Some Windows 10 users are reporting that they are now seeing a header banner or top bar in the Settings app. The newly added Settings header displays your user account name with email address (while using a Microsoft account to sign in), Your Phone, Windows Update, Rewards, and OneDrive icons.
Clicking on these icons in the Settings header opens their respective pages. For example, clicking on the Windows Update icon takes you to the Windows Update page in the Settings app.
The new header banner for Settings is not visible on all PCs, as Microsoft seems to have started rolling out this new feature just a day ago. So, it might take a few weeks before you see the header in the Settings app.
For those who do not know, Microsoft had been testing the header banner for Settings in the Insider builds on and off for two years now. The feature is now being made available to everyone running Windows 10 version 2004 and above.
While the Settings header displays the status of Windows Update, Your Phone, OneDrive, and Bing rewards, not everyone is fond of the new feature.
If you are looking to disable or hide the Settings header banner in Windows 10, you will be glad to know that there is a workaround involving a third-party tool to disable the Settings header. This guide can also be used to disable specific icons in the header. You can disable only the Your Phone icon, for example.
IMPORTANT: Microsoft does not recommend using Mach2 or similar tools. We recommend you create a system restore point if you decide to go ahead.
Disable the Settings app header in Windows 10
Step 1: Get the Mach2 utility from this official page. Note that separate downloads are available for both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 10.
If you are not sure about your Windows 10 installation type, please refer to our how to check if you are running the 32-bit or 64-bit Windows 10 guide.
NOTE: Windows Defender might flag this utility as a trojan. It is a false positive. Nothing to worry about.
Step 2: Extract the ZIP file to a folder to get an executable file called mach2.exe.
Step 3: Open the Command Prompt as administrator. To do that, type CMD in the Start/taskbar search, right-click on the Command Prompt entry, and then click Run as administrator option.
Click the Yes button when you get the User Account Control prompt.
Step 4: At the Command Prompt window, execute the following command:
cd PathToMach2
Here, replace the “PathToMach2” with the path to the folder containing the mach2.exe file. For instance, if the path to the mach2.exe is E:\Users\PC\Desktop, then the command would be this: cd E:\Users\PC\Desktop.
Step 5: Finally, execute the following commands to disable the Settings header and icons in the header:
mach2 disable 18299130 (to completely disable the header banner)
mach2 disable 19638738 (to disable only the OneDrive icon)
mach2 disable 19638787 (to disable only the Rewards icon)
Step 6: Log out and log in again to see the Settings app without the header. Or, restart your PC once.
Enable the Settings app header banner in Windows 10
Step 1: Follow the instructions mentioned above (from Step 1 to Step 5).
Step 2: Next, execute the following command to enable the Settings app header banner:
mach2 disable 18299130
If you have any issues with the Settings app, you can reset it by following our reset the Settings app in Windows 10 guide.
Just drop by says
Something on Windows 10 Home 64-bit 21H2 seems to be changed. mach2 disable 18299130, mach2 disable 19638738 and mach2 disable 19638787 worked. However Setting header banners are still remain.
Thank you for your information anyway.
Peter Alexander London says
Update May 1 2021
Mach does not work on my PC obviously.
I stumbled upon an article from https://www.tenforums.com/customization/166894-how-manage-add-delete-new-header-settings-page.html.
This works great
Maybe others will find this helpfull
Stay healthy
John says
Followed instructions carefully and appeared to work on Windows 10, updated fully on March 18th 2021. Afterwards, Windows Update searched indefinitely and the Settings banner was not changed. Used the Restore poiut I created in case of problems and all works again.
Pep says
Was working for about a week…(December 21, 2020). it revert back with this ugly banner. Did it again, lasted for a day and came back. I manage to do it again and lasted another few days… Users should be able to toggle this on or off…so not pretty.
still no love as of today in trying to do it again. (Jan 01, 2021)
M$ has become the bully, like Apple & Google…pretty sad that they just keep imposing stuff on users with no choices. Pretty simple thing to set for people to choose, yes or no.
These companies have to much power and governments & other major corps across the world are the enablers. Then you wonder why people just keep hacking and doing mischief & pretty dangerous stuff that can harm a lot of people!
Peter Alexander London says
For those interrested
Very strange
But today (nov 2) I opened Settings and to my surprise the header is gone
Wow
Best regards
Peter Alexander London
Peter Alexander London says
It appeared in 2004 two days before upgrading to 20H2
Made a restore point
Does not work in 20H2 either
Tried several times no result
Restored my laptop
It’s a pity because the header is very annoying
Tony435 says
Runs successfully, as described; does not appear to work in 2004.