Disable EFS in Windows XP/2003

How can I disable EFS on Computers Running Windows XP or Windows Server 2003?

The following procedure will show you how to use Group Policy to disable EFS on computers running Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.

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1. Open the GPO that you want to edit. You can use Active Directory Users and Computers or the GPMC to edit the GPO.
2. In the Group Policy Object Editor, expand Computer Configuration, expand Windows Settings, expand Security Settings, expand Public Key Policies, and then click Encrypting File System.
3. Right-click Encrypting File System, and then click Properties.
4. Clear the Allow users to encrypt files using Encrypting File System (EFS) check box, and then click OK.

Related articles

You might also want to read the following related articles:

• Access Denied Error in EFS Encrypted Files

• Compression and Other Attributes in EFS

• Copy Encrypted Files on the Network

• Data Protection and Recovery in Windows XP

• Disable EFS in Windows 2000

• How does EFS Work?

• New EFS Features in Windows XP

• Quickly Check EFS Attributes

• Quickly Check Which User Encrypted a File

• What's EFS?