Edit

Share via

ChangeWindowMessageFilterEx function (winuser.h)

  • Article

Modifies the User Interface Privilege Isolation (UIPI) message filter for a specified window.

Syntax

BOOL ChangeWindowMessageFilterEx(
  [in]                HWND                hwnd,
  [in]                UINT                message,
  [in]                DWORD               action,
  [in, out, optional] PCHANGEFILTERSTRUCT pChangeFilterStruct
);

Parameters

[in] hwnd

Type: HWND

A handle to the window whose UIPI message filter is to be modified.

[in] message

Type: UINT

The message that the message filter allows through or blocks.

[in] action

Type: DWORD

The action to be performed, and can take one of the following values:

Value Meaning
MSGFLT_ALLOW
1
 Allows the message through the filter. This enables the message to be received by hWnd, regardless of the source of the message, even it comes from a lower privileged process.
MSGFLT_DISALLOW
2
 Blocks the message to be delivered to hWnd if it comes from a lower privileged process, unless the message is allowed process-wide by using the ChangeWindowMessageFilter function or globally.
MSGFLT_RESET
0
 Resets the window message filter for hWnd to the default. Any message allowed globally or process-wide will get through, but any message not included in those two categories, and which comes from a lower privileged process, will be blocked.

[in, out, optional] pChangeFilterStruct

Type: PCHANGEFILTERSTRUCT

Optional pointer to a CHANGEFILTERSTRUCT structure.

Return value

Type: BOOL

If the function succeeds, it returns TRUE; otherwise, it returns FALSE. To get extended error information, call GetLastError.

Remarks

UIPI is a security feature that prevents messages from being received from a lower-integrity-level sender. You can use this function to allow specific messages to be delivered to a window even if the message originates from a process at a lower integrity level. Unlike the ChangeWindowMessageFilter function, which controls the process message filter, the ChangeWindowMessageFilterEx function controls the window message filter.

An application may use the ChangeWindowMessageFilter function to allow or block a message in a process-wide manner. If the message is allowed by either the process message filter or the window message filter, it will be delivered to the window.

Note that processes at or below SECURITY_MANDATORY_LOW_RID are not allowed to change the message filter. If those processes call this function, it will fail and generate the extended error code, ERROR_ACCESS_DENIED.

Certain messages whose value is smaller than WM_USER are required to be passed through the filter, regardless of the filter setting. There will be no effect when you attempt to use this function to allow or block such messages.

Requirements

Requirement Value
Minimum supported client Windows 7 [desktop apps only]
Minimum supported server Windows Server 2008 R2 [desktop apps only]
Target Platform Windows
Header winuser.h (include Windows.h)
Library User32.lib
DLL User32.dll
API set ext-ms-win-ntuser-gui-l1-3-0 (introduced in Windows 10, version 10.0.10240)

See also

ChangeWindowMessageFilter

Conceptual

Reference

Windows