Connect
Ask Community
Ask the community
Ask Community
  • Home
  • App Management
  • Block .exe and .msi installer downloads or app installations on Windows devices

Block .exe and .msi installer downloads or app installations on Windows devicesSolved

Profile photo of marien
marien
Participant
Discussion
Hexnode UEM
4 months ago Mar 10, 2026

Hi everyone. Is there a native Hexnode policy to restrict application downloads and installations on managed Windows devices? We want to block installer file types like .exe and .msi to ensure users cannot install unapproved apps.

If there isn’t a native policy that blocks these downloads, can Hexnode provide a ready-made custom script for Windows 11 to prevent app installs?

topic view count 43 Views

Tags

App Management (565) Kiosk (323) macOS (577) Scripts (107) Windows (435)
Reply

Replies (1)

Marked SolutionPending Review
Profile photo of george Hexnode Expert image
george
Hexnode Expert
4 months ago Mar 10, 2026
Marked SolutionPending Review

Hello,

Thanks for reaching out to Hexnode Connect.

Currently, Hexnode does not provide a native, file-extension-based policy to directly block the download of installer files like .exe or .msi.

However, if your goal is to stop users from installing unauthorized apps, you can control application usage through the following alternatives:

  1. App Management Policies: Use application allowlisting or blocklisting. While this doesn’t stop the installer from being downloaded, it prevents users from actually running unauthorized applications.
  2. Kiosk Mode: For strict environments, you can place the devices in Kiosk Mode. This limits the device to run only a specific set of approved applications, preventing users from accessing anything else.
  3. Custom Scripts: You can deploy a script through Hexnode to modify Windows user permissions and restrict standard users from installing applications. While Hexnode provides a sample script reference for Windows 10, a Windows 11-specific script will need to be customized or created by your team based on your specific environment requirements before deployment.

I hope this helps or resolves your issue. Feel free to reach out if you have any more doubts or need further assistance.

Best regards,
George,
Hexnode UEM

Load more
Save
Related Topics

Leaderboard

Popular Tags

ABM (77)
Android (651)
iOS (494)
macOS (577)
Windows (435)
Apple TV (34)
App Management (565)
Enrollment (166)
Location (36)
Kiosk (323)
Scripts (107)
ADE (67)
OS Updates (91)
Android Enterprise (164)
View all