If you're using Bluetooth headphones like the Sony WH-1000XM5, WH-1000XM4, or similar, and you're frustrated with Windows 10/11 constantly enabling "Hands-Free Telephony", here's a permanent fix. Even if you disable Hands-Free Telephony in the Sound Control Panel, it often turns itself back on after reboots, updating or re-pairing. So that's not a working solution.
My method I have not seen that much on the ethernet, so I made a Reddit post in the past and now I made it into a .reg file, so you can apply it quickly in case Windows resets the values again.
This method installs a Windows Scheduled Task that automatically re-applies the registry fix on every startup, so you never have to think about it again even after Windows updates.
Important
The script must be run as Administrator
Caution
Your antivirus or Windows Defender may flag this script as suspicious. This is a false positive.
Antiviruss naturally cautions against batch files downloaded from the internet that automate system changes (such as creating scheduled tasks).
If you still have some doubts, the code is fully open-source, meaning everyone can see the exact code that executes. You can also open the file in a text editor as this will also show the exact code used.
- Download the ScheduledTask-DisableHands-FreeTelephony.bat file from this repository
- Right click the file and run as administrator
- Wait for it to finish
- Reboot your pc or turn on and off Bluetooth
- Download the ScheduledTask-Removal-DisableHands-FreeTelephony.bat file from this repository
- Right click the file and run as administrator
- Wait for it to finish
- The task and its files are now deleted
- Download the DisableHands-FreeTelephonyBluetooth.reg file from this repository
- Double-click the file to apply the changes to your Windows Registry
- Reboot your pc or turn on and off Bluetooth
The .reg and .bat files use the solution that I posted on Reddit