Block Windows applications

With BrowseControls application blocker, you can prevent .exe files from running on your computers. Using the application blocker, you can block Windows applications such as cloud storage applications, games, and more.

How to Block Your Users From Launching a Windows Application

  1. Open BrowseControl from the left-hand menu.
  2. Click a folder from the Groups list that you want to apply the App Blocker.
  3. Click on the App Blocker option.
  4. Before an application can be blocked, it must be added to the Application List.
    • Enter the Original Filename of the application to be blocked in the Application textbox. A description can also be entered for convenience.
    • Click the ADD button to add the Application to the list of choices to block.
  5. Select the applications to be blocked from the Applications List on the left pane and move them to the right pane by clicking on the Arrow button.
    • These applications will now be blocked for the computers and users under the specific Group. The App Blocker list can accommodate up to 200 applications.
  1. Select the group for which you want to apply the App Blocker.
  2. Under the BrowseControl tab, click on the App Blocker option.
  3. Before an application can be blocked, it must be added to the Application List. Enter the Original Filename of the application to be blocked in the Application Name textbox. A description can also be entered for convenience.
  4. Alternatively, click on the Browse button and locate the .exe file of the application to be blocked. The Original Filename of the application will automatically be populated in the Application List. In case the application does not have an Original Filename, the application will automatically populate the Application list with the File’s checksum.
  5. To add applications to the App Blocker list, select the applications to be blocked from the list of applications on the left pane and move them to the right pane by clicking on the >> button. These applications will now be blocked for the computers and users under the specific Group. The App Blocker list can accommodate up to 200 applications
application blocker

How to find the original filename of an application?

1. Manually locate the Original Filename of an application:
  1. Right-click on the .exe file in Windows Explorer and select Properties.
  2. Select the Details tab and click on Original Filename in the Item Name box.
  3. The Original Filename is located in the adjacent Value box.

    The figure below gives an example of locating the Original Filename of Notepad. Not all Original File names have the .exe suffix extension. e.g. FreeCell has no extension so just enter “FreeCell”.
.exe properties
2. Use BrowseReporter Dashboard to get the Original Filename

If you are subscribed to the CurrentWare BrowseReporter Dashboard feature, it has the ability to show you the file name.

  1. Go to the Application Dashboard Tab
  2. Hovering over a time bar for an application will show you the original file name
  3. You can also go to the Activity Log at the bottom
  4. Choose the … button and the column button
  5. Select the “Application Process” column
  6. In the activity log all the used application file names will be available in the activity log

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