Technical Anshu
Tutorials Blog
🧭 Browser Policy Allowlist

Chrome and Edge Allowlist With URLAllowlist Policy

Chrome and Edge already contain an enterprise allowlist — URLAllowlist — that most people never switch on. Pair it with a block-everything entry in URLBlocklist and the browser itself enforces your list, no extra software.

✍️ Technical Anshu🪟 Windows 10 / 11⏱️ 8 minute read
🎥 Watch the full video — Website Filter Pro setup and allow mode, step by step

If your world is one browser, you may not need a separate filter at all. Both Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge ship with management policies designed for exactly this job: URLBlocklist refuses listed sites, and URLAllowlist permits listed sites even when the blocklist would refuse them. The allowlist-only recipe is therefore simple: block everything with a single star entry, then name your exceptions in the allowlist. This guide gives the exact policy names and registry locations, and is honest about the catch — a browser policy controls that browser only, so it works best combined with the standard-user discipline from the video's approach.

Group Policy view of the pattern (illustrative)
Block access to a list of URLs → * Allow access to a list of URLs → gst.gov.in/* → mail.google.com/* Result: those two open. Everything else is refused by the browser itself.
The whole trick in one panel: the star blocks the internet, the allowlist names the exceptions. Policy names are the real Chrome and Edge policy names.
1

Know the Exact Policy Names Before You Start

Half of all policy failures are name or location errors. These are the documented names — write them exactly.

  1. Chrome: URLBlocklist and URLAllowlist, under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome (or the User hive for per-user policy)
  2. Edge: the same policy names, under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge
  3. In Group Policy they appear as 'Block access to a list of URLs' and 'Allow access to a list of URLs' in the browser's administrative template
  4. Each URL is a separate string value named 1, 2, 3 and so on under the policy key
2

Set the Block-All Entry First

Allowlist-only mode starts by closing the whole internet in this browser. One value does it.

  1. In URLBlocklist, add a single entry: *
  2. The star means every URL is blocked unless something overrides it
  3. That something is the allowlist — in both Chrome and Edge, URLAllowlist takes priority over the blocklist for matching addresses
  4. Set this at machine level (HKLM) so it applies to every user of the PC, not just one profile
3

Add the Allowed Sites in URLAllowlist

Now name the exceptions. Keep the same discipline as any allowlist: few, verified, functional.

  1. Add each approved site as its own entry, for example gst.gov.in or with a path pattern like example.com/*
  2. Remember the hidden domains: sign-in and CDN hosts the site needs must be added too, or pages half-load
  3. Subdomains are not automatically included — a pattern for the main domain does not necessarily cover its sign-in subdomain; test the real login
  4. Apply, fully restart the browser, and open chrome://policy or edge://policy to confirm the policies are read with no errors
4

Close the Obvious Side Doors

A locked Chrome beside an unlocked second browser is theatre. The policy approach only works when the browser set is controlled.

  1. Users must be on standard accounts so they cannot simply install another browser or undo policy
  2. If a second browser must exist, apply the same policy pattern to it — Edge and Chrome each need their own entries
  3. Portable browsers on a USB stick bypass installed-browser policy; if that risk matters for your desk, the PC-wide filter from the video is the stronger layer
  4. Re-check chrome://policy after big browser updates — a healthy setup shows the policies still applied
🔴 Choose the layer that matches the risk: browser policy is free, built-in and excellent for a single-browser office. It does nothing about other browsers, portable apps or non-browser traffic. For a billing or exam PC where the lock must hold PC-wide, use the Website Filter Pro approach from the video, and treat browser policy as a second layer, not the only one.

🎥 Watch the Full Video Guide

The complete Website Filter Pro walkthrough — download, allow mode and testing — is shown live in the video.

▶️ Watch Full Video
❓ Common Questions (FAQ)

What is the exact policy name for the Chrome allowlist?

URLAllowlist, with its partner URLBlocklist. In the registry they live under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome as numbered string values. The allowlist-only pattern is a single star in URLBlocklist plus your approved sites in URLAllowlist, which takes priority.

Does the Edge allowlist work the same way?

Yes — Edge uses the same policy names, URLBlocklist and URLAllowlist, stored under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge. You can verify what Edge has actually applied by opening edge://policy in the browser.

A user installed another browser and bypassed everything. What went wrong?

The policy only governs the browser it is set on. If users can install software, they can route around any browser-level control. The real fix is standard user accounts — plus a PC-wide filter if the desk needs a lock that does not depend on which browser is opened.

This guide is based on the Technical Anshu video on allowing only selected websites • Stuck on a step? Ask in the video comments — answers happen there 🙏