If you are responsible for maintaining shared computers or computers on your work network, you may have the need to block a program from being opened or accessing the internet for security reasons. If you are on a Windows Active Directory domain, you can configure these types of things using Group Policy.
Watch Video: Block a Program from Being Opened or from Accessing the Internet
But if you are just using standalone computers or computers joined to a workgroup, you will need to resort to using third party software to accomplish these types of things. Of course you can probably find registry hacks to get the job done but that can be complicated and you risk making your computers inoperable if you change the wrong setting.
An easy way to block programs from being opened or from accessing the internet is to use a free tool called Program Blocker by d7x Tech. This app is easy to use and does not require you to install any software on the computer.
Blocking a Program from Being Opened
Once you download the executable file, simply run it and you will see the basic interface with the option to block a program or block a program from accessing the internet.
To block a program from running, you will need to locate the executable file for that program by clicking on the Browse button. For our example, we will block the Microsoft Word program from running on this computer. If you know the name of the executable file, you can simply type it in the box rather than browse for it.
Once you click the Block Program button, it will be added to your Blocked Programs list. Then from here you can block and unblock any of the programs from your list as needed.
Now when a user tries to open Word, nothing will happen when they click on the Word icon from the Start menu. If they have a shortcut to Word on their desktop or the taskbar, they will receive an error message similar to the one shown below.
If you have multiple user accounts on the computer, they will not be able to launch the blocked apps either.
Blocking a Program from Accessing the Internet
The Program Blocker app can also prevent programs from accessing the internet. It works in the same way as it does for blocking program access in general. You can use this for other programs besides web browsers if you have an app that can access the internet such as an FTP program or other program that might go online for updates etc.
The internet blocking feature can also show you running processes on your computer, and you can choose one from the list to block it from accessing the internet.
But if you do want to block a web browser from accessing the internet, you can simply browse to the location of its executable file and then add it to the app. In our example, we will block the Google Chrome web browser so it can’t be used to go online.
Now when someone tries to open Chrome, they will see a message similar to the image shown below.
Then if you need to allow internet access, you can go back to the Program Blocker app and unblock it.
One thing to be aware of is that you should be sure not to delete this app if you plan on using it because you may find yourself unable to unblock programs without it.
You can download the Program Blocker app here.
For additional training resources, check out our online training courses.
