Server Manager automatically launches by default on most of the Windows OS for servers including Windows Server 2022. The Server Manager is, of course, a very important management console, but it might be disturbing to pop up automatically at login. It is also present on the start menu by default and we can easily launch it anytime needed. This article discusses three simple methods to disable Server Manager auto-launch on a single server. These three methods are only for an individual server. Additionally, the article includes how to disable Server Manager auto-launch in Windows Server 2022 for a number of specified servers in an environment.
Method 1: Using Server Manager
The first and by far the easiest method to disable The Server Manager auto-launch on a single server is to use the server manager itself. Follow the below easy steps to do so.
- Open Server Manager console. To do so, open the start menu and click on Server Manager as shown in the below picture illustration. You can also open using the command
servermanager
in the Run dialogue box.
- On the Server Manager window, click on Manage and choose the Server Manager Properties option from the list. Then, check out the Do not start Server Manager automatically at logon checkbox and click on OK.
As simple as that! The next time you log in, the Server Manager will not automatically pop up.
Method 2: Group Policy Editor
The second method to disable Server Manager auto-launch at logon in Windows Server 2022 is by using the Local Group Policy Editor. The simple steps are listed below.
- Open Local Group Policy Editor. To do so, press down the Windows Key + R on your keyboard to open Run. Type in the command
gpedit.msc
and enter or click on OK as shown in the below picture. You can also searchedit group policy
at the start, and click on it when appeared.
- On the Local Group Policy Editor window, expand the Administrative Templates folder under Computer Configuration. Then, expand the System folder, and go all the way down to find Server Manager. Now, select this folder and double click on Do not display Server Manager automatically at logon option.
- On the properties window for the abovementioned option, check out the Enabled option. Click on OK afterwards.
That is all with the second method. We disabled Server Manager auto-launch in Windows Server 2022 using the local group policy editor. Now, let’s see the third method.
Method 3: Task Scheduler
The third method to disable Server Manager auto-launch in Windows Server 2022 is by using Task Scheduler. Let’s straightly walk through the steps to do so.
- Open Task Scheduler. To do so, press down the Windows Key + R to open Run. Put in the
taskschd.msc
command and press enter key or OK button as shown in the below picture. Another way to open the Task Scheduler is to right-click on Start, choose Computer Management, and select Task Scheduler. Both ways end up in the same window.
- Now, expand the Task Scheduler Library folder. Then, expand Microsoft and consequently the Windows folder. Scroll down and find the Server Manager folder. Select this folder. On the central pane, right-click on the ServerManager option and click on Disable as shown in the below picture.
When it is done successfully, close the Task Scheduler window. We are all done with disabling Server Manager auto-launch in Windows Server 2022 using Task Scheduler.
As mentioned at the beginning, these three methods are only for individual servers. That means, that when you want to disable Server Manager auto-launch for a single server, you make use of one of these methods. To disable Server Manager auto-launch at logon for a set of servers in an environment, read the next section of the article.
Disabling Server Manager Auto-Launch for a Group of Servers
To disable Server Manager auto-launch for multiple servers in an environment, we must have an Organizational Unit (OU) containing all those target servers. We can define a group policy to disable the Server Manager auto-launch for the whole objects (in this case, servers) residing in that OU. The below steps explain the whole process.
- Log in to the Domain Controller (DC).
- On the Server Manager console of the DC, click on Tools and select Group Policy Management.
- Now, we have an OU named Servers. This OU includes all the servers to which we apply the policy. Read How To Create Object In Active Directory if you do not know what it is and how to create one.
- Enter a name for your GPO and click on OK.
- Now, you can see that the new GPO pops up at the right pane. Right-click on it and select Edit.
- Expand the Policies under Computer Configuration. Expand the Administrative Templates, and System folder consequently. Find the Server Manager and select it. Open Do not display Server Manager automatically at logon at the right pane.
- Check out the Enabled option and click on OK to apply.
We have defined our OU-level policy to disable Server Manager auto-launch, and it applies to all the servers in that OU.
Summery
To summarize this article, we discussed various methods to disable Server Manager auto-launch in Windows Server 2022. These methods work on most of the Windows Os for Servers. We discussed three methods to disable Serven Manager auto-launch for an individual server. Then we went through discussing a way to accomplish this task for multiple Servers in a networked environment.
It is encouraging for me if this article is helpful to you. If there is any further question, make sure to share them in the comment section.
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