How to Completely Disable ‘Folder Options’ via Group Policy in Windows 11

“Folder Options” (specifically, the View tab within File Explorer) provides users with the ability to modify critical filesystem visibility settings. A user can toggle the display of hidden files, reveal protected operating system files, or show/hide known file extensions. While these are essential tools for power users, granting access to Folder Options in a strictly managed corporate environment or a public kiosk is highly dangerous. A user could accidentally reveal and delete a critical system DLL, or unhide an administrative payload that was intentionally obfuscated by IT.

This guide explains how to completely disable access to Folder Options system-wide using the Group Policy Editor in Windows 11, ensuring the local filesystem visibility parameters remain exactly as the administrator configured them.

Disable Folder Options via Group Policy

To enforce a strict block that removes the “Options” button from the File Explorer ribbon and prevents access via the Control Panel, we must deploy an administrative template. Note that this requires Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education editions.

1. Log into Windows 11 with an Administrator account.
2. Press the Windows Key + R to open the Run dialogue box.
3. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter to launch the Local Group Policy Editor.
4. In the left-hand navigation pane, strictly follow this exact path:

   User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer

5. In the right-hand pane, scroll down to locate the policy named Removes the Folder Options menu item from the Tools menu.
6. Double-click the policy to open its configuration window.
7. Select the radio button next to Enabled. (Note: Enabling this policy applies the restriction).
8. Click Apply, then click OK.

Verify the Security Lockdown

To enforce the change immediately across the system, open an elevated Command Prompt and execute gpupdate /force. Note that because this is a User Configuration policy, it applies to the user sessions on that machine.

To verify the restriction is active, open File Explorer (Win+E). Click on the three horizontal dots (See more) on the top ribbon. The “Options” button at the bottom of the dropdown menu will be completely missing. Furthermore, attempting to access Folder Options via the classic Control Panel will result in an access denied error. The workstation’s filesystem visibility settings are now securely locked down against user tampering.