Making a TFS Branch Read-Only
branch, tfs
Solution
Right-click the branch in the Source Control Explorer, and select the Lock... option
EDIT: This seems to get missed a lot when people are finding this so I'll make it more obvious.
Locks appear as a "pending change" for the person who locked the item. As long as the lock is in effect, it will appear as a pending change. When a commit is made of that pending change, the lock is released. While the lock is in effect, the locked branch is effectively read-only, since (to simplify) the locker is the only user who can make commits. The act of committing is what releases any locks on the branch.
h/t @AakashM for pointing that out in the comments
Problem
We are trying to follow the branching strategy from the TFS Branching Guide and have reached the point where we have made a branch representing a release, which should now be made read-only. In the Properties|Security tab for the branch, it presents six user groups each with 10 permissions other than Read. Do I have to go through and click Deny on 60 check boxes, or is there a better way to make this branch read-only?