Restrict Access to Drive in Windows 8

Introduction

This article explains how to restrict access to a hard drive partition in Windows 8. To use this feature you can restrict your hard drive or specific drives from being accessed by unauthorized users.

If you enable this setting then the user can browse the directory structure of a selected hard drive in My Computer or the File Explorer but they cannot open a folder and access the content. Also they cannot use the Run dialog or the Map Network Drive dialog box to view the directory on the drive.

How to disable access to hard drive partition in Windows 8

Steps 1

Go to the search box and type "GPEDIT.MSC" and click on the application that appears in the results window.

Step 2

The Group policy editor window will be opened. In this window go to "User Configuration" -> "Administrative Template" -> "Windows Component" -> "File Explorer".

Step 3

Now go to the right tab and scroll to find "Prevent access to drives from My Computer" and double-click on it.

Step 4

An new window will be shown. Click on "Enable".

Step 5

If you want to restrict a specific hard drive, then select your drive from the drop down. Click on "OK" to exit from this window.

Step 6

Now restart your computer to apply this setting.