Prevent Apps from accessing Texts or Messages in Windows 11

As a Windows 11/10 PC user, you might be much concerned about your privacy, and you might want to block some of the apps to access your texts or messages. In this post, we will show you how to prevent apps from accessing Texts or Messages in Windows 11/10. If you don’t use apps to read or send messages (text or MMS) on Windows computer, the setting called Messaging may be turned off.

Prevent apps from accessing Texts or Messages in Windows 11/10

While Windows has well-implemented privacy settings that you can configure, on the OS level, we can prevent apps from accessing Texts or Messages in Windows in either of two methods. We’ll explore this topic under the methods outlined below in this section as follows.

1] Via Settings app

To prevent apps from accessing Texts or Messages in Windows 10 via Settings app, do the following:

• Press the Windows key + I to open Settings.
• Click Privacy.
• Scroll down and click Messaging on the left pane.
• Under Messaging, in the right pane, under Allow apps to read or send messages
• Toggle the button to On or Off for the option to allow or prevent apps to access and read text messages.
• This option is only configurable if you’ve Allow access to messaging on this device set to On.
• Still on the Messaging page, you can scroll down to the Choose which apps can read or send messages section and choose the specific apps which you want to allow or prevent reading texts – simply toggle the button to On or Off for the option corresponding to app name for this.
• Exit Settings app when done.

Your settings should be saved and applied immediately.

2] Via Registry Editor

Since this is a registry operation, it is recommended that you back up the registry or create a system restore point as necessary precautionary measures. Once done, you can proceed as follows:

• Press Windows key + R to invoke the Run dialog.
• In the Run dialog box, type regedit and hit Enter to open Registry Editor.
• Navigate or jump to the registry key path below:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CapabilityAccessManager\ConsentStore\chat

• At the location, on the right pane, double-click the Value entry to edit its properties.
• Now, change the Value data to Deny to prevent apps from reading texts or messages.
• Click OK or hit Enter to save the change.
• Restart PC.

That’s it on the 2 ways to prevent apps from accessing Texts or Messages in Windows 11/10!

Related post: Allow or deny Apps permission to access Account info, Name and Picture.

How do I stop apps from sending notifications on Windows?

To stop apps from sending notifications on Windows, open the Settings app, select “System,” then click on “Notifications & actions.” Here, you can toggle off notifications for specific apps or adjust global notification settings to suit your preferences, ensuring a less disruptive experience on your device.

How do I restrict access to apps on Windows?

To restrict app access on Windows, go to Start > Settings > Privacy & Security. Select the desired App permission, like Location. Choose which apps can access it by toggling the permissions. Note that apps using all system resources aren’t listed here, and these settings can’t control all app capabilities.