Windows 11 keeps asking for permission to open apps without Microsoft family set up

If you are encountering permission prompts when trying to open apps on Windows 11, even though you are not part of a Microsoft family group, there are a few steps you can take to resolve this issue:

1. Check Family Safety Settings: Even if you believe you are not in a family group, check the Family Safety settings to ensure there are no lingering restrictions. You can do this by going to Settings > Accounts > Family & other users.
2. Reset Group Policy Settings: Sometimes, Group Policy settings can cause permission issues. You can reset these settings to default by using the following steps:
   • Open a command prompt as an administrator.
   • Enter the following command to reset all Group Policy settings:

          RD /S /Q "%WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicyUsers" && RD /S /Q "%WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicy"
     

   • Then, update the changes with:

          gpupdate /force
     

   • Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
3. Check Permissions: Ensure that the permissions on the folders where the apps are installed are correct. If you suspect incorrect permissions, you can compare them with a working machine or reset them as needed.
4. Activity Reporting: If you have any Family Safety features enabled, consider turning off Activity Reporting, which might be causing these prompts. You can find this under Settings > Privacy & security > Activity history.
5. Local Account: If you are using a Microsoft account, consider switching to a local account temporarily to see if the issue persists. This can help identify if the problem is account-related.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, you may want to consider refreshing your Windows installation to ensure all settings are correctly applied.

References:

• Windows 11, version 24H2 known issues and notifications
• Windows 11, version 23H2 known issues and notifications