissions screen, you need to select Deny and select the users or groups that are subject to this restriction, then click the Next button.

Step 7. In the Publisher window, select an installed package application as a reference and select the Publisher as a restriction, then click the Next button.

Step 8. In the Exceptions window, click the Add button, select Installed or Packed application as reference according to the actual situation, and then click the Next button.

Step 9. In the Name window, you can change the name and description of this rule and click the Create button after confirming that it is correct.

Method 2. Stop installing with Standard User

Each version of Windows allows you to create two different types of local accounts, the Administrator account and the Standard account. The Administrator account allows you to do almost everything on your computer, while the Standard account has many restrictions and you can use the Standard account to prevent Windows 10 from installing applications.

Step 1. Use Windows + I to open Windows Settings and select Account.

Step 2. Switch to the Other Users tab in the left panel, select Local Account in the right panel, and click the Change account type button.

Step 3. In the Change account type window, switch the local account to Standard User and click the OK button.

Method 3. Stop installing non-Microsoft Store applications

In addition to the above methods, it is recommended that you change your Windows settings to prevent other users from installing non-Microsoft Store applications to isolate security threatens on your computer.

Step 1. Press Windows + I to open Windows setup and select the Apps.

Step 2. Switch to the Apps & features tab, and below the location from which you want to get the app, select Allow apps from the Store only from the drop-down menu.

Above are all solutions about stopping Windows 10 from installing unwanted applications automatically in different situations. Actually, these methods also apply to stop Windows 11 from automatically installing.

Automatically applications installing does brings inconvenience as well as security threaten. Except for figure out how to stop them, it is highly recommended to find an extra layer of protection for your Windows 10 system and files. Advance planning never goes out of style.

How to protect your Windows 10 with free and simple solution

AOMEI Backupper Standard is a powerful and free Windows backup and recovery tool that has helped protect Windows on millions of computers around the world over the last decade. It is popular with user-friendly interface and professional technology.

With this software, you can easily create a solid backup plan for your Windows 10 operating system and important personal files.

To create system backup at a regular basis, try Backup > System Backup > Schedule Backup (at the lower-left corner) > Enable Schedule Backup > Select Daily, Weekly or Monthly. Then select a destination path to store system image and you can start.

Tip: If the destination storage is insufficient with a regular system backup, you may try the Backup Scheme feature to auto delete old backup images and keep the backup up-to-date at the same time, thus saving storage space.

To protect important files on Windows 10, try Backup > File Backup > Add Folder (or Add File) to select files you need to back up. Then select a destination path (local drive, external storage, cloud and network path are available) for backup images storing and you can start.

Tip: Except for backup features, AOMEI Backupper Standard also provides Create Bootable Media feature to help you create Windows 10 recovery disk, just in case you encounter system boot error.

You may want to download this free backup software and have a try. 

Conclusion

That’s all for how to stop Windows 10 from installing applications in different situations. Hope that are helpful.

While we focus on the convenience of using Windows 10 or the new Windows 11, we should also pay attention to the protection of Windows, including operating system, default settings, valuable app data and important personal files. Start a backup journey for your computer with AOMEI Backupper now.