How to enable or disable SmartScreen filter on Windows

Basically, Windows SmartScreen is a tool, a feature that checks the safety of a file or application that may be harmful on the Windows system. This feature has been integrated since Windows 8. When you run a file or an application from an unknown source, Windows will block this application and display a screen asking you whether or not to run this application.

It can be said that this feature is extremely useful, however, if many of these notifications appear when running the application, it will make many people feel uncomfortable. Therefore, you can proceed to disable Windows SmartScreen on Windows.

What is SmartScreen Filter?

SmartScreen acts as an early warning system to let users know if a suspicious website or application is not listed or the downloaded file is not found in the list of safe software programs. SmartScreen essentially uses a large database of whitelisted and blacklisted websites to analyze whether a given thing is safe to open.

SmartScreen runs in the background on Windows and will usually show up as a big blue box that says “Windows protected your PC” by blocking a certain program or website. If it’s a program, you’ll usually have the option to “Run Anyway.” If SmartScreen appears on a site you know is safe, you can click “More Information” and report it as safe.

Overall, SmartScreen is a useful layer of security that you should leave on. However, sometimes it can prevent you from visiting websites or downloading things that you know are safe, but haven't been verified by SmartScreen. In times like these, you should disable SmartScreen.

How to Turn Off SmartScreen Using Windows Security Settings

The easiest way to turn off SmartScreen is through Windows Settings. You can configure all aspects of your system security from Windows Security. Here's how to do it.

1. Press Win + I to open Settings .

2. Open the Privacy and Security tab in the left pane.

3. Click Windows Security .

4. Next, click Open Windows Security .

5. Open the App & browser control tab in the left pane.

6. Click Reputation-based protection settings under  Reputation-based protection .

7. Here you will find 4 different SmartScreen filters that you can enable or disable individually. If you want to disable the file and executable file filters, disable the Check apps and files and  Potentially unwanted app blocking filters . The other two filters are for Microsoft Edge and Microsoft Store apps .

8. If you want to turn off SmartScreen completely, turn off all 4 filters.

If any SmartScreen filter is grayed out with the message " this setting is managed by your administrator," you must contact your administrator or try another method.

How to turn off SmartScreen for Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge has a built-in option to turn Microsoft Defender SmartScreen on and off. Here's how to access it:

1. Launch Microsoft Edge and click the three-dot menu icon in the top-right corner.
2. Click Settings .
3. Open the Privacy , search, and services tab in the left pane.
4. Scroll down to the Security section .
5. Turn off the Microsoft Defender SmartScreen toggle switch . This will also disable the Block potentially unwanted apps option .
6. If you choose to turn SmartScreen back on, you must manually turn on the Block potentially unwanted apps feature.

Alternatively, you can turn off SmartScreen for Microsoft Edge using the Windows Security app and Registry Editor. Here's how.

Disable Microsoft Edge SmartScreen using Windows Security

Microsoft Edge SmartScreen helps keep you safe from phishing sites and malware downloads. Unless your administrator has set it up, you can turn it off.

1. Press Win + R to open Run .

2. Type windowsdefender:// and click OK to open the Windows Security application .

3. Open the App & browser control tab in the left pane.

4. Next, click the Reputation-based protection settings link under Reputation-based protection .

5. Turn off the SmartScreen for Microsoft Edge toggle switch to disable Microsoft Defender SmartScreen for the Edge browser.

Disable SmartScreen for Microsoft Edge using Registry Editor

Editing the registry is an alternative (but more complicated) method to permanently disable SmartScreen for the Edge browser.

1. Press Win + R to open Run.

2. Type regedit and press OK to open Registry Editor .

3. Next, navigate to the following location:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Edge\SmartScreenEnabled

4. In the right pane, right-click on the Default value and select Modify .

5. Enter 1 in the Value data field and click OK to save the changes.

6. You may need to restart your computer to see the changes live.

How to turn off Windows Defender SmartScreen using Internet Properties

You can turn Windows Defender SmartScreen on or off using the Internet Properties dialog box in Windows 10. Also known as Internet Options, it lets you configure security settings and access, add-ons, Active-X controls, and more.

Follow these steps to turn off SmartScreen using Internet Options:

1. Press Win + R to open Run.

2. Type control and press OK to open Control Panel .

3. Click Network and Internet .

4. Next, click Internet Options.

5. In the Internet Properties window , open the Advanced tab .

6. Scroll down to the Security section .

7. Uncheck the Enable Windows Defender SmartScreen option .

8. Click Apply >  OK  to save the changes.

On newer versions of Windows, including Windows 11 1, you may not find any option to turn Windows Defender SmartScreen on or off in Internet Properties.

How to Turn SmartScreen On or Off Using Registry Editor

You can also turn Windows Defender SmartScreen on or off using the Registry Editor. This is useful if you can't access it from the Settings app or Internet Properties.

Note that incorrect modification of the registry can cause system problems, so create a restore point before proceeding with the steps below.

1. Press Win + R to open Run.

2. Type regedit and click OK to open Registry Editor. Click Yes if prompted by UAC for admin rights.

3. In Registry Editor, navigate to the following location:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System

4. In the right pane, locate the EnableSmartScreen filter value. You will need to create a new value if no value is found.

5. To create a new value, right-click the System key and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.

6. Rename the value to EnableSmartScreen.

7. Next, right-click on the EnableSmartScreen value and select Modify .

8. Enter 0 in the Value data field and click OK to save the changes.

9. To turn on the SmartScreen filter, enter 1 in the Value data field  and click OK .

10. Close Registry Editor and restart your PC to apply the changes.

You can further edit the registry to create a new String Value to set the blocking level to Warn or  Block . Using Warn will display a SmartScreen warning with the option to continue. Conversely, the Block option will display a warning and block the application from running on your computer.

To set a new ShellSmartScreenLevel string value in Registry Editor:

1. Right-click the System subkey and select New > String Value . Rename the value to ShellSmartScreenLevel.

2. Next, right-click on ShellSmartScreenLevel and select Modify.

3. Type Warn or  Block depending on what you want SmartScreen Level to do. Click OK to save changes and exit Registry Editor.

How to turn SmartScreen filter on or off using Group Policy Editor

If you want to manage SmartScreen filters for multiple computers in your organization, you can use Group Policy Editor to perform this task.

Note that Group Policy Editor is only available on Windows Pro, Edu, and Enterprise editions of the operating system. If you're using Home, check out Quantrimang.com's guide to enabling Group Policy Editor on Windows Home edition .

To configure the SmartScreen filter using GPEdit:

1. Press Win + R to open Run.

2. Type gpedit.msc and click OK to open Group Policy Editor.

3. Next, navigate to the following location in Group Policy Editor:

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer.

4. In the right pane, right-click the Configure Windows Defender SmartScreen policy and select Edit .

5. To turn off SmartScreen, select Disabled .

6. If you want to turn on SmartScreen, select Not Configured or Enabled .

7. Click Apply > OK to save the changes.

8. Close Group Policy Editor and restart your PC.

Good luck!

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