Kiosk

Set up a Windows PC as a kiosk

Set up a Windows touchscreen PC so it runs your mypreorder kiosk full screen in Microsoft Edge, and nothing else. Do it once per kiosk, signed in to Windows with the PC's administrator account. Before you start - Windows 10 or 11 Pro, Enterprise or Education. Windows Home can't run a kiosk (Assigned Access). - The kiosk's web address: https://kiosk.mypreorder.com, or your brand's own, such as https://yourbrand-kiosk.mypreorder.com. We tell you which. - The kiosk's device login (its sign-in email and password), from Users → Kiosk devices in the merchant portal. See Add a POS or Kiosk device. - A keyboard plugged in while you set it up. 1. Prepare Windows Microsoft's guides are Prepare a device for kiosk configuration and Assigned Access recommendations. These matter most for a kiosk: - Updates restart outside trading hours. Set Windows Update's active hours to cover your trading hours. A restart signs the kiosk out, so an update at lunchtime takes it down until someone signs it back in. - The screen never sleeps. In the power settings, set both turning off the screen and sleep to Never when plugged in. - Hide the power options. In Group Policy: User Configuration → Administrative Templates → Start Menu and Taskbar → Remove and prevent access to the Shut Down, Restart, Sleep, and Hibernate commands: Enabled. - Automatic sign-in of the Windows kiosk account (you create it in step 4) after a restart or power cut. This gets Windows back to the kiosk account. The kiosk itself still needs its own sign-in again. - Leave display scaling as it is. The kiosk sizes its screens from the screen's size, whatever Windows scaling is set to. - The screen's native resolution (most kiosk screens: 1920 × 1080), turned to portrait in Windows' display settings, not just mounted that way. Otherwise the kiosk sees a landscape screen. Any other resolution only makes it blurrier. A 4K screen: keep 4K and set scaling to 200%. 2. Check the screen size In Edge, open the kiosk's address followed by /about/diagnostics, for example https://kiosk.mypreorder.com/about/diagnostics. No sign-in is needed. Its Screen section should show: - Physical: your screen's resolution the portrait way round, such as 1080 × 1920. - Orientation: portrait. - Root font size: 20px at 100% scaling. Smaller at a higher scaling is fine: the layout looks the same. 3. Lock Edge to the kiosk's address Set three Edge policies now, before you create the kiosk, so it can't open any other website: Lock Microsoft Edge to the kiosk's address. 4. Create the kiosk (Assigned Access) Microsoft's guide is Set up a single-app kiosk. 1. Open Settings → Accounts → Other users (Windows 10: Family & other users), and under Set up a kiosk select Get started. You can also search Settings for "kiosk". 2. Name the Windows kiosk account. Windows creates it as a local, standard account. 3. Choose Microsoft Edge. 4. Choose As a digital sign or interactive display: one website, full screen. Not As a public browser, which has tabs and an address bar. 5. Enter the kiosk's web address. 6. Set the idle time to 0. Don't accept the 5-minute default. If it won't take 0, enter the largest number it allows. 7. Finish, close Settings, sign out of Windows and sign in as the kiosk account. Edge opens full screen on Kiosk Device Sign In. Sign it in and pair the terminal: see Sign in a POS or Kiosk and pair the EFTPOS terminal. Why the idle time must be 0 Edge's kiosk mode always runs InPrivate, so whatever the kiosk keeps, its sign-in included, is thrown away when Edge closes. Edge's idle reset works by closing Edge, which Windows then opens again. With the 5-minute default, every quiet spell would leave the kiosk on its sign-in screen. The kiosk has its own idle handling instead. When nobody touches it, it asks "Still there?", clears an abandoned order and goes back to its start screen, and it stays signed in. A restart, update or power cut closes Edge too, so the kiosk comes back on its sign-in screen and needs signing in once. Its EFTPOS pairing comes back with the sign-in. 5. Check it before you leave Unplug the keyboard first: Windows shows its touch keyboard only when no keyboard is attached. - A test order: pay on the terminal, and the docket prints. - Tap Name for the order at checkout: the touch keyboard appears. If it doesn't, see The on-screen keyboard doesn't appear on the kiosk. - Leave the kiosk alone for 10 minutes. It goes back to its start screen, and it's still signed in when you tap it. - Long-press a menu photo, some text and anything that looks like a link: no menu appears and nothing opens. - Restart the PC. Windows signs in to the kiosk account by itself, and the kiosk asks for its sign-in once, but not for the pairing. If Windows stops at its own sign-in screen, turn on automatic sign-in (step 1). If something is not right | What you see | What to do | |---|---| | The kiosk's sign-in screen after a quiet spell | Edge's idle time isn't 0. Change it in the kiosk set-up (step 4). See The POS or Kiosk asks to sign in again. | | Edge says the kiosk's page is blocked | The Edge allow-list doesn't name this kiosk's address. See Lock Microsoft Edge to the kiosk's address. | | Everything looks too big or too small | Check the Screen section (step 2). On a signed-in kiosk it's in manager mode, under Diagnostics. Send us a photo of it. | | You need to get out of the kiosk account | Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete on a keyboard, sign out, and sign in as the administrator. |

Lock Microsoft Edge to the kiosk's address

Lock Microsoft Edge on a kiosk PC so it opens only the kiosk's own address. Set these policies once, as the PC's administrator, before you create the kiosk with Assigned Access, so it is locked down from its first sign-in. The kiosk already blocks every link, new window and long-press menu that would take a customer out of it. These Edge settings close the gaps a web page can't reach. The three policies | Policy | Value | What it does | |---|---|---| | URLBlocklist | * | Blocks every address… | | URLAllowlist | the kiosk's host, such as kiosk.mypreorder.com | …except the kiosk's own. | | QuickSearchShowMiniMenu | 0 (off) | Turns off the small menu Edge shows when text is selected, which offers a web search. | For URLAllowlist, enter the host only: no https:// and no path. A branded kiosk's is like yourbrand-kiosk.mypreorder.com. Set them in the registry 1. Sign in to Windows with the administrator account. 2. Open the Start menu, type regedit, and choose Run as administrator. 3. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft. If it has no Edge key, create one: right-click Microsoft, choose New → Key, and name it Edge. 4. Under Edge, create a key named URLBlocklist. In it, create a String Value named 1, with the value *. 5. Under Edge, create a key named URLAllowlist. In it, create a String Value named 1, with the kiosk's host as the value. 6. In Edge itself, create a DWORD (32-bit) Value named QuickSearchShowMiniMenu, with the value 0. To use Group Policy instead, install Edge's administrative templates and set the same three policies. Each policy's Microsoft page, linked above, gives its Group Policy name. Check them 1. Still as the administrator, open Edge and go to edge://policy. 2. Select Reload policies. All three are listed, with no errors. 3. Open the kiosk's address: it loads. Try any other website: Edge blocks it. These policies apply to every account on the PC, the administrator's included. To browse elsewhere on this PC, remove URLBlocklist for a while, then put it back. Only page loads are blocked The kiosk's own calls to mypreorder, to your EFTPOS terminal's service and for menu photos aren't page loads, so these policies don't touch them. The allow-list needs only the kiosk's address. If the kiosk moves to a new address Allow both addresses before the move: 1. Under URLAllowlist, add a second String Value named 2 with the new host. Keep the old one at 1. 2. Change the address in the kiosk set-up (Assigned Access), and sign the kiosk in once on the new address. 3. Once it runs on the new address, you can remove the old host. If the old address ever redirects to the new one while the allow-list names only the old host, Edge blocks the page it is sent to, and the kiosk is stuck. To change any of this on a kiosk that's already running, press Ctrl + Alt + Delete on a keyboard, sign out of the kiosk account, and sign in as the administrator. If something is not right | What you see | What to do | |---|---| | Edge blocks the kiosk's own page | URLAllowlist doesn't name this exact host. Compare it with the address in the kiosk set-up: kiosk.mypreorder.com and kiosk.mypreorder.app are different hosts. | | A policy is missing from edge://policy | It's in the wrong place. All three belong under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge. Then select Reload policies again. | | edge://policy shows an error on a policy | Check the types: URLBlocklist and URLAllowlist are keys holding string values named 1, 2 and so on. QuickSearchShowMiniMenu is a DWORD. |

Use manager mode on the kiosk

Manager mode lets a manager refund kiosk orders, reprint a card receipt, close the store, pair the pinpad again and sign the kiosk out, at the kiosk itself. Nothing on the kiosk screen shows customers the way in, on purpose: tell your managers, not your customers. Which PIN opens it - The kiosk device PIN, 6 digits. An admin sets it in the merchant portal: Users → Kiosk devices → Device PIN on the kiosk's row, then New PIN, New PIN again and Set PIN. It works on that kiosk only. Until one is set, nobody can open manager mode on the kiosk. - A manager's own staff PIN, once your store has a Manager under Users → Staff. From then on the kiosk device PIN no longer works, and the kiosk's row says "Not used: managers use their staff PIN". A 4-digit Staff PIN never opens it. See Give staff their own PIN for the POS and Kiosk. Open manager mode 1. Tap the strip at the very bottom of the kiosk screen, with the small mypreorder logo, five times within three seconds. 2. Manager access opens. Enter the PIN on its keypad and select Enter. To back out, select Cancel — back to ordering. The PIN keypad also closes by itself after a minute untouched. What's in it The bar at the top shows Manager mode, the kiosk's name (or the manager's, with a staff PIN) and "exits automatically after 3 minutes of inactivity". You see only the groups that apply to your kiosk. Manager mode on a kiosk: Refund an order, Store, Terminal, Help with its QR code, and Device - Needs attention appears only when there's something to fix, on a Tyro terminal: a card was charged but no order was made, such as "$12.50 charged, no order". Tap it to refund the card at the terminal while the customer is there. - Last order on this device is the order this kiosk took most recently: - Reprint card receipt prints the customer's EFTPOS receipt on a Linkly pinpad. - Reprint docket sends the order's docket to your printers again, when your store has a docket printer. - Refund this order: see Refund a card payment at the kiosk. - Refund an order → Find an order by number refunds any kiosk order paid by EFTPOS. - Store: Close store stops orders everywhere: online ordering, the apps and every kiosk. Tap it, then Tap again to close the store. Open store starts them again the same way. On a day with no trading hours it warns "No trading hours today: only dine-in will work." - Terminal: - Check terminal asks a Linkly pinpad whether it is responding. - Pair terminal again, after swapping a Linkly pinpad. See Pair a Linkly pinpad again. - A Tyro terminal has neither: check the terminal itself, or Tyro's portal. - Help: a QR code for these kiosk articles. Scan it with your phone's camera to read them on the phone. The kiosk itself never opens another website: a kiosk in Windows kiosk mode would have no way back. - Device: - Diagnostics shows the kiosk's app version, network and Screen details. If the kiosk looks too big or too small, send us a photo of the Screen section. Opening it leaves manager mode: to come back, tap the strip five times and enter the PIN again. Left alone, the kiosk goes back to its menu by itself. - Sign out this device: tap it, then Tap again to sign out. The kiosk can't take orders until someone signs it in again with its device sign-in email and password, so only do this when you have them. See Sign in a POS or Kiosk and pair the EFTPOS terminal. Leave manager mode Select Exit. Manager mode also closes by itself after 3 minutes without a tap, except while a refund is running on the terminal. Either way, the kiosk clears any order left on it and goes back to the menu, ready for the next customer. If something is not right | What you see | What to do | |---|---| | "Incorrect PIN." | Check which PIN the kiosk takes (above). If your store has a Manager under Staff, use your own staff PIN, not the device PIN. An admin can see whether a device PIN is set in the Kiosk device PIN column under Users → Kiosk devices. | | "Too many incorrect PINs." and "Try again in" with a countdown | Five wrong PINs in a row lock the keypad for 1 minute, then 5, then 15. Ordering and payment carry on. Wait, or an admin selects Clear lockout on the kiosk's row under Users → Kiosk devices. | | Five taps do nothing | Tap quicker, on the strip at the very bottom. The kiosk must be signed in. Before its Linkly pinpad is paired, the pairing screen opens instead. | | No Last order on this device | The kiosk hasn't taken an order since it was last restarted or signed in. Use Find an order by number. | | No refund tiles, and Terminal says "No card terminal is configured for this device. Orders are taken without EFTPOS." | The kiosk has no EFTPOS terminal assigned. See Connect a Linkly EFTPOS pinpad to a POS or Kiosk. |

Refund a card payment at the kiosk

A manager can refund a kiosk order that was paid by EFTPOS straight from the kiosk, in manager mode. You can refund the kiosk's last order, or find any kiosk order by its number. Before you start - The customer, with their card. They tap or swipe it on the terminal to take the refund. - A manager PIN. Until your store has a Manager under Users → Staff, it's the kiosk's device PIN: an admin sets it in the merchant portal under Users → Kiosk devices → Device PIN. Once it has one, managers use their own staff PIN instead. See Use manager mode on the kiosk. - The order number, from the customer's receipt, the order confirmation, or the Orders screen. - Only kiosk orders paid by EFTPOS can be refunded here. Refund any other order from today on the POS: see Refund or cancel an order on the POS. Refund an older order, or any order at a store without the POS, in the merchant portal: see Cancel or refund an order. Open manager mode 1. Tap the strip along the bottom of the kiosk screen five times within three seconds. 2. Enter the manager PIN and select Enter. Manager mode closes by itself after 3 minutes without a tap, and whenever you select Exit. Refund the last order The Last order on this device group shows the order the kiosk took most recently. Select Refund this order, check the order shown, then select Refund…. Refund any kiosk order by its number 1. Under Refund an order, select Find an order by number. 2. Type the number in Order number and select Find. 3. Check the order shown is the right one, then select Refund…. If the kiosk shows "No kiosk order #NNNN at this store", the number is wrong, or the order was placed online or on the POS. Refund those on the POS or in the merchant portal. Whichever pinpad you have, the customer must be there with their card. A card refund is made on the terminal, the same as the payment. Linkly pinpads 1. Choose All of it, or Part of it and type the amount. 2. Select Continue · $X, check "Refund $X on the terminal", then select Start the refund on the terminal. 3. The customer taps or swipes their card on the pinpad that took the payment. If that was another kiosk's pinpad, the screen names it: take the customer there. Keep the kiosk screen open until it finishes. It can take up to a minute. Done looks like Refunded $X and "Refunded on the terminal". The order now shows its refund in Reports, for example "Refunded 10.50 via Eftpos". A Linkly payment can be refunded once, so choose the full amount you need. Tyro terminals 1. Amount to refund starts at what's left to refund. Change it for a partial refund, or select Full amount. Then select Continue. 2. Check the screen "The customer must be here with their card" and the Refund amount. 3. Select Refund $X. The customer presents their card on the kiosk's terminal. A Tyro refund goes back to whichever card the customer presents, not automatically to the card they paid with. It can't be finished after they leave. You can refund the rest of an order later as a separate refund. If something is not right | What you see | What to do | |---|---| | "It wasn't paid by EFTPOS, so refund it on the POS or in the merchant portal." | The order was paid at the counter or another way. Refund it on the POS, or in the merchant portal. | | "There's nothing left to refund on it." | It has already been refunded in full. | | The Manager access PIN keypad comes back, or "Manager approval is required for a refund" | Manager mode timed out. Enter the PIN again. | | No Refund this order or Refund an order in manager mode | The kiosk has no EFTPOS terminal assigned: its Terminal group says "No card terminal is configured for this device." Contact us if it should have one. |

The on-screen keyboard doesn't appear on the kiosk

Make Windows' touch keyboard pop up on the kiosk when a customer taps a text box, such as Name for the order at checkout. In Edge's kiosk mode Windows often doesn't show it by itself. One registry value fixes it, for every account on the PC. Before you start - A keyboard to plug in to the kiosk PC while you make the change. - The PC's administrator account. Turn the touch keyboard on 1. Plug in the keyboard and press Ctrl + Alt + Delete to leave the kiosk account. Sign out, and sign in to Windows as the administrator. If Windows signs straight back in to the kiosk account, hold Shift while it signs out. 2. Open the Start menu, type regedit, and choose Run as administrator. 3. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\TabletTip\1.7. If TabletTip or 1.7 isn't there, create it: right-click the key above it and choose New → Key. 4. Right-click 1.7 and choose New → DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name it EnableDesktopModeAutoInvoke. 5. Double-click it, set Value data to 1, and select OK. 6. Unplug the keyboard and restart the PC. Windows signs in to the kiosk account by itself, and the kiosk asks for its device sign-in once. See Sign in a POS or Kiosk and pair the EFTPOS terminal. Check the spelling: TabletTip, "Tablet" then "Tip", which is the key Windows uses for its touch keyboard. One answer on Microsoft's Q&A page, and older set-up guides, spell it TableTip. If a kiosk was set up that way and its keyboard doesn't appear, add the value under TabletTip as well. Only this one value is needed, so leave the page's other suggestions alone: On-screen keyboard not working in kiosk mode. Check it 1. On the kiosk, add any item to an order and select Review & pay. 2. Tap Name for the order. The touch keyboard appears. 3. Select Start over, then Start over again, to clear the test order. If it still doesn't appear | What you see | What to do | |---|---| | No keyboard, and a keyboard (or anything that acts as one) is plugged in | Windows shows the touch keyboard only when no keyboard is attached. Unplug it and try again. | | No keyboard after the restart | Check the value: under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, not HKEY_CURRENT_USER, in SOFTWARE\Microsoft\TabletTip\1.7, named exactly EnableDesktopModeAutoInvoke, a DWORD set to 1. Then restart again. | | The kiosk shows its sign-in screen after the restart | Expected: a restart always signs the kiosk out. Sign it in again. |