As an additional security measure on the PC that we use in the family or on the office PCs, that of disabling file downloads from the internet can be very effective.
By preventing downloads from unauthorized users such as young children or office workers, you can therefore protect your computer from installing dangerous software or executing files from malicious websites.
Disabling file downloads from the internet with Chrome or Firefox will also block the ability to download images and videos from the internet.
To disable internet downloads with Chrome and Firefox you don't need to use external software, but you need to change a Windows registry key and then be a computer administrator.
READ ALSO: Safe browsing in Chrome blocks dangerous download sites
1) To disable downloads in Google Chrome, open the Windows registry editor
Press the Windows and R logo keys or the search box together, type regedit in the text field and press Enter.
In the registry, the key to search for is in the following path
Computer \ HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Policies \
Inside the Policies folder, on the left side, create a key, which is similar to creating a new folder by pressing the right mouse button on Policies .
When the new key is generated, name it Google .
Then right click on Google and create another key named Chrome .
Now select Chrome and move to the white right side, where you need to create a new value.
Then press the right button, go to New> DWORD, give it the name DownloadRestrictions and value 3 .
Save the change and restart the Chrome browser.
From now on, every time you try to download a file using the Chrome browser, the downlaod will be blocked and impossible.
To download the files again, simply delete the Google key created.
2) Disable downloads with Firefox
If you use Firefox there is an extension that allows you to disable downloads in a simple way.
Just install Public Fox (if the extension proposes to add another one called Adbeaver, which adds advertising and no use, refuse).
Once installed, go to the Firefox Menu, (the 3 horizontal bars), to open the add-ons and access the Extensions options, in particular Public Fox.
In the configuration of this extension you can disable the downlaod of some types of files of your choice.
In the free field, you can add file extensions separated by a comma to block them.
In addition, a password can be added to prevent others from unlocking the setting.
Keep in mind that in Windows 7 and Windows 10, you can make sure that the execution of exe files and the installation of programs is prevented by changing the UAC control option on the user account to be restricted.
By preventing downloads from unauthorized users such as young children or office workers, you can therefore protect your computer from installing dangerous software or executing files from malicious websites.
Disabling file downloads from the internet with Chrome or Firefox will also block the ability to download images and videos from the internet.
To disable internet downloads with Chrome and Firefox you don't need to use external software, but you need to change a Windows registry key and then be a computer administrator.
READ ALSO: Safe browsing in Chrome blocks dangerous download sites
1) To disable downloads in Google Chrome, open the Windows registry editor
Press the Windows and R logo keys or the search box together, type regedit in the text field and press Enter.
In the registry, the key to search for is in the following path
Computer \ HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Policies \
Inside the Policies folder, on the left side, create a key, which is similar to creating a new folder by pressing the right mouse button on Policies .
When the new key is generated, name it Google .
Then right click on Google and create another key named Chrome .
Now select Chrome and move to the white right side, where you need to create a new value.
Then press the right button, go to New> DWORD, give it the name DownloadRestrictions and value 3 .
Save the change and restart the Chrome browser.
From now on, every time you try to download a file using the Chrome browser, the downlaod will be blocked and impossible.
To download the files again, simply delete the Google key created.
2) Disable downloads with Firefox
If you use Firefox there is an extension that allows you to disable downloads in a simple way.
Just install Public Fox (if the extension proposes to add another one called Adbeaver, which adds advertising and no use, refuse).
Once installed, go to the Firefox Menu, (the 3 horizontal bars), to open the add-ons and access the Extensions options, in particular Public Fox.
In the configuration of this extension you can disable the downlaod of some types of files of your choice.
In the free field, you can add file extensions separated by a comma to block them.
In addition, a password can be added to prevent others from unlocking the setting.
Keep in mind that in Windows 7 and Windows 10, you can make sure that the execution of exe files and the installation of programs is prevented by changing the UAC control option on the user account to be restricted.
