Disable Edge Swipe Gestures on a Windows Touchscreen POS

Many software vendors deploy their POS or kiosk application on a Windows touchscreen cash register and want a true full-screen lockdown — often called Screen Lock-in ("screen domination") in Chinese — where the user can only see and interact with the application. On a standard Windows 10 touchscreen, however, swiping in from the left or right edge of the screen launches the Windows Task View or Action Center, pulling the user out of the app and exposing the underlying Windows desktop. This short guide explains how to disable those edge swipe gestures so the device stays locked to your software.

Why Disable Edge Swipe on a POS Kiosk

A self-service POS or information kiosk is only truly "locked down" if the user cannot escape the app. Edge gestures are the most common leak: a customer swipes the bezel, Windows animates in a system UI, and suddenly the desktop, taskbar or settings are one tap away. Disabling edge swipe is a foundational step before you rely on Assigned Access or a custom shell launcher.

Disable Edge Swipe via the Registry (Windows 10)

The most reliable fix is the AllowEdgeSwipe DWORD under the EdgeUI policy key:

1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and open the Registry Editor.
2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EdgeUI. If EdgeUI does not exist, create a new key and name it EdgeUI.
3. Select EdgeUI, right-click the blank area on the right, choose New → DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it AllowEdgeSwipe.
4. Double-click AllowEdgeSwipe: value data 0 disables edge swipe, 1 enables it. Set it to 0. Changes take effect after restarting the device.

Deploy Across a Fleet (Group Policy)

Because the key lives under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows, you can also push it through Group Policy or your MDM to lock down an entire fleet of POS devices without touching each unit manually.

Windows 11 Note

Heads-up for Windows 11: the legacy EdgeUI\AllowEdgeSwipe key is frequently ignored by the OS. Microsoft recommends configuring Assigned Access (Settings → Accounts → Other users → Set up a kiosk) to restrict the device to a single app, and disabling the Tablet Input Service touch gestures. For a hard full-screen lock, pair Assigned Access with a custom shell launcher.

Conclusion

With edge swipe disabled — and Assigned Access configured where supported — your Windows POS cash register presents only your application, delivering exactly the Screen Lock-in experience your software clients expect.