Preventing Multiple Instances of Apps in Windows 10 Assigned Access

Preventing Multiple Instances of Apps in Assigned Access Mode on Windows 10

Assigned Access is a feature in Windows 10 that allows you to configure multi-app kiosk users. This feature works great, but sometimes you might encounter issues where users can open multiple instances of a program. In this article, we will discuss how to prevent this from happening.

What is Assigned Access?

Assigned Access is a feature in Windows 10 that allows you to set up a kiosk or public device that runs a single app or a set of apps. This feature is useful in scenarios where you want to restrict users from accessing the full operating system and only allow them to use specific apps. This is especially useful in public spaces, schools, or businesses where you want to limit what users can do on a device.

Preventing Multiple Instances of Apps

By default, Assigned Access allows users to open multiple instances of the same app. This can be a problem if you want to restrict users to using only one instance of an app at a time. To prevent this, you can use a group policy setting to limit the number of instances of an app that can run in Assigned Access mode.

Using Group Policy to Limit App Instances

To limit the number of instances of an app that can run in Assigned Access mode, you can use the LimitAppContainerToSingleUser group policy setting. This setting is located in the following location:

To use this setting, follow these steps:

1. Open the Group Policy Editor.
2. Navigate to the location listed above.
3. Double-click on the LimitAppContainerToSingleUser setting.
4. Set the setting to Enabled.
5. In the Options section, enter the package family name of the app that you want to limit to a single instance.

   The package family name is a unique identifier for an app. You can find the package family name of an app by looking at the app's AppxManifest.xml file. The package family name is located in the Package/Identity/Name element.

   For example, if the package family name of the app is microsoft.microsoftedge_8wekyb3d8bbwe, you would enter this value in the Options section.

   • Assigned Access is a feature in Windows 10 that allows you to configure multi-app kiosk users.
   • By default, Assigned Access allows users to open multiple instances of the same app.
   • To prevent this, you can use the LimitAppContainerToSingleUser group policy setting to limit the number of instances of an app that can run in Assigned Access mode.

   References

   • Lock down Windows 10 to specific apps
   • Set up a kiosk or digital sign on Windows 10
   • AppX package manifest structure