How to install the WhitelistVideo lockdown on Windows

Install the WhitelistVideo EXE lockdown to prevent your child from removing or bypassing the extension. This adds enterprise-level protection that requires an administrator password to remove.

What do I need for the EXE lockdown?

• Your child's Windows computer (Windows 10 or 11)
• Administrator access on the computer
• The WhitelistVideo extension already installed (or it will be installed automatically)
• About 5 minutes

What does the EXE lockdown do?

The installer applies enterprise policies to Windows that:

After installation, Chrome will display "Managed by your organization" in the settings menu, and the extension cannot be removed without admin access.

What should I check before installing?

The account you protect should be your child's Standard (non-admin) Windows account:

• Run as: your administrator (parent) account.
• Protect: your child's Standard account. The installer lets you pick only Standard accounts — administrator accounts are shown but can't be selected, because an admin user could simply turn the protection off.

How to check an account's type

1. Open Settings → Accounts → Other users (also called Family & other users)
2. Click your child's account — it should say "Standard User" (not "Administrator")
3. If it says Administrator, change it to Standard, or create a new Standard account

How to download the EXE installer

On your child's computer

1. Open Chrome

2. Go to the Parents' App at app.whitelist.video (opens in a new tab)

3. Navigate to your child's profile

4. Click Download Windows Installer

5. The file WhitelistVideo-Setup.exe downloads to your Downloads folder

How to close all browsers first

Important: Close all browser windows before running the installer.

1. Close ALL Chrome windows (click the X in top-right corner)

2. Close ALL Edge windows (if open)

3. Check your taskbar - make sure no browser icons show open windows

How to run the EXE installer

1. Open File Explorer

2. Go to Downloads

3. Find WhitelistVideo-Setup.exe

4. Double-click the file to run it

Windows security prompt (UAC)

A popup asks: "Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?"

Click Yes and enter your administrator password if asked.

How to complete the installation

After the security prompt, the WhitelistVideo setup window opens:

1. On the Welcome screen, click Get started.
2. On Choose accounts to protect, select your child's Standard account (administrator accounts are shown but can't be selected), then click Protect selected.
3. If a browser is still open, click Close browsers & continue when prompted.
4. The installer then applies protection to the selected account automatically:
   • Force-installs the WhitelistVideo extension
   • Configures the per-user Chrome and Edge lockdown policies
   • Installs the background protection service (watchdog)
5. When you see "Your child's account is protected", click Done.

Installation takes about 30-60 seconds. Do not close the window during installation.

How to verify the lockdown is working

After installation:

Check 1: Extension shows "Installed by administrator"

1. Open Chrome

2. Type chrome://extensions in the address bar

3. Find WhitelistVideo

4. It should say "Installed by enterprise policy" or "Installed by administrator"

5. The toggle should be grayed out and the Remove button disabled

Check 2: Chrome shows "Managed" badge

1. Click the three-dot menu in Chrome (top-right)

2. Look for "Managed by your organization" text

3. This confirms enterprise policies are active

Check 3: Developer tools are blocked

1. Press F12 or Ctrl+Shift+I

2. Nothing should happen (developer tools are blocked)

How the protection works

When you protect an account, the lockdown applies to only that account. Every other account on the PC keeps working normally — regular browsing, settings, and downloads are unaffected.

The protection is saved to your child's account, so it's active every time they sign in. (If your child is signed out during setup, it takes effect the next time they sign in.)

Protection that can't be switched off

The installer adds a background helper that keeps watch. If the protection is ever removed or changed, it's restored automatically within about a second — and it restarts itself if it's stopped. A child using a standard (non-admin) account can't turn it off; only someone with the administrator password can remove it.

This is why your child should use a Standard account — see Set up a Windows child account.

How to uninstall the EXE lockdown

If you need to remove the lockdown:

1. Click the Start menu

2. Type Add or remove programs

3. Find WhitelistVideo

4. Click Uninstall

5. Enter your administrator password

6. Follow the prompts

Next steps

For maximum protection, combine the EXE installer with a Windows child account:

EXE installation troubleshooting

The installer won't run

• Make sure you have administrator access
• Try right-clicking the file and selecting Run as administrator
• Temporarily disable antivirus and try again
• Check that the file downloaded completely

I can still disable the extension

• Restart Chrome completely (close ALL windows)
• Restart the computer
• Make sure you selected the correct child account during setup (and that it's a Standard account)
• Run the installer again

Extension doesn't show "Installed by enterprise policy"

• The installation may not have completed
• Make sure all browsers were closed during installation
• Restart Chrome after installation
• Run the installer again

Antivirus blocks the installer

• The installer modifies registry policies, which some antivirus software flags
• Add an exception for WhitelistVideo-Setup.exe
• Or temporarily disable antivirus during installation

Chrome wasn't detected

• Make sure Chrome is installed (not just Edge)
• The installer looks for Chrome in standard locations
• If Chrome is installed in a custom location, contact support

More troubleshooting