Restrict Applications in Windows 7

The following steps allow you to restrict applications in Windows 7.

This process uses Local Group Policy which is available in Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate.

  1. Open the Run window by pressing the ‘Windows button’ and ‘R’
  2. Type in ‘gpedit.msc’ and click ‘OK’
  3. Navigate to ‘User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> System’
  4. Scroll down and double click on ‘Run only specified Windows applications’
  5. Select ‘Enabled’
  6. Under Options click on the ‘Show’ button
  7. Enter in the names of the applications which you would like blocked, for example ‘firefox.exe’ or ‘word.exe’
  8. Click ‘OK’ and ‘OK’ to save the changes.
  9. If a user tries to run an applications which isn’t in the “allowed” list they will receive the following message: