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Kiosk Mode on Windows

Deliver a Kiosk Mode experience on Windows devices. This is especially useful for fixed-use devices: kiosks, tablets, or interactive displays.

In PandaSuite, Kiosk Mode for a Windows EXE is enabled with the Full screen option in the generation form. This option launches the application directly in full screen.

Full screen only controls how the application is displayed. Locking down the device is a separate step, handled by the built-in Kiosk admin menu (see Lock down the Windows device).

Enable PandaSuite Kiosk Mode

  • Open the EXE export form from the dashboard.
  • Under Launch method, enable Full screen.
  • Generate the EXE, then install or reinstall the application on the Windows device.
  • Launch the application: it opens directly in full screen.

Lock Down the Windows Device

Full screen alone does not lock the operating system. To block access to File Explorer, the taskbar, the desktop, or Windows settings, use the built-in Kiosk admin menu. It replaces the Windows shell for the current account, so your application launches in place of the Windows desktop when the account signs in, on any Windows edition.

Because the menu bar is hidden in full screen, trigger it with keyboard shortcuts:

  • Enable Windows Kiosk Mode: Ctrl + Shift + K
  • Disable Windows Kiosk Mode: Ctrl + Shift + L (restores the previous shell)

Both ask for administrator approval, then a confirmation, before changing anything. Enable the mode from the kiosk account, then sign out and back in to confirm the application launches as the shell.

Keep a separate, password-protected administrator account. You need administrator rights to approve the shell change, and this account is your way back in if the kiosk application fails to launch. Test the exit before deploying on site.

For a managed fleet, or to restrict more than the shell (blocking Task Manager, key combinations, or the Start menu), you can also integrate with native Windows tools such as Shell Launcher, Assigned Access, or an MDM solution. See Microsoft’s Windows kiosk documentation.