Settings Page Visibility Group Policy with "showonly:yourinfo" cause settings app to crash in Windows 11.

Hello Tech IT,

Thank you for posting in Q&A forum.

It sounds like you're experiencing an issue with the Settings Page Visibility Group Policy on Windows 11. When using the "showonly:yourinfo" setting, the Settings app crashes. This type of issue can occur for several reasons, including misconfigurations or bugs within the operating system.

Here are a few steps you can try to troubleshoot and resolve the issue:

1.Verify Syntax: Ensure that the syntax for the Group Policy setting is correct. The format should be something like "showonly:category1;category2", where category1 and category2 are valid category names for the settings pages you want to show. Double-check for any typos or incorrect entries.

2.Check Compatibility: Ensure that the categories you're specifying are valid and supported in Windows 11. Sometimes, certain settings or categories might change between versions of Windows.

3.Remove and Test: Temporarily remove the "showonly" policy to see if the Settings app works without crashing. This can help determine if the issue is specifically related to the policy.

4.Update Windows: Ensure that your Windows 11 installation is up to date. Microsoft periodically releases updates that fix bugs and improve system stability. Go to Settings > Windows Update and check for updates.

5.Group Policy Editor: If you're administering the policy via Local Group Policy Editor, you may need to update or edit the policy:

• Open Group Policy Editor by typing gpedit.msc in the Run dialog (Win + R).
  • Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel.
  • Locate and edit the "Settings Page Visibility" policy to ensure it is correctly configured.

Please check the problem occurs after you edit local group policy or domain GPO.

6.Registry Editor: You can also check the Registry settings:

• Open the Registry Editor by typing regedit in the Run dialog.
• Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer.
• Check for the SettingsPageVisibility entry and verify its value.

I hope the information above is helpful.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to let us know.

Best Regards,

Daisy Zhou

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Hello Daisy Zhou,

Thanks for your reply

1. I double-checked and the syntax is correct
2. The URI is compatible, I checked on the official Microsoft website here: https://video2.skills-academy.com/en-us/windows/uwp/launch-resume/launch-settings-app
3. I already tested, without the Policy the "App Settings" work, but with "showonly:yourinfo" it crashes. And with other URIs, the Account Tab does not show up.
4. My Windows is up-to-date, I even checked the "Get the lasted updates as soon as they're available". My version is 22631.3737
5. I already check that the GPO is configured correctly because other URIs work as expected.
6. The value inside the registry editor is the same as in the GPO.

So I don't really know what the problem is, I've done this config on multiple PC, and they all have the same problem.

Is it possible that this is a bug on Windows itself? I saw a similar bug in 2023 on this site with other URIs.

Ok, so with more testing, I have narrowed down the problem.

The problem only occurs on HP 255 G9 laptops running Windows 11 with the GPO "Settings Page Visibility" set to "showonly:yourinfo".

On HP 255 G9 with Windows 10 the GPO works fine, on other computers with Windows 11 (same version) it works fine, but all my HP 255 G9 running Win11 have the same problem, even after a fresh installation of Windows.