How to Block Gmail at Work with BrowseControl

Need to restrict internet access in your network? In this tutorial you will learn how to block websites using a free trial of BrowseControl, CurrentWare’s web content filtering software.

With BrowseControl you can…

Block websites based on URL, category, domain, or IP address

Schedule unique internet restrictions throughout the day 

Assign custom policies for each group of computers or users,

and enforce internet usage policies, even when devices leave the network

There are 3 ways to block employee internet access with BrowseControl

1) Block access to specific websites with the Block List

2) Restrict internet access to only certain sites with the Allow List 

3) Using the Category Filtering feature you can block access to content categories such as Porn, Virus Infected, or Social Media 

For complete control over internet and application use in your network, you can combine BrowseControl with BrowseReporter, CurrentWare’s internet monitoring software.

All right, let’s get started.

To begin, sign up for a free trial of BrowseControl at CurrentWare.com/Download. After filling out the form you will be provided with the files you need to get started with BrowseControl.

To install BrowseControl, run CurrentWare.exe on the administrator’s computer and follow the installation instructions; this will install the CurrentWare Console and Server. 

After that, deploy the CurrentWare Client Setup file (cwClientSetup.exe) on all of the computers you would like to control. 

From there you can import your Active Directory organizational units or manually create your desired policy groups.

For full installation instructions, please visit our knowledge base at CurrentWare.com/Support. 

Now that you have BrowseControl installed, I’ll show you how to block specific websites based on their URL, domain, or IP address with the URL Filter.

This feature can be used to block your employees from accessing distracting websites like Facebook, TikTok, or Instagram.

First, decide whether you want to control internet access based on users or computers and select the desired mode.

Next, click on the URL Filter then select “Blocked List”

From the drop-down menu, select the group of computers or users that you want to restrict

Enter the URL, domain, or IP address of the websites you want to block to the master URL list, then press the Enter key or click “Add”. 

BrowseControl will apply a wildcard to the URL, ensuring that any paths within the domain will be blocked as well.

In the master URL list, select the websites you want to block for the chosen group, then click “Add to Blocked List”.

If you would like to add the selected websites to the block list of multiple groups, you can press the drop-down arrow and select “add to multiple groups”, select the desired groups, then click “add to blocked list”

If you have a large number of websites you would like to block, you can also use the import feature to import an existing list.

Finally, click “Apply to Clients”.

That’s it! You have now blocked your employees, students, or patrons from accessing those specific websites. 

Next, I’ll show you how to restrict internet access to only certain sites.

This feature is ideal if you want to prevent your employees, students, or patrons from accessing websites that are not explicitly allowed by your organization.

The process is identical to how you would block a website, except this time you will set the internet to “off” and add the websites you would like to allow to the Allow List.

With this method, your users will only be able to access the exact websites that have been approved by your company.

Here are the full instructions.

First, decide whether you want to control internet access based on users or computers and select the desired mode.

Next, click on the URL Filter, then ensure that “Allowed List” is selected

From the drop-down menu, select the group of computers or users that you want to restrict

Next, set the internet to “Off”. This will ensure that only the websites that are added to the allowed list can be accessed.

Enter the URL, domain, or IP address of the website you want to allow to the master URL list, then press the Enter key or click “Add”. BrowseControl will apply a wildcard to the URL, ensuring that any paths within the domain will be allowed as well.

In the master URL list, select the websites you want to allow for the chosen group, then click “Add to Allowed List”

If you would like to add the selected websites to the Allowed list of multiple groups, you can press the drop-down arrow and select “Add to Multiple Groups”, select the desired groups, then click “Add to Allowed list”

If you have a large number of websites you would like to allow, you can also use the import feature to import an existing list.

Finally, click “Apply to Clients”.

Next, I’ll show you how to block websites based on content categories such as Porn, Virus Infected, and Social Media 

With BrowseControl’s category filtering feature you can block billions of websites across over 100 URL categories. More than 10,000 new domains are added each day, making it simple to restrict internet access even as new sites emerge. 

Here’s how:

First, decide whether you want to control internet access based on users or computers, then select the desired mode.

Next, click on “Category Filtering”

From the drop-down menu, select the group of computers or users that you want to restrict

Select the web content categories you would like to block, then click “Add to Blocked List”

Finally, click “Apply to Clients”.

That’s it! 

The Allow List can also be used in tandem with the Category Filtering feature to allow websites that would otherwise be blocked based on their content category. 

For example, you could use the Category Filtering feature to block Social Media while still allowing access to LinkedIn.

Now that you’ve seen the 3 key ways you can block a website with BrowseControl, I’d like to show you how to restrict internet access at certain times.

With BrowseControl’s Internet Scheduler you can schedule custom block or allow lists throughout the day. 

This feature will bring some flexibility to your internet restriction policies; in this example, we will allow our employees to browse the internet during lunchtime.

Here’s how to use the internet scheduler

First, decide whether you want to control internet access based on users or computers and select the desired mode.

Next, click on “internet scheduler”

From the drop-down menu, select the group of computers or users that you want to restrict

Next, click “New Schedule”

Set the start and end time of the schedule. Then, select the schedule type.

Internet On will allow internet access to all websites that are not on the URL Block List

Custom allowed list will only allow access to specific websites.

Custom blocked list will block access to a specific list of websites and allow access to the rest of the internet.

Custom Category blocked list will block specific categories and allow access to the rest of the internet.

Next, set your desired schedule frequency.

Daily will enable the schedule every day during the specified time period.

Weekly will enable the schedule only on specific days of the week.

Monthly will enable the schedule only on specific months.

Next, click “Add Schedule”.

If you selected one of the custom block or allow list options, you can click the link provided under the “schedule type” column to set the websites or categories that you would like on the list.

And finally, click “Enable Scheduler” if it is not already enabled

That’s it for today. If you’re ready to start blocking websites you can get a free trial of BrowseControl at CurrentWare.com/Download. 

If you have any questions during your evaluation our support team is available to help you over a phone call, live chat, or email.

See you next time!

”As a ‘novice’ I was able to set up with help from support in about an hour. Previous software took forever and didn’t work as advertised; this software worked right out of the box. It allows my workers to use the internet and make money for the practice without distraction/temptation to use personal websites/email/shopping.”
Gerard B., Office Manager

With more than 5 million businesses using Google’s G Suite to transform their workflow through cloud technology, the risks of data breaches in the workplace continue to increase. Though G Suite and its various applications are developed to encourage collaboration and increase productivity, this sort of technological infrastructure opens up new ways for employees to steal and transfer company data – especially for those businesses that use Gmail for their company emails.

Google’s push to convert users of other cloud technology and email services has seen a major increase in the number of businesses that are using Gmail for work purposes through G Suite. Though the benefits of switching to Gmail at work helps to unify the other G Suite applications such as Google Sheets, Docs, Calendar, Hangouts, and others, business owners must be aware of the risks that come allowing employees to use Gmail while handling company information and sensitive data.

In this article, we will look at how CurrentWare’s BrowseControl can be implemented to secure company information and data by preventing employees from illicitly transferring such files through personal emails such as Gmail and others. BrowseControl’s solution to preventing the illicit transfer of files is comprised of 3 components:

  1. Blocking access to other browsers and email desktop applications.
  2. Using URL and category filtering to block all webmail websites except for G Suite and Gmail.
  3. Use G Suite’s native Chrome personal email blocker to block employees from using personal Gmail accounts at work.

Blocking Access to Web Browsers and Desktop Applications

screenshot of BrowseControl's application blocker

Since G Suite is built for the Google Chrome web browser, companies that use the G Suite should refrain from allowing employees to access other web browsers. Allowing employees to access web browsers such as Firefox and Microsoft Edge increase the risks of employees accessing their personal email accounts that can be used to transfer company files.

Companies using Gmail will also want to block the usage of desktop email applications such as Outlook and iCloud to further prevent employees from mishandling company data.

Luckily for G Suite users, blocking web browsers and desktop applications is easy with BrowseControl’s Application Blocker. To block web browsers and desktop applications:

  1. Launch the CurrentWare Console and select the BrowseControl solution.
  2. Click on the App Blocker function.
  3. Add browser and application executable files such as Firefox.exe and Outlook.exe to the Blocked List.

Blocking Access to Other Webmail Services

Implementing the G Suite in your company means that all of the emails, documents, and other business essentials necessary to your operation are hosted in one convenient location. Given the unified design of G Suite, allowing employees to access other webmail websites will increase the risk of employees accessing their personal emails to transfer data. Not only that but allowing employees to access illicit or unauthorized websites further increases risks for malware attacks and the exploitation of your company’s network.

BrowseControl can be used to block specific URLs with its URL Filtering technology. In addition to that, it can also be used to block thousands of websites at once with the Category Filtering feature. Setting this up with BrowseControl is simple and can be done in these easy steps:

  1. Launch the CurrentWare Console and select the BrowseControl solution.
  2. Click on the URL Filter function.
  3. Add specific URLs such as Outlook.com and iCloud.com to the Blocked List.

OR

  1. Click on the Category Filtering from the BrowseControl menu.
  2. Select from thousands of websites to block by adding categories such as “Web Mail” and “File Hosting”.
 

Using Google Chrome Policies to Block Personal Gmail Accounts

Of course, Google understands the risks of data breaches in the workplace. This is why they have developed Google Chrome’s ability to block employees from accessing their personal Gmail accounts at work.

To learn more about how to enable this feature in your workplace, please visit Google’s helpful article here. *Note that this function is only applicable to Google Chrome browsers, further emphasizing the need to block employees from accessing other web browsers and email applications with BrowseControl.

Get started with BrowseControl here with our 14-day trial on 10 computers. 

Controlling access to the internet is a critical component of organizational security, productivity management, and acceptable use policy enforcement. The best internet filter will depend on the needs of your environment, the devices you would like to control, and the level of granularity desired. 


BrowseControl is an easy-to-use web filter that helps organizations enforce policies, improve productivity, reduce bandwidth consumption, and meet compliance requirements – no matter where their users are located.

With BrowseControl you can ensure a safe and productive environment by blocking high-risk, distracting, or inappropriate websites, improve network performance by blocking bandwidth hogs, and prevent users from using unsanctioned applications and software-as-a-service providers

BrowseControl’s security policies are enforced by a software agent that is installed on your user’s computers. This allows the solution to continue blocking websites and applications even when computers are taken off-site.

BrowseControl’s central console allows you to configure your security policies from the convenience of a web browser. 

With BrowseControl you can Block or allow websites based on URL, category, domain, or IP address, assign custom policies for each group of computers or users, prevent users from launching specific applications, and block network ports to reduce the attack surface of your network

There are three key methods for blocking websites with BrowseControl:

The Blocked List allows you to block specific websites based on URL, domain, or IP address

Category Filtering allows you to block millions of websites across over 100 content categories including pornography, social media, and virus-infected sites.

and finally, you can use the Allowed List to allow specific websites that would otherwise be blocked based on their category, or for the greatest security and control you can block all websites except for those that are on the Allowed List.

When your users try to visit a blocked website they can either be presented with a custom warning message or directed to another site, such as a page with a reminder of your organization’s internet use policy.

With BrowseControl’s App Blocker you can prevent your users from launching specific applications.

Simply select the group you would like to restrict, enter the Original Filename of the application to the Application List, and add it to the blocked applications list.

When the user tries to launch the blocked application they can be presented with a custom warning message that alerts them of the restriction.

BrowseControl is best used in tandem with our computer monitoring software BrowseReporter. Using both solutions provides the visibility and control you need to ensure that your organization’s computers are being used appropriately.

Don’t let internet abuse run rampant in your organization. Take back control over web browsing with a free trial of BrowseControl.

Get started today by visiting CurrentWare.com/Download

If you have any technical questions during your evaluation our support team is available to help you over a phone call, live chat, or email.

Thank you!

Ready to start with internet content filtering in your organization? Get started with a FREE 14-day trial of BrowseControl, CurrentWare’s web content filtering software.

Sai Kit Chu
Sai Kit Chu
Sai Kit Chu is a Product Manager with CurrentWare. He enjoys helping businesses improve their employee productivity & data loss prevention efforts through the deployment of the CurrentWare solutions.