Question:

I have a notebook that I use for work, but sometimes I have to lend it to my little brother for his online classes. However, he often misuses it by downloading games or other unauthorized programs, which can infect my notebook with viruses. Is there a method to restrict his access to only the app he needs for his classes, and prevent him from running any other applications on my notebook? I am not very familiar with technology, so I would appreciate a simple and effective solution. Thank you for your help.

Answer:

If you share your notebook with someone else, such as a family member or a friend, you may want to limit what they can do on your device. For example, you may not want them to download games or other programs that could harm your notebook or compromise your work. In this article, we will show you how to restrict access to applications on a notebook using different methods.

Method 1: Use the Group Policy Editor

The Group Policy Editor is a tool that allows you to configure various settings on your Windows system. You can use it to block certain applications from running for all users on your notebook. However, this method only works if you have Windows 11 Pro, Education, or Enterprise version. If you have Windows 11 Home, you will need to use another method.

To use the Group Policy Editor, follow these steps:

• Press Win + S to open Windows Search.
• Type gpedit.msc in the text box and press the Enter key to open the Group Policy Editor.
• Click on the User Configuration option in the left-hand side pane.
• Navigate to Administrative Templates > System.
• Locate the “Don’t run specified Windows applications” policy in the list.
• Double-click on the policy to open the Edit window.
• Click on the Enabled option.
• Now, click on the Show button next to the List of disallowed applications option.
• A new dialog box will appear. You must add the names of one app (or more) that you want to block for a user. Let’s say we want to block the ShareX app on our notebook. So we will enter the app name in the following format: AppName.exe
• Click on the OK button to save the changes.
• Now, click on the Apply button and then click on the OK button.
• Close the Group Policy Editor and restart your notebook.
• Log back in and try to launch the app that you added to the block list. You will see a message saying that this operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer.

This method will block the specified applications for all users on your notebook. If you want to block apps for only a specific user, you will need to use another method.

Method 2: Use the Local Security Policy Editor

The Local Security Policy Editor is another tool that allows you to manage security settings on your Windows system. You can use it to create rules that restrict access to certain applications based on their file properties. This method also works only if you have Windows 11 Pro, Education, or Enterprise version.

To use the Local Security Policy Editor, follow these steps:

• Press Win + S to open Windows Search.
• Type secpol.msc in the text box and press the Enter key to open the Local Security Policy Editor.
• Go to the Software Restriction Policies option in the left pane and then right-click on it.
• Select the New Software Restriction Policies option from the context menu.
• The Security Levels and Additional Rules options will appear below the Software Restriction Policies option.
• Right-click on the Additional Rule option and click on the New Hash Rule option.
• A new window will pop up. Click on the Browse button.
• Find the app which you want to block for a user and then double-click on it to select and add it to the hash rule.
• Click on the Apply button and then click on the OK button.
• Close the Local Security Policy Editor and restart your notebook.
• Log back in and try to launch the app that you added to the hash rule. You will see a message saying that this program is blocked by group policy.

This method will block the specified applications for all users on your notebook based on their file properties. If you want to block apps for only a specific user, you will need to use another method.

Method 3: Use Assigned Access

Assigned Access is a feature that allows you to set up a user account that can only access one app on your notebook. This is useful if you want to lend your notebook to someone for a specific purpose, such as online classes, and prevent them from using any other apps. This method works on any version of Windows 11.

To use Assigned Access, follow these steps:

• Create a standard user account for the person you want to lend your notebook to. You can do this from the Settings app > Accounts > Family & other people > Add someone else to this PC.
• Log in to the new user account and launch the app that you want them to use for their online classes. Make sure it is a supported app for Assigned Access. You can check the list of supported apps [here].
• Log out of the new user account and log in to your administrator account.
• Press Win + S to open Windows Search.
• Type assigned access in the text box and press the Enter key to open the Assigned Access settings page.
• Click on the Choose an account button, and select the standard user account that you created earlier.
• Click on the Choose an app button, and select the app that you launched on the new user account.
• Click on the Turn on button to enable Assigned Access for the selected user and app.
• Close the Settings app and restart your notebook.
• Log in to the new user account and you will see that only the assigned app is available. You cannot access the Start menu, the taskbar, or any other apps or settings.

This method will restrict the new user account to only the assigned app on your notebook. If you want to disable Assigned Access, you can do so from your administrator account by following the same steps and clicking on the Turn off button.

Conclusion

These

were some of the methods that you can use to restrict access to applications on a notebook. Depending on your Windows version and your preference, you can choose the one that suits your needs. By doing so, you can protect your notebook from unauthorized or harmful use by others.