How to block specific apps from accessing or accessing the Internet in Windows 10

There may be many reasons why you want to prevent other users from accessing certain apps on a Windows 10 computer. For example, knowing how to restrict access to apps can be especially helpful if you share your computer with family or coworkers.

Whether you want to restrict app permissions or block access to the app entirely, there are a few ways to do it. In this article, we will show you how to restrict access to apps in Windows 10. We will also go over the process of restricting internet access to specific apps in Windows 10.

How to restrict access to specific apps in Windows 10

There is no need to download a third-party app to limit access to a specific app in Windows 10. You can do it within system settings. This is what you need to do:

1. Go to “Home” in the lower left corner of your screen.
   
2. Click the Settings icon in the left sidebar.
   
3. Scroll down until you find “Privacy.”
   
4. Go to “App Permissions” in the left sidebar.
   
5. Scroll down until you find the app you want to restrict access to. As an example, we will use the “Camera” application.
   
6. Under “Allow camera access on this device,” click “Change.”
   
7. Move the switch to “Off.”
   
8. Under “Allow apps to access your camera,” turn on the switch.
   

To go a step further, you can choose to block desktop apps from using your camera and you can also select which Microsoft Store apps can access your camera.

Also, note that apps that have permission to use all system resources will not appear in Privacy settings. Instead, you can only restrict specific permissions for the apps that appear in the list. However, you will notice that all desktop apps are in the Privacy settings.

Each app has access to different file types and you can adjust them manually. Once you’re done, simply turn off the Privacy window. The next time you try to launch the app that you restricted access to, you will notice that your access has been limited.

Restrict access to applications through Group Policy Editor

Another way to restrict access to applications is with the Group Policy Editor. However, this method is only possible if you have Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise. This is how you do it:

1. Go to the magnifying glass icon in the lower left corner of the screen.
2. Write “Run”To open the Run application.
3. In the search box, type “gpedit.msc,” and select “OK”.
4. Click “User Settings” in the left sidebar.
5. Continue with the “Administrative Templates” folder.
6. Go to the “System” folder.
7. Locate the “Do not run specific Windows applications” file in the right pane.
8. Double click on it. This will open a new window.
9. On the left side of the window, check the “Enabled” circle.
10. Under “Options”, go to “Show”.
11. Enter the name of the app you want to restrict access to. Don’t forget to add the “.exe”extension after the application name.
12. Go to the “Apply” button.
13. Choose “OK.”

Once you close the Group Policy Editor, access to that app should already be limited. If not, restart your computer.

If you change your mind, you can remove the limitations by repeating the same steps up to step nine. Instead of “Enabled,” click “Not configured.”

Restrict access to applications by editing the registry

Editing the Registry is another way to restrict access to your applications. When using Registry, you should always be careful not to lose any data in the process. That’s why it’s always a good idea to back up all your files and keep a copy in a safe place. The backup will also be useful if you change your mind and want to restore access to your apps.

To restrict access to an application using Registry Editor, follow the steps below:

1. Find the Run application or press the Windows key and the “R” key at the same time.
2. Write “regedit” in the search bar and click “OK.” This will open Registry Editor.
   
3. Copy this key:
   “\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies“
4. Paste it in the Registry. This will take you to the “Policies” folder.
   
5. Right click on it and go to “New” and then “Key”.
   
6. Write “Explorer” for the new key.
   
7. Right-click the “Explorer” folder and choose “New” from the drop-down menu.
   
8. Select “DWORD (32-bit)”.
   
9. This value should be named “DisallowRun”.
   
10. Double click the value. This will take you to the Properties window.
    
11. In “Value Data,” type “1.”
    
12. Select “OK.”
    
13. Return to the main Registry Editor window.
14. Right click on the “Explorer” folder and select “New.”
    
15. Select “Key.”
    
16. Write “DisallowRun” as the subkey name.
    
17. Right-click the DisallowRun key and select “New” from the drop-down menu.
    
18. Choose “String Value.”
    
19. Get into “1” for that string value in the Value Information box. Select “OK.”
    
20. Double-click the string value “1”.
    
21. Under “Value Data” in the Properties window, type the name of the application you want to restrict access to.
    
22. After the application name, add the “.exe” and click “OK” when finished.
    

If you want to restrict access to multiple applications, you will need to repeat steps 17 to 22 for each of them. For each application, right-click the DisallowRun key, choose “New,” and then “String Value.” Name the string value for the second application “2”, for the third “3”, and so on.

This method can be a little time consuming, but if you do it correctly, it will be worth it. When you are done, you will need to restart your device. The next time you try to access one of these applications, you will receive a restriction message informing you that your access has been denied.

Please note that if you have more than one user account and want to restrict app access on all of them, you will need to repeat the entire Registration process for all of them.

If you change your mind, there is a way to restore the apps you blocked. You can do this by simply deleting the “Explorer” key in the “Policies” folder. However, do this only if you want to allow access to all the apps you blocked. To do this for an inpidual application, you will need to change the value data from “1” to “0” in the properties dialog.

How to restrict internet access to specific apps in Windows 10

There is an easy way to restrict internet access to specific apps in Windows 10 and that is with Windows Defender Firewall. Knowing how to do this can be particularly useful when you don’t want certain apps to update automatically or if you don’t want an app to overuse your data. However, you should only restrict Internet access to applications that do not need the Internet to function properly. This is how you do it:

1. Go to the magnifying glass icon in the lower left corner of the screen.
   
2. Write “Windows Defender Firewall”And open it.
   
3. Proceed to “Advanced Settings” in the left sidebar. This will open a new window.
   
4. Select “Outbound Rules” in the left sidebar.
   
5. Go to “New rule” on the right side of the window.
   
6. Choose “Program” in the new window and then click “Next.”
   
7. Next to “This program path,” click the “Browse” button.
   
8. Find the application for which you want to restrict Internet access.
9. Click “Next” again.
   
10. Click the “Block connection” circle and then click “Next.”
    
11. Check the “Domain”, “Private” and “Public” boxes.
    
12. Go to “Next.”
    
13. Enter the name of the rule, as well as a description.
    
14. Select “Finish.”
    

That’s all. This method is quick and easy and will allow you to restrict Internet access from any application you want.

Control who has access to all your apps

Once you’ve figured out how to restrict app access in Windows 10, you can make sure that no one but you has access to certain apps. You also have the option to restrict Internet access for some applications, which can be very useful.