How to Disable Edge Swipe Gestures in Windows 11 Using the Registry

Note: The screenshots in this article were captured in a Japanese-language Windows environment. Menu and setting names may differ slightly in an English-language installation.

On touch-sensitive kiosks, digital signage, and unmanned guidance terminals, when a user swipes from the edge of the screen, the Windows system UI may appear and leave the content. In this article, we will explain the steps to set the registry policy AllowEdgeSwipe to 0, to disable screen edge swipe for the entire device.

"Edge" here refers to the edge of the screen, and does not set the swipe operation of the Microsoft Edge browser.

Verification/specification items	Content
Target OS	Windows 11
Compatible edition	Pro／Enterprise／Education／IoT Enterprise
Setting range	Entire device (all users)
registry value	AllowEdgeSwipe（DWORD）=0
Confirmation of reflection	After restarting Windows

What is AllowEdgeSwipe?

AllowEdgeSwipe is a policy that controls whether the Windows system UI can be invoked by swiping from the edge of the screen.

value	operation
0	Do not allow system UI to be called by swiping at the edge of the screen
1	Allow edge swipe (default)
no value	Allow screen edge swipe

Microsoft's official LockDown Policy CSP explains that if you disable the policy, you will no longer be able to invoke the system UI by swiping from any screen edge. Settings are per device, not per user.

It is not a setting that disables normal taps or scrolling within the app. However, if your app uses actions that start from the edge of the screen, check the impact.

How to use it with the settings app

For devices where the screen edge gesture item is displayed in Windows 11's Settings → Bluetooth and Devices → Touch, consider disabling it from the Settings app first. Changes can be made while checking the screen, and undoing is also easy.

method	Suitable configuration
settings app	Individually adjust unnecessary gestures for kiosk users
AllowEdgeSwipe policy	Restrict system UI calls from screen edges across devices

Instructions using the Settings app are explained in the article How to disable touch gestures on Windows 11 kiosks. Even if you set both, make each change and verify it to determine which setting changes the behavior.

Points to note before starting work

• Work with a maintenance account with administrator privileges
• Export the key you want to change in Registry Editor
• Check on a test machine with the same configuration before deploying to a production device
• Record the value to be restored and the operation method
• Provide maintenance methods, such as a keyboard that can unlock the kiosk.

The editions supported by Microsoft's official specifications are Pro/Enterprise/Education/IoT Enterprise. Windows Home is not listed as supported, so do not assume that the settings in this article will work the same way.

Create an EdgeUI key

1. Open Registry Editor with administrator privileges

Search for regedit in the Start menu, select "Registry Editor," then review and allow User Account Control if it appears.

2. Go to Windows key

Enter the following path into the Registry Editor's address bar:

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows

3. Create an EdgeUI key

Right-click the "Windows" key, select "New" → "Key", and name it EdgeUI. If EdgeUI already exists, select the existing key instead of creating a new one.

4. Create a DWORD value

Select the EdgeUI key, right-click in the blank area on the right, and select New → DWORD (32-bit) Value. Even on 64-bit versions of Windows, the type you create is a DWORD (32-bit) value.

Set AllowEdgeSwipe to 0

Name the DWORD value you created AllowEdgeSwipe. Check the spelling carefully, including uppercase and lowercase letters. Double-click AllowEdgeSwipe and set the following:

Item	Setting value
value data	0
Notation	Hexadecimal or decimal (the result is the same for 0)

The registry after configuration is as follows.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EdgeUI
  AllowEdgeSwipe    REG_DWORD    0x00000000

Restart and check edge swipe

Close Registry Editor and restart Windows. Microsoft official documentation provides instructions on how to restart the Explorer process or device and check after applying the policy. If you are planning to use it in production, it is safer to restart the device and check the sequence of operations.

After rebooting, check the following in the kiosk user:

1. System UI does not open when swiping in from the left edge of the screen
2. Notification-related UI does not open when swiping in from the right edge of the screen
3. Unintended system UI does not open when operating from the top or bottom edge
4. Necessary operations such as tapping, scrolling, and input within the app work normally.
5. Recovery method works if you close the kiosk app

If the registry value is present but the behavior does not change, double check the Windows edition, value type, path, and value name. Device manufacturer touch drivers and app-specific gestures may operate independently of this Windows policy.

How to restore settings

If you want to return to allowing screen edge swipes, set the value of AllowEdgeSwipe to 1, or delete the AllowEdgeSwipe value you created, and restart Windows.

Don't delete the existing EdgeUI key or other values unless you're sure they're the ones you created. If a .reg file exported before the change exists, check its scope and contents before restoring it.

Summary of settings

Setting items	Content
configuration tool	Registry Editor (regedit）
key	HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EdgeUI
value name	AllowEdgeSwipe
type	DWORD (32-bit) value
Value to disable	0
Undo value	1 or remove value
Setting range	Entire device
Confirmation of reflection	Restart Windows and check the actual machine

Reference materials

• LockDown Policy CSP：AllowEdgeSwipe（Microsoft Learn）
• Screen Swipe Policy（Microsoft Learn）
• Windows touch gestures (Microsoft Support)

Summary

AllowEdgeSwipe=0 is a setting that restricts calls to the Windows system UI by swiping the edge of the screen for the entire device. For touch-type kiosks and digital signage, please use the settings app to make individual adjustments and check the operation with a production user after restarting.

This setting is a measure to reduce erroneous operations, and is not a kiosk function that completely restricts access to apps and Windows functions. Combine assigned access, app full-screen, autostart, and exit recovery methods as needed.