How to turn your Windows 10 PC into a kiosk

There’s no denying the fact that Windows 10 is arguably the most feature-loaded operating system that Microsoft has ever developed. From universal apps to Cortana integration to continual upgrades, the list goes on.

NEW DELHI: There's no denying the fact that Windows 10 is arguably the most feature-loaded operating system that Microsoft has ever developed. From universal apps to Cortana integration to continual upgrades, the list goes on.

One of the essential aspects of Windows 10's core is that it has been designed to run across a multitude of diverse devices. These not only include desktops, laptops and smartphones, but also gaming consoles and IoT products.

Now, universal apps (based on the Universal Windows Platform) can truly be considered as one of the highlight features of Windows 10. These apps offer a consistent user experience across multiple devices and come with features like live tiles and real-time notifications. But even though there are numerous universal apps in the Windows app store, there might be times when you want only one of them running on a Windows 10 PC. This could be when you have to share your PC with another user who requires to work with a particular universal app only. Or maybe you want your kid to be able to play that great game from the Windows store but don't want him/her messing with your important documents.

For times like these, you can use the Kiosk Mode feature in Windows 10. Also known as 'Assigned Access,' Kiosk Mode allows only one application to be used on a Windows 10 PC. The application that's configured with Kiosk Mode always run full-screen, and cannot be exited normally.

In order to exit Kiosk Mode, the user account with which it's configured has to be logged out completely. It's worth mentioning that Kiosk Mode only works with Windows store apps and not traditional desktop applications.

How to configure Kiosk Mode in Windows 10

Step 1: Navigate to Settings > Accounts > Family & other users and click on the Set up assigned access option on the right.

Step 2: On the next screen, you can select the designated user account (there has to be an account already present on the computer which you need to configure with Kiosk Mode) which will be setup with Kiosk Mode. The same screen lets you choose which universal Windows app (assuming it's already installed on the PC) would run when Kiosk Mode is activated. Once this is done, you'll generally need to restart the PC for the setting to take effect.

That's it. You've successfully configured Kiosk Mode in Windows 10. Whenever the account with which it's configured is logged in, only the designated app will run in full-screen. To exit Kiosk Mode, you just need to hit the Ctrl+Alt+Del hotkey sequence.