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Use an Intune Windows device configuration policy to let users control background activity, enforce it as allowed or denied by default, and add per-app exceptions. These controls apply to Windows app background activity covered by the privacy policy—not to every Win32 process, service, or scheduled task.
What Intune controls when you change Background apps
Microsoft’s enterprise guidance describes these controls as managing the background activity battery settings for UWP apps. They do not provide a universal way to stop all software running outside the foreground. A service, scheduled task, or other Win32 component may require a different management control.
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Microsoft documents the underlying policy in the Windows Privacy Policy CSP. It is device scoped and supports a default behavior plus per-app settings identified by Package Family Name.
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In the Intune admin center, create a Windows device configuration policy and use the Settings catalog to find the available Background apps setting. Microsoft’s Windows device restriction settings reference documents Background apps and per-app privacy exceptions.
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Set the default behavior for covered apps: leave the choice to users, force background activity on, or force it off.
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If needed, add per-app privacy exceptions. Enter the app’s package family name and configure its behavior. Intune’s reference also lists an App Name field for exceptions.
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Assign the policy to a pilot device group, confirm the intended apps and workflows behave as expected, and then expand deployment if appropriate.
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Intune’s settings and navigation can change; use the current Settings catalog rather than relying on an assumed fixed click sequence.
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Choose a default and understand per-app overrides
The CSP defines three values for the policy:
| Value | Behavior | Effect on user choice |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Default | Users remain in control and can choose in Windows Settings. |
| 1 | Force Allow | Background activity is allowed; users cannot change the setting. |
| 2 | Force Deny | Background activity is denied; users cannot change the setting. |
A per-app setting overrides the default for that app. This lets administrators use a broad default while preserving a different behavior for a specific application.
Find an app’s Package Family Name
Per-app exceptions use the app’s Package Family Name, not simply its display name. Microsoft says administrators can obtain it with the Windows PowerShell Get-AppPackage cmdlet. Check that the value matches the package family name expected by the Intune exception before deploying the policy.
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Assess impact before enforcing Force Deny
Some apps depend on background activity to keep information current or deliver alerts. Microsoft warns that disabling it can prevent text, email, or voicemail notifications and disrupt background email synchronization. Microsoft also cautions that Search and Cortana might not work as expected when background activity is forced off. See Microsoft’s enterprise background activity controls and its guidance on Windows connections to Microsoft services.
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- Test communication and email apps before denying background activity broadly.
- Check notifications, synchronization, and other app features that need background work.
- Include Search behavior in testing if using Force Deny.
- If an app is open when its policy change is applied, Microsoft says that app or the device must be restarted for the change to take effect.
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