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Admins can no longer block access to the Store in Windows 10 Pro

Microsoft is no longer allowing administrators to block Windows 10 Pro users' access to the Windows Store, a feature that was available a month ago.

The firm clarifies that this is done on purpose:

This behavior is by design. In Windows 10 version 1511, these policies are applicable to users of the Enterprise and Education editions only.

Of course, this is a feature that is necessary for many businesses, and for those, the only official course of action is to convert to Windows 10 Enterprise. Users of the Enterprise or Education editions can use Group Policy or AppLocker to block the Store.

While swapping versions is the only official recourse, a quick Google search reveals quite a few unofficial options, from third party applications to registry edits. At the current time, we cannot verify that any of these work or how safe they are, but if you're in charge of IT at a firm that's trying to solve this problem, it might be something that you want to look into.

The move comes alongside Microsoft releasing Windows 10 version 1511 to the Current Branch for Business, so perhaps, we shouldn't be too surprised.

Source: Microsoft via ZDNet

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