Help Tips - Enable or Disable in Windows 8.1

How to Enable or Disable Pop-up Help Tips in Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1

information   Information
In Windows 8 and Windows RT the way to open the Charms, Start, and Switcher UIs was pretty much hidden and unknown at first unless the user just happened to stumble upon them to open them.

In Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1, new users will now see pop-up help tips when they first move the pointer near these hidden UI access points to help ID what they are for and how to open them. By default, Windows will show the user help tips until the user has successfully completed the scenarios to open the UI.

However, if you have experienced users, then you may not want these help tips to show and waste their time having to go through them.


This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable the pop-up help tips from showing for all or specific users in Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1.

You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to do the steps in this tutorial.


EXAMPLE: Pop-up Help Tips
Charms tip (top right corner)​
Charms_tip.jpg
Start tip (bottom left corner)​
Start_tip.jpg
Switcher tips (top and bottom left corners)​
Switcher_tip-1.jpgSwitcher_tip-2.jpg





OPTION ONE

To Enable or Disable Pop-up Help Tips using a REG File



Note   Note
The .reg files below are for the registry key and value below.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EdgeUI

and

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EdgeUI

DisableHelpSticker DWORD

0 = Enable help tips
1 = Disable help tips


1. Do step 2 or 3 below for what you would like to do.​
2. To Enable Pop-up Help Tips for All Users
NOTE: This is the default setting.​
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.​
Enable_Help_Tips.reg
download


3. To Disable Pop-up Help Tips for All Users
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.​
Disable_Help_Tips.reg
download


4. Save the .reg file to your desktop.​
5. Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.​
6. Click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK when prompted to approve merging the .reg file.​
7. When finished, you can delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.​
8. Restart the PC to apply.​






OPTION TWO

To Enable or Disable Pop-up Help Tips in Group Policy


NOTE: This option for using group policy is only available in the Windows 8.1/RT Pro and Windows 8.1 Enterprise editions.
1. Open the all users, specific users or groups, or all users except administrators Local Group Policy Editor for how you want this policy to be applied.​
2. In the left pane, click/tap on to expand User Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, and Edge UI. (see screenshot below)​
GPEDIT-1.jpg

3. In the right pane of Edge UI, double click/tap on Disable help tips to edit it. (see screenshot above)​
4. Do step 5 or 6 below for what you would like to do.​
5. To Enable Pop-up Help Tips
A) Select (dot) either Not Configured or Disabled, and go to step 7 below. (see screenshot below step 7)​
NOTE: Not Configured is the default setting.​

6. To Disable Pop-up Help Tips
A) Select (dot) Enabled, and go to step 7 below. (see screenshot below step 7)​

7. Click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)​
GPEDIT-2.jpg

8. Close the Local Group Policy Editor window.​




That's it,
Shawn


 

Attachments

  • Enable_Help_Tips.reg
    774 bytes · Views: 6,244
  • Disable_Help_Tips.reg
    814 bytes · Views: 34,114
  • Help_and_Support.png
    Help_and_Support.png
    3.3 KB · Views: 340
Last edited by a moderator:
I tested the registry way because I want to use it also for "Windows 8" - which doesn't have a group policy editor.
But don't work for me.
Neither the "pop-up help tips" disappear nor the group policy entry changes.

When I do the changes in group policy editor I get two registry entries:
Code:
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Group Policy Objects\{768C9825-7015-496C-AF0E-7D6E23BDA363}User\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EdgeUI
"DisableHelpSticker"=dword:00000001

HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EdgeUI
"DisableHelpSticker"=dword:00000001
  • So I think the registry entry HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EdgeUI don't work alone.
  • The other registry entry with {768C9825-7015-496C-AF0E-7D6E23BDA363} includes a machine specific no. and so not applicable on other PCs.
  • Btw.: Windows stores the policy also in folder "C:\Windows\System32\GroupPolicy\User". Because when I delete the two registry entries group policy editor still shows the entry as "Enabled".
So I don't see at the moment a way for "Windows 8" user to disable the "pop-up help tips".
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
Hello NiFu, :)

You would only want to use the HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EdgeUI registry location since that is the one that is used to apply the policy. The other location is a reference used by Group Policy instead.

You will not see the setting change in Group Policy if you only manually make the setting in regedit.

Windows 8 does not have these pop-up help tips. They are only available in Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1 instead.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Windows 8 does not have these pop-up help tips. They are only available in Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1 instead.
OK - my mistake in the above post: I meant "Windows 8.1". So it should read:
... because I want to use it also for "Windows 8.1" ...
... So I don't see at the moment a way for "Windows 8.1" user to disable the "pop-up help tips".

You would only want to use the HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EdgeUI registry location since that is the one that is used to apply the policy.
My observations for the registry hack remain the same:
don't work for me.
Neither the "pop-up help tips" disappear [nor the group policy entry changes.]
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
Ah, ok. I thought that you may have meant 8.1 instead of 8. Oops. :)

Manually setting policies in the registry instead will never be reflected in Group Policy.

Did you restart the PC afterwards to apply the registry change, then test this in a new account?


I tested again in a different virtual machine, and setting group policy works fully. I get no help tips.

However, for some reason when using the .reg file, I still get the Start tip and don't see the others when signing in to a new account for the first time. I get the Start tip when I open PC settings, and move towards the lower left corner.

Is this what you are seeing as well?

Doing more testing now.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
NiFu,

After some more testing on various systems, it appears that both the HKCU and HKLM locations in the registry need to be set instead of either or as usual. Using both, it works for me without fail. Logically it doesn't make sense why both need to be set, but there you go. :confused:

If you would, please try the .reg files from OPTION ONE again to see if they work for you now when you sign in to a new user account in Windows 8.1 RTM. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Great news. Thank you for posting back to confirm NiFu. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
OMG thank you i did the option 2 :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Myself
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3770 CPU @ 3.40GHz
    Motherboard
    MSI Z77A-G45
    Memory
    8 gigs
    Graphics Card(s)
    PNY GeForce GTX 660 Ti
    Sound Card
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung Sync Master s27B550
    Screen Resolution
    1080p
    Hard Drives
    1 TB internal driver and one 1TB external drive.
    PSU
    Antec NeoECO 620 watt
    Case
    custom case
    Cooling
    Fans
    Keyboard
    steelseries apex
    Mouse
    stellseris sensel
    Internet Speed
    Unknowen
    Browser
    Google chrome
    Antivirus
    Norton 360 from comcast
Thanks for this Brink. The Help tips in 8.1 are intrusive and just plain annoying, not helpful at all. IMO, the worst thing about 8.1.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro (desktop), W10 (laptop), W10 Pro (tablet)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built i7-8700K, Hp Envy x360 EVO Laptop, MS Surface Pro 7
    CPU
    3.7Ghz Core i7-8700K, 11th Gen Core i7-1165G7 4.7Ghz, 10th Gen Core™ i5-1035G4 1.1Ghz
    Motherboard
    ASUS TUF Z370-Pro Gaming, HP, MS
    Memory
    16G, 8G, 8G
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon RX580, Intel Iris X Graphics, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G4
    Sound Card
    ATI High Definition Audio (Built-in to mobo)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual Samsung U32J59 32 inch monitors, 13.3" display, 12.3" display
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160 (Desktop), 1920x1080 (laptop), 2736x1824 Pro 7
    Hard Drives
    500GB ssd boot drive with 2 & 10TB Data (Desktop), 512GB ssd (laptop), 128GB SSD (tablet)
    PSU
    Corsair CX 750M
    Case
    Antec 100
    Cooling
    Coolermaster CM 212+
    Keyboard
    IBM Model M - used continuously since 1986
    Mouse
    Microsoft IntelliMouse
    Internet Speed
    665Mbps/15Mbps down/up
    Browser
    FireFox, MS Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender on all
    Other Info
    Retired in 2015 after working in the tech industry for 41 years. First 10 years as a Technician, the rest as a programmer/software engineer. After 1 year of retirement, I was bored so went back to work as a Robotic Process Automation Consultant. Retired for 3rd (and final) time in 2019.
You're most welcome Bruce. I suppose the help tips could still be somewhat helpful in explaining what an action does for folks that are not as technically inclined. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
It went away after a day. I haven't seen it since. Maybe it's timed for the initial update and once the user has visited the metro page it goes away after a day or so. This is just a guess, I'm not sure. But I haven't seen it again since the initial update.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    CPU
    Intel Core I5 3570K 3.4Ghz w/ Zalman CNPS9900NT RT
    Motherboard
    MSI Z77A-G45 Gaming
    Memory
    G.Skill F3-12800CL9D-8GbXL ; 4Gx2
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GTX 770 Superclocked
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster Z
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual ViewSonic VX2770Smh-LED Black 27" IPS-Panel
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel 730 Series SSD 240GBx2 RAID0 Win8.1Pro 6GB/s Sata III
    Intel 320 Series SSD 600GBx2 RAID0 Games 3GB/s Sata II
    Kingston Hyper X 240GB SSD Itunes Drive 6GB/s Sata III
    Western Digital Scorpio Black 1TB - Docked via Esata
    PSU
    Cooler Master GX 750W
    Case
    Corsair Vengence C70
    Cooling
    120mm, 140mm.
    Keyboard
    Corsair Vengence K70
    Mouse
    Logitech G500 Laser
    Internet Speed
    Generally 50/Mbps+
    Browser
    Firefox, Chrome, IE
    Other Info
    Samsung Bluray Optical Drive
    WD 1tb storage backup with Thermatake dock
    Sennheiser 558 Headphones
    Swan M50W 2.1 speakers
    Netgear WNDR4500
Hello Metalmania,

Yeah, the Help Tips will stop on there own after going through them. However, any new user account you create will see them as well until they go through them.

Disabling the Help Tips will prevent them from seen in the first place afterwards. It just depends on what your preferences are though. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
This approach is such an incredibly poor implementation. What's wrong with a "don't bug me" checkbox for something like this? Making the user edit the registry, shut all apps down and restart just to get unwanted tutorials that interfere with functionality to go away? Mandatory tips? I don't have a touch screen, so can't even complete the switch between apps "tip". If I were a novice user I would actually have to pay someone to remove this for me. If it were anyone but the OS manufacturer inflicting this on a PC, what would a "feature" like this be identified as? May I offer a tip: All users are not novices. Stop using so much energy and resources h trying to dumb down windows for the lowest users in the spectrum and present EVERYTHING offered with an opt in/out selection. This approach is annoying and insulting, not to mention counterproductive to those of us who don't need or want it. Stupid all around on this one.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
This approach is such an incredibly poor implementation. What's wrong with a "don't bug me" checkbox for something like this? Making the user edit the registry, shut all apps down and restart just to get unwanted tutorials that interfere with functionality to go away? Mandatory tips? I don't have a touch screen, so can't even complete the switch between apps "tip". If I were a novice user I would actually have to pay someone to remove this for me. If it were anyone but the OS manufacturer inflicting this on a PC, what would a "feature" like this be identified as? May I offer a tip: All users are not novices. Stop using so much energy and resources h trying to dumb down windows for the lowest users in the spectrum and present EVERYTHING offered with an opt in/out selection. This approach is annoying and insulting, not to mention counterproductive to those of us who don't need or want it. Stupid all around on this one.

Hello Beebo,

The "Help Tips" were implemented into Windows 8 because of the radical user interface (UI) change from previous versions of Windows, and to help point out hidden menus.

While it was designed to help users get used to the new UI, I agree that it can be an annoyance to us more experienced users. That's why I created this tutorial to disable "Help Tips" for those that do not need or want to see it.

Regardless, it's always better to have the option for the OS to be more helpful than nothing at all leaving you scratching your head about where is that or that. Especially since it can be so easily disabled for us experienced users. ;)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
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