Skip to Content

How to Whitelist Websites in Windows 11 Kiosk Mode

By: Author Alex Lim

Posted on

Categories Windows

Discover how to effectively whitelist websites in Windows 11 Kiosk Mode, ensuring a controlled browsing experience for your users.

Windows 11 Kiosk Mode offers a secure and controlled environment by restricting user access to a single application. While ideal for focused usage scenarios, challenges arise when the designated application, such as a web browser, contains links to external domains.

This article delves into the process of whitelisting websites within Kiosk Mode, enabling you to curate the browsing experience and prevent users from navigating away from intended content.

Implementing Website Whitelisting

Achieving website whitelisting within Kiosk Mode necessitates the configuration of Microsoft Edge’s Application Guard feature. Application Guard isolates untrusted websites within a virtualized container, preventing them from accessing the host system’s resources or data. Follow these steps to configure Application Guard for website whitelisting:

Step 1: Enable Application Guard

  1. Open Microsoft Edge and access Settings.
  2. Locate the “Privacy, search, and services” section.
  3. Toggle on the “Enhance your security on the web with Microsoft Defender Application Guard” option.

Step 2: Configure Application Guard Policy

  1. Launch the Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc).
  2. Access Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Microsoft Defender Application Guard.
  3. Enable the “Turn on Microsoft Defender Application Guard” policy. Enable the "Turn on Microsoft Defender Application Guard" policy.
  4. Define the list of trusted websites under the “Configure the Microsoft Defender Application Guard Allowed Sites list” policy.
  5. Enable the “Isolate Microsoft Edge browsing from the host operating system” policy.

Step 3: Configure Kiosk Mode

  1. Open the Settings app and navigate to Accounts > Other users > Set up a kiosk. Open the Settings app and navigate to Accounts > Other users > Set up a kiosk.
  2. Select or create a dedicated user account for Kiosk Mode.
  3. Choose Microsoft Edge as the designated kiosk app.
  4. Enter the specific website URL you wish to whitelist.

Conclusion

By leveraging Application Guard within Windows 11 Kiosk Mode, you establish a secure and controlled browsing environment. Whitelisting authorized websites empowers you to tailor the user experience while preventing access to potentially harmful or distracting content.