How to turn off Quick Assist on Windows 11 Home (and why scammers use it)

Quick Assist lets someone take over a PC with a short code. If nobody in the house uses it, remove it. Here's how on Windows 11 Home.

By the Xcelcor Guardian team · Updated October 14, 2026

Quick Assist is a free app that comes with Windows 11. It lets one person see and control another person's PC after the person at the PC types in a short code. Families use it to help each other. Fake "Microsoft support" callers use it for the same reason: it's already there, it looks official, and the code takes seconds. If nobody in the house uses it, removing it is a quick, sensible step.

How the scam uses Quick Assist

The caller says there's a virus, a hacked bank account or an expired license. Then they say, "Press Ctrl, the Windows key and Q," or "Search for Quick Assist," and read out a code. Once the person at the PC types the code and allows sharing, the caller can see the screen and, if allowed, take control. Microsoft's own support pages say it won't put phone numbers in error messages or call you out of the blue to offer support (Microsoft Support).

Step 1: Uninstall Quick Assist

On Windows 11, Quick Assist is a normal app you can remove (Microsoft Learn):

Open Settings, then Apps, then Installed apps.
Search for Quick Assist.
Click the three dots next to it and choose Uninstall, then confirm.

That's it. The shortcut Ctrl + Windows key + Q will no longer open it.

Step 2: Know that it can come back

Quick Assist can be installed again from the Microsoft Store in about a minute. A determined caller will say, "It's missing, let me help you get it from the Store." On Windows 11 Pro, IT staff use Group Policy, AppLocker or a firewall block to stop it for good; Microsoft documents blocking its service address for organizations (Microsoft Learn). On Windows 11 Home those admin tools aren't there, so the practical defenses are:

A standard account for everyday use. Keep the administrator password with you or written somewhere safe. A standard account usually can't install apps without it.
A family rule. "If anyone asks me to open or install something on the computer over the phone, I hang up and call you."

Step 3: Turn off Windows Remote Assistance too

Windows has an older, separate helper called Remote Assistance (msra.exe). Uninstalling Quick Assist doesn't touch it.

Press the Windows key, type remote settings, and open "Allow remote access to your computer".
On the Remote tab, untick Allow Remote Assistance connections to this computer.
Click OK.

If Quick Assist was already used by a stranger

Disconnect the PC from the internet, hang up, call the bank from another phone using the number on the back of the card, and follow our two-minute checklist. Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Why this matters

The FBI's IC3 2025 Internet Crime Report lists 47,794 tech-support scam complaints and $2,134,675,818 in reported losses, about $44,000 per complaint (IC3 2025 report).

A second person on Quick Assist

Xcelcor Guardian is a Windows 11 app that holds new Quick Assist connections until someone you trust approves them by email or on xcelcor.com, even if Quick Assist is reinstalled from the Store. It also holds new connections from AnyDesk, TeamViewer, ScreenConnect and other common remote access tools. It doesn't cover Windows Remote Assistance (msra.exe), so keep Step 3. The person at the PC only gets a Refuse button. It doesn't see the screen, files, passwords or banking, and it works alongside your antivirus. It lowers the risk; it can't prevent all scams. Start free for 14 days on one PC, no card needed.

Last updated October 14, 2026