How to Disable the Mobile Hotspot Remote Access Feature in Windows

The Windows operating system has a feature called “Mobile Hotspot” which lets you share your internet connection with other devices. If you have this feature turned on, anyone with the right password can connect to your hotspot.

Although it is a handy tool for sharing your internet connection, it can also be a security risk. If you’re not careful, someone could connect to your hotspot without your knowledge. If you’re concerned about security, this guide will help you disable the Mobile Hotspot remote feature on your Windows device. Here’s how to do it.

How to Disable the Mobile Hotspot Remote Access Feature on Windows

Mobile Hotspot is a feature that allows your device to share its internet connection with other devices nearby. If you have this feature turned on, anyone within range can connect to it and use your data. To keep your privacy protected, there are a number of ways you can disable the ability to remotely enable Mobile Hotspot.

These include editing the registry, using system settings, or via the local group policy. Each of these methods will be discussed in the following paragraphs, and you will be able to see how they work.

1. How to Disable the Mobile Hotspot Remote Access Feature Using System Settings

If you want to disable the remote feature on your Windows Mobile Hotspot, you need to go to system settings and toggle off the Mobile hotspot. This is how you do it:

Open the Settings app on your Windows PC. We have a guide on opening Windows System Settings with all the information you need on this topic.

Select Network & Internet from the left-hand sidebar.

Then go to the right and click Mobile hotspot.

On the following screen, turn the toggle off next to the Mobile hotspot.

That’s all you need to do! After completing these steps, the Mobile Hotspot remote access feature will be disabled and your internet connection will now be secured from all unauthorized access.

2. ow to Disable the Mobile Hotspot Remote Access Feature Through Registry Editor

There are only a few steps involved in this process, and it is easy to do. However, you should avoid accidentally corrupting the Windows registry. If you make a mistake when editing the keys, your device could be severely damaged.

This is why it is always a good idea to back up the registry before making any changes. If you find it too complicated, you can skip this method and move on to the next one.

To disable the Mobile Hotspot remote access toggle, follow these steps:

Press the Win + R keys to launch the Run Command dialog box.

Type “regedit” in the text box and click the OK button.

When UAC appears on the screen, click Yes to continue.

Once the Registry Editor is open, navigate to the path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WcmSvc\Tethering

On the right side of the window, double-click on RemoteStartupDisabled and change the value from 0 to 1.

Click OK and then close the Registry Editor.

After you have completed the above steps, you will need to exit the Registry Editor and restart your computer. The Mobile Hotspot Remotely feature should now be disabled. This will prevent other people from being able to connect to your hotspot without your permission.

If you ever need to enable the feature again on your computer, go to the Registry Editor (see how to open the Registry Editor for more information,) double-click on RemoteStartupDisabled, and set Value Data 0. Once that has been done, restart your computer to make the changes take effect.

3. How to Disable the Mobile Hotspot Remote Access Feature Via the Local Group Policy Editor

You can also disable the Mobile Hotspot remote access feature on Windows using the local editor group policy, which is the most efficient way to disable this feature. This process is relatively straightforward and does not require a lot of time to complete, so you can get started right away.

One thing you should note before moving on to the steps is that the tool is only compatible with Windows 11 Professional and Enterprise editions. Therefore, if you’re using Windows Home edition, you might not have access to the Local Group Policy editor. In such a case, you must first enable the Local Group Policy Editor in Windows Home.

To disable the Mobile Hotspot remotely feature on Windows using the local editor group policy, follow these steps:

Click on Start, search for “Group Policy Editor”, and press Enter. You can also launch it through the Run Command dialog box. For this, type “gpedit.msc” in the dialog box and click the OK option.

When you are in the Group Policy Editor window, navigate to the following path:

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Network > Network Connections

Select the Network Connections from the left pane, then double-click the Prohibit use of Internet Connection Sharing on your DNS domain network option.

By default, the settings are Not Configured on the next page. Select the Enabled option to prohibit the use of Internet connection sharing.

After you’ve made the changes, click Apply and OK to save it.

Once you have performed the above steps, you will need to restart the computer in order to make sure the changes have been applied correctly. When you disable this feature, no one will be able to access your Windows PC hotspot.

The next time you need to re-enable the feature, open the Local Security Policy as explained earlier. Then navigate to “Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Network > Network Connections” and double-click on Prohibit use of Internet Connection Sharing on your DNS domain network.

In order to enable the feature, simply check the Disabled radio button and click Apply > OK. This is how you can enable or disable the Mobile Hotspot Feature on Windows via the Group Policy Editor.

Disable Mobile Hotspot Remote AccessWith Ease

The Mobile Hotspot feature allows other devices to connect to the internet using the Windows device as a Wi-Fi router. Even though this feature is helpful, you might not want to keep it on all the time as anyone could access your internet through your device’s name. If so, you can turn it off in Windows Settings or through the Registry Editor, whichever method makes sense to you.