Only allow certain applications to run using the registry editor on Windows

SetAllowedApplications.ps1

# Define the allowed applications
$allowedApps = @(
    "example.exe",
    "example2.exe"
)

# Convert the array to a format suitable for the registry
$allowedAppsString = $allowedApps -join ','

# Registry path for the Group Policy setting
$regPath = "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer"

# Ensure the registry key exists
if (-not (Test-Path $regPath)) {
    New-Item -Path $regPath -Force | Out-Null
}

# Enable the "Run only specified Windows applications" setting
Set-ItemProperty -Path $regPath -Name "RestrictRun" -Value 1

# Add the list of allowed applications
New-Item -Path "$regPath\RestrictRun" -Force | Out-Null
foreach ($i in 1..$allowedApps.Count) {
    Set-ItemProperty -Path "$regPath\RestrictRun" -Name $i -Value $allowedApps[$i - 1]
}

Write-Output "The policy has been updated with the allowed applications."