How to prevent the program running as a Windows 10, 8.1, and Windows 7

If you have a need for the prohibition of certain programs run in Windows, you can do this by using the registry or the Local Group Policy Editor Editor (the latter is only available in Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions).

These instructions detail how it is to block the launch of the program said two methods. If the purpose of the ban - guard the child from the use of certain applications in Windows 10, you can use parental controls. The following methods also exist: Prevent run all programs except the applications from the store, kiosk mode Windows 10 (permission to run only a single application).

Prevent run programs in the Local Group Policy Editor

The first way - blocking certain programs run by using the Local Group Policy Editor, available in certain editions of Windows 10, 8.1, and Windows 7.

To set the ban in this way, follow these steps:

1. Press Win + R on the keyboard (Win - key with the logo of Windows), type gpedit.msc, and press Enter. Open the Local Group Policy Editor (in the absence thereof, use the method of using the Registry Editor).
2. In the editor, go to User Configuration - Administrative Templates - System.
3. Note the two parameters on the right side of the editor: "Do not run specified Windows applications" and "Run Windows applications just mentioned." Depending on the task (disable certain programs or allow only selected program) can use each of them, but I recommend to use first. Double click on the "Do not run specified Windows applications."

   

4. Set "On", and then click the button "Show" under "List of prohibited programs."

   

5. Add to the list the names of .exe files of the programs you want to block. If you do not know the name of the .exe file, you can run a program, find it in the Windows Task Manager and see it. The full path does not need to specify the file when you specify the ban will not work.

   

6. After adding all the necessary programs to the list of prohibited, click OK, and then close the Local Group Policy Editor.

Usually the changes take effect immediately, without restarting the computer and run the program becomes impossible.

Lock start programs by using Registry Editor

Customize ban can launch selected programs in the registry editor, if gpedit.msc is not available on your computer.

1. Press the Win + R keys on the keyboard, enter the REGEDIT and press ENTER, the registry editor opens.
2. Go to RegistryhKey_current_user \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ Currentversion \ Policies \ Explorer
3. In the Explorer section, create a subsection with the name DisallowRun (you can do this by right-clicking on the "folder" Explorer and selecting the menu item).
4. Select DisallowRun subsection and create a string parameter (right click in an empty place of the right panel - Create - a string parameter) for filename 1.

   

5. Double-click on the created parameter and as a value, specify the name .exe file of the program file that you want to start running.

   

6. Repeat the same actions to block other programs, giving the names of the string parameters in order.

   

This will be completed on this whole process, and the ban will take effect without rebooting a computer or output from Windows.

In the future, in order to cancel the prohibitions made by the first or second way, you can remove the parameters from the specified registry key from the list of prohibited programs in the Local Group Policy Editor or simply disable (set "disabled" or "not specified") Changed Policy in GPedit.

Additional Information

The Windows start-up is also available in Windows using Software Restriction Policy, however, configuring SRP security policies goes beyond this manual. In general, simplified form: You can go to the Local Group Policy Editor to the Computer Configuration section - Windows Configuration - Security Settings, right-click on the "Limited Program Policy" item and further configure the required parameters.

For example, the easiest option is to create a rule for the path in the "Additional Rules" section, prohibiting the launch of all programs located in the specified folder, but this is just a very surface approximation to Software Restriction Policy. And if to configure the registry editor, the task is even more complicated. But this technique uses some third-party programs that simplify process, for example, you can familiarize yourself with the instructions for blocking programs and system elements in ASKAdmin.