How to Enable or Disable Wi-Fi Sense and Paid Wi-Fi Services in Windows 10

information   Information
Wi‑Fi Sense can automatically make Wi-Fi connections on your computer so that you can go online quickly in more locations. Wi-Fi Sense can connect you to open Wi-Fi hotspots that are collected through crowdsourcing, or to Wi-Fi networks that your contacts share with you through Wi-Fi Sense.

It can do these things for you to get you Internet access:
  • Automatically connect you to open Wi‑Fi networks it knows about by crowdsourcing networks that other people using Windows have connected to. These are typically open Wi‑Fi hotspots you see when you're out and about.
  • Automatically connect you to Wi‑Fi networks that your Facebook friends, Outlook.com contacts, or Skype contacts have shared with you after you've shared at least one network with your contacts. When you and your contacts share Wi‑Fi networks with each other, you give each other Internet access without having to tell each other your passwords. No networks are shared automatically. When you first connect to a network that you decide to share, you'll need to enter the password, and then select the Share network with my contacts check box to share that network.

Paid Wi-Fi Services enable you to get online by buying Wi-Fi at the hotspot through Windows Store. Windows will temporarily connect to open hotspots to see if paid Wi-Fi services are available.

This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable the ability to turn on Wi-Fi Sense and Paid Wi-Fi Services for all users on the Windows 10 PC.

You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to enable or disable Wi-Fi Sense.


CONTENTS:
  • Option One: To Enable or Disable "Wi-Fi Sense" and "Paid Wi-Fi Services" using Group Policy
  • Option Two: To Enable or Disable "Wi-Fi Sense" and "Paid Wi-Fi Services" using a REG file


EXAMPLE: "Wi-Fi Sense" and "Paid Wi-Fi Services" enabled and disabled
Enable or Disable Wi-Fi Sense and Paid Wi-Fi Services in Windows 10-wi-fi_sense_settings.jpg





OPTION ONE

To Enable or Disable "Wi-Fi Sense" and "Paid Wi-Fi Services" using Group Policy


Note   Note
Local Group Policy Editor is only available in the Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions.

All editions can use Option Two below.


1. Open the Local Group Policy Editor.

2. In the left pane of Local Group Policy Editor, navigate to the location below. (see screenshot below)

Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Network\WLAN Service\WLAN Settings

Enable or Disable Wi-Fi Sense and Paid Wi-Fi Services in Windows 10-wi-fi_sense_gpedit-1.png

3. In the right pane of Personalization in Local Group Policy Editor, double click/tap on the Do not display the lock screen policy to edit it. (see screenshot above)

4. Do step 5 (enable) or step 6 (disable) below for what you would like to do.


 5. To Enable "Wi-Fi Sense" and "Paid Wi-Fi Services"

A) Select (dot) Not Configured or Enabled, click/tap on OK, and go to step 7 below. (see screenshot below)

NOTE: Not Configured is the default setting.


 6. To Disable "Wi-Fi Sense" and "Paid Wi-Fi Services"

A) Select (dot) Disabled, click/tap on OK, and go to step 7 below. (see screenshot below)

Enable or Disable Wi-Fi Sense and Paid Wi-Fi Services in Windows 10-wi-fi_sense_gpedit-2.png

7. When finished, you can close the Local Group Policy Editor if you like.






OPTION TWO

To Enable or Disable "Wi-Fi Sense" and "Paid Wi-Fi Services" using a REG file


Note   Note
The .reg files below will add and change the DWORD in the registry key below.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WcmSvc\wifinetworkmanager\config

AutoConnectAllowedOEM DWORD

0 = disable
1 or delete = enable


1. Do step 2 (enable) or step 3 (disable) below for what you would like to do.


 2. To Enable W-Fi Sense

NOTE: This is the default setting.

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

Enable_Wi-Fi_Sense.reg

Download

 3. To Disable W-Fi Sense

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

Disable_Wi-Fi_Sense.reg

Download

4. Save the .reg file to your desktop.

5.Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

6. When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

7. Restart the computer to apply.

8. If you like, you can delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.


That's it,
Shawn