How to Use GiliSoft EXE Lock on Windows

Go to Settings, or use Open Settings on the Dashboard. Find Startup / Release Password.

Select Change Password and complete the password dialog shown by your installed version. Keep the new password available to the person managing app access.

Reopen EXE Lock with the new password. If you use Password Verification, close a protected app and test its next launch with the new password too.

In Settings, find Email Settings beneath the password section. Select Set Email.

Complete the email dialog and any confirmation it presents. Use an address whose inbox you can still open without relying on an app that you are about to lock.

Review the address when the person managing the PC changes or the mailbox is retired. See password recovery if you are already unable to enter EXE Lock.

Go to Settings > App Whitelist and find User Whitelist. This is separate from Desktop Apps (EXE), where you add programs to protect.

Select Add Desktop App and choose the intended program. Review its PATH / IDENTIFIER rather than relying only on the display name.

Whitelisted apps cannot be added to the lock list. If this app already has a protected entry, review and remove its lock rule as needed, then test its normal launch instead of assuming a new whitelist entry released it.

Open Settings > App Whitelist and select Add Store App in User Whitelist.

Select the target for the app you want to keep available. Check its name and PATH / IDENTIFIER; similarly named packages or extensions can have different roles.

Confirm the intended app appears in the user whitelist. If it was already locked, review its current rule in Store Apps (UWP) and test the normal Start menu entry.

In Settings > App Whitelist, expand System Protected Items beneath User Whitelist.

Review the entries when EXE Lock will not let you add a target. A system-protected or user-whitelisted app is deliberately kept outside the lock list.

If your aim is to restrict a game, browser, or business tool, return to that application's executable or Store target. Do not substitute an essential Windows process for the app you meant to lock.

Use the supported Drop files here to add protected apps area for the application's .lnk shortcut. The pictured drop area accepts desktop apps, shortcuts, and Store app targets.

Check the full path in the protected target list. A shortcut may open a launcher, which then starts a different EXE; do not decide from the shortcut label alone.

Close the program and reopen it from that shortcut. If it still opens unexpectedly, compare the process in Logs with the target you added and correct the rule.

Select Store Apps (UWP) in the sidebar. Find the intended installed app and check its path or identifier under the app name.

Select that entry and use the lock control available in the app list. Confirm the status changes to Locked; selecting a checkbox alone is not evidence that the app is protected.

Choose the intended behavior in Lock Policy, close the app, and reopen it from Start. Test under the same Windows account that normally uses it.

Use Desktop Apps (EXE) or Store Apps (UWP). Review app names, paths, and the current Locked or Unlocked labels.

Use individual checkboxes, Select All, Select Locked, or Select Unlocked. These controls select entries; they do not themselves lock, unlock, or hide programs.

Check which rows are selected before using the available app-list action. Afterward, read each affected status and test the intended program rather than assuming every selected target changed successfully.

Select Lock Policy and review the target count in Lock Policy Settings. The Allow Method area contains both launch options.

Select Password Verification to show a password prompt before a protected app runs. Select Direct Block when it should not start and no prompt should be offered.

Close a protected app and launch it again. Recheck other protected targets too, because the policy applies to the list. With Password Verification, an incorrect password should not release the app.

Open Dashboard and look for Protection Status: Running. Make sure a previous Temporary Unlock is no longer releasing protection.

Review Protected Targets and the desktop and Store app counts. Use the adjacent Edit control to open the list you need. The example screenshot shows zero targets, not a completed app lock.

Close the protected app and reopen its normal shortcut or Start menu entry. Match the result to Lock Policy, then inspect Blocked Attempts and Recent Intercept Logs.

On Dashboard, select Temporary Unlock. Complete the confirmation or password request shown by the installed version.

Perform the maintenance or supervised use while protection is released. Treat this as a temporary release of protection, not a permanent exception for just one app.

End the temporary release using the controls shown by EXE Lock. Confirm Protection Status: Running again, close the test app, and check that a fresh launch is blocked or prompts as intended.

Open Desktop Apps (EXE) or Store Apps (UWP). Match the path or identifier, and select only the intended entry.

Use the target list's available unlock or remove-rule control. Confirm that the entry is Unlocked or no longer in the protected list; do not use Temporary Unlock as a substitute for this change.

Launch the released app from its normal shortcut, then test another protected app. If the released app should not be added again, add it to the appropriate App Whitelist.

Note the time, close the selected protected app, and launch it once from the normal shortcut. Use the current Lock Policy to predict whether you expect a block or a password prompt.

On Dashboard, review Recent Intercept Logs and its TIME, PROCESS, ACTION, and STATUS columns. Match the record to your test.

Select Logs in the sidebar to investigate further. Compare the process with the desktop path or Store target in your protected list, especially when a launcher or an app update is involved.

After updating an app, review its current executable path or Store entry against the protected list. Check whether the usual shortcut now opens a new launcher or location.

If the target has changed, remove the obsolete entry and add the current executable in Desktop Apps (EXE) or the detected target in Store Apps (UWP). Confirm its Locked status.

Check that protection is Running and Temporary Unlock has ended. Launch the updated app from its everyday entry point and compare the result and event records with the chosen Lock Policy.

Follow the password-recovery option presented by your installed version. Use the address configured through Settings > Email Settings > Set Email.

Check that mailbox and follow the recovery message or prompts you receive. Complete the instructions for your installed EXE Lock version before testing access again.

After recovery, confirm you can enter EXE Lock and approve a protected launch under Password Verification. If the mailbox or recovery option is unavailable, contact GiliSoft Support with the installed version and the problem.