Can I disable USB flash drives and hard disks on Windows?Solved

I think you can block them using the Media Management policy settings. If you uncheck “Allow use of all external media,” it should restrict USB drives too, but I’m not sure if that’s the only way.

Thank you all for your valuable input. 

You can restrict USB flash drives and external hard disk storage on Windows laptops by enforcing a Media Management policy. There are two approaches available within the policy: 

• Disable “Allow use of all external media”: Unchecking this option will block access to all external media devices. The other granular settings (such as Removable Disks, Optical Disks, Windows Portable Devices, etc.) will be greyed out automatically, ensuring USB flash drives and external hard disks are restricted along with other external media.

 

• Configure “Removable Disks” directly: If you prefer more targeted control, you can leave the “Allow use of all external media” option enabled but disable read, write, and execute access under Removable Disks. This specifically restricts USB flash drives and external hard disks without affecting other media types. 

Both methods will effectively prevent data transfers via USB storage once the policy is saved and deployed to the devices. You can choose the broader restriction or the more selective one depending on your organizational requirements. 

Regards,  
Simon Scott  
Hexnode UEM