Have you ever run into a situation where you want to protect your privacy from suspicious or unwanted apps? Do you want to control which applications can read the contents of a specific folder in Windows? If yes, then this article is for you.
In this article, Bardimin will explain how to restrict read access to Windows folders for specific applications or how to whitelist applications for read access to folders. This article will discuss two main methods you can use to achieve that goal, namely:
- Use Windows Security to change folder permissions
- Use Windows Sandbox to run applications in an isolated environment
Bardimin will also provide some tips and tricks to increase your safety and comfort when using these methods. Let’s get started!
Using Windows Security to Change Folder Permissions
One way to restrict read access to Windows folders for specific applications is to use the Windows Security feature that is already available in Windows operating systems. This feature allows you to change folder permissions, which are permissions granted to users, groups, or other objects to perform certain actions on folders.
To use this method, you need to perform the following steps:
- Right-click on the folder you want to restrict read access to, and then select Properties.
- In the Properties window, select the Security tab.
- On the Security tab, click the Edit button to change folder permissions.
- In the Permissions for Folder window, you’ll see a list of users, groups, or objects that have permissions to the folder. You can add, remove, or change permissions for each entry by clicking the Add, Remove, or Change Permissions button.
- To restrict read access to a folder for a specific application, you need to add a new entry for that application. To do this, click the Add button.
- In the Select Users or Groups window, click the Advanced button to search for the app you want to add.
- In the Select User or Group window, click the Find Now button to display all available objects. Find the app you want to add, then double-click on its name. You can also manually type the app name in the Enter the object name to select field.
- Once you’ve selected the app you want to add, click the OK button to return to the Select Users or Groups window. Make sure the app name appears in the Enter the object names to select field, then click the OK button again to return to the Permissions for Folder window.
- Now, you will see a new entry for the app you added to the folder’s permission list. To restrict read access to a folder for that app, you need to change its permissions. To do so, click on the entry, then uncheck the boxes Read & execute, List folder contents, and Read under the Allow column. You can also add a check to the Deny box to explicitly deny the permission.
- After you change the permissions for the app you added, click the OK button to save the changes. You also need to click the OK button on the Properties window to close it.
By performing the above steps, you have successfully restricted read access to the Windows folder for specific applications. Now, if you try to run those apps and access those folders, you’ll get an error message saying that you don’t have permission to do so.
However, this method has several disadvantages, namely:
- You need to repeat the steps above for each folder that you want to restrict read access to.
- You need to know the name of the app you want to restrict read access to, which may not always be easy to find.
- You need to be careful when changing folder permissions, as you may accidentally delete or change permissions for users, groups, or other objects that are important to your system.
Therefore, if you are looking for an easier and safer way to restrict read access to Windows folders to specific applications, you may want to try the next method.