Hi @Samer Rustom,
thanks for your question.
To clarify, if you want to specifically disable the Productivity and Explore features on joined domain computers in Windows Server 2019, you can follow these steps:
1. Open the Group Policy Management Console on your Windows Server 2019.
2. Navigate to the appropriate Group Policy Object (GPO) where you want to apply the policy or create a new GPO for this setting.
3. Right-click on the selected GPO and choose "Edit" to open the Group Policy Editor.
4. In the Group Policy Editor, navigate to the following path:
User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Cloud Content
5. In the right pane, look for the policy setting named "Turn off Microsoft consumer experiences" and double-click on it.
6. Select the "Enabled" option.
7. Click "OK" to save the changes.
By enabling this policy setting, you are effectively disabling the Microsoft consumer experiences, which includes features like Productivity and Explore, on the joined domain computers.
After applying the policy, the Productivity and Explore features should be disabled on the Windows Start menu and Taskbar for the joined domain computers.
To disable the All Programs list, which includes the Productivity and Explore features on all joined domain computers in Windows Server 2019, you can use Group Policy settings. Here's how you can configure it:
1. Open the Group Policy Management Console on your Windows Server 2019.
2. Navigate to the appropriate Group Policy Object (GPO) where you want to apply the policy. Alternatively, you can create a new GPO specifically for this setting.
3. Right-click on the selected GPO and choose "Edit" to open the Group Policy Editor.
4. In the Group Policy Editor, navigate to the following path:
User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar
5. In the right pane, locate the policy setting named "Remove All Programs list from the Start menu" and double-click on it.
6. Select the "Enabled" option.
7. Click "OK" to save the changes.
By enabling this policy, the All Programs list, which includes the Productivity and Explore features, will be removed from the Start menu on all joined domain computers.
Remember to link the GPO to the appropriate Organizational Unit (OU) or group containing the computer accounts to apply the policy.
It's also important to note that Group Policy changes may require a restart or a forced Group Policy update on the client computers to take effect.
Kindest regards.
Leon Pavesic
