Windows SmartScreen Filter - What is it? What is the SmartScreen process for and why does it work on my computer Do I need smartscreen windows 10

Windows SmartScreen features

When you browse the Internet and use Windows, the Windows SmartScreen Filter checks the sites you visit and the programs you download. If it detects something suspicious or has been reported as dangerous, it displays a warning page. You can then navigate to the page, return to the previous page, and/or provide feedback about the page. The same principle applies to downloads.

It works by comparing the website you are trying to visit (or the program you are trying to download and install) against a list of those that are marked as untrustworthy or downright dangerous. Microsoft maintains this list and recommends that you leave this feature enabled to protect your computer from malware and protect you from targeted phishing attacks. The SmartScreen filter is available on Windows 7, Windows 8 and 8.1, Windows 10 platforms.

Also, understand that this is not the same technology as a pop-up blocker; the pop-up blocker just looks for pop-ups, but doesn't judge them.

How to disable the SmartScreen filter

Warning. The following steps show you how to disable this feature, but after doing so, you'll be more at risk of catching a virus.

To disable the SmartScreen filter in Internet Explorer:

1. Open Internet Explorer .
2. Click the Tools button(it looks like a cog or a wheel) and then selectSafety .
3. Click "Turn off SmartScreen Filter" or " Turn off Windows Defender SmartScreen."
4. Click OK.

To disable the SmartScreen filter in Edge:

If you change your mind, you can enable Windows SmartScreen by repeating these steps and choosing to enable the filter instead of disabling it.

Note. If you disable SmartScreen and get malware on your computer, you may need to manually remove it (unless Windows Defender or your own antivirus software helps).

Be part of the SmartScreen solution

If you find yourself on an untrusted web page when using the Internet Explorer and don't get a warning, you can tell Microsoft about this site. Similarly, if you are warned that a particular web page is dangerous, but you know it is not, you can report it.

Report that the site does not contain threats to users in Internet Explorer:

1. On the warning page, select Additional Information.
2. Click "Report this site is free of threats" .
3. Follow instructions on the site Microsoft Feedback .

If you want to download files from the Internet without restrictions, install programs and open any pages, then you need to be aware of how to disable SmartScreen in Windows 10. This is a filter built into the operating system that protects against unwanted and dangerous content.

How it works

When you try to download and install a program, the service sends its identifier to the Microsoft server, where the digital signature is verified against databases. As a result, a verdict is issued: is the program safe or not. The service also checks:

• site pages for content - suspicious content is blocked;
• the presence of a resource in the list of phishing sites and its blocking if a match is found;
• checking the security of the downloaded file based on the download histories of other users.

Such vigorous activity leads to a ban on opening a page or site, downloading a file or installing software. Not every user uses legitimate programs, so from time to time you have to look for an answer to the question: SmartScreen in Windows 10 - what is it and how to remove it.

There are several options to disable the filter for the entire computer as a whole, and you can also disable it separately for MS Edge and the Store app. Next, we will tell you in detail how to disable Windows SmartScreen in Windows 10.

Defender

You can uninstall SmartScreen in Windows 10 in the Defender Security Center.

1. From the main menu, select the option to access PC settings.

1. Go to the security and updates section.

1. Click on the link "Safety…".

1. Go to section "App and Browser Management".

1. For each option, set the value "Turn off". Pay attention to warnings. What you have done does not add security to your PC, as completely disabling the SmartScreen filter in Windows 10 means that there will be no protection and there is a high risk of computer infection.

How to enable the SmartScreen filter in Windows 10 is obvious - the reverse steps will allow you to run the active content scan again. If you are not connected to the Internet while the protection is running and you are trying to install a new program, a message will appear that the SmartScreen filter is not currently available in Windows 10. If you want it to work without interruptions, ensure a stable connection. Without communication, this method of protection is useless. If you need, we advise you to read another article on our website, where we describe this process in detail.

Registry Editor

Developers do not recommend making settings on their own, but not all services have a graphical interface. Despite the fact that you can turn off SmartScreen on Windows 10 in the window in the usual way, additional information can be useful.

1. Hold [ WIN ] + [ R ] and type regedit .

1. Sequentially click Computer \HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System

1. Using the Edit menu, make a new parameter of type DWORD (32 bits).

1. Name it EnableSmartScreen .

1. Change the values ​​​​by right-clicking on the line and selecting "Change". Specify 0.

Save the changes and restart your computer.

Please note: If you need to know, follow the link provided and read the related article.

Policy editor

There is another way to disable SmartScreen in Windows 10 in professional and enterprise editions.

1. +[R] and gpedit.msc .

1. Click one by one the following links: Computer Configuration - Administrative Templates - Windows Components - Explorer.

1. Highlight "Set up SmartScreen feature..."

1. Double-click on the field value of the column "Status".

1. Select "Disabled" .

1. Save and restart your PC.

If you are interested to know, follow the link and read our other article.

How to disable the filter for Microsoft Edge

This can be done in the policy editor by selecting the appropriate item and changing the filter function parameter in the same way.

Or go directly to the “Defender SmartScreen…” branch and disable the option for Edge and Explorer there.

AT operating systems from Microsoft, starting with Windows 8, there is such a technology that, in theory, should protect us from malicious software, but in practice, malware passes - but this same SmartScreen can significantly add problems to us. In such cases, a natural question is brewing, but in fact, how to disable SmartScreen in Windows 10? In this note, we will look at four proven methods that will save you from this occasions.

If you look into this issue, it turns out that SmartScreen is a new technology from Microsoft that scans downloaded information from the Internet, and blocks it if there is the slightest doubt about its origin. On the one hand, the service is useful, but the number of false positives just rolls over and I don’t see much practical sense in it (especially if you use a high-quality commercial antivirus). What is the annoying message that the service is temporarily unavailable - if you do not have an Internet connection, Windows cannot check the program and constantly notifies you about it, which is inexpressible infuriates.

How to disable SmartScreen via Control Panel in Windows 10

The simplest, and probably familiar to everyone, option is to disable the SmartScreen filter using the Control Panel. To get there, in Windows 10 you need to click the "Start" button and select the item you are looking for there. (The easiest way is to start typing what interests you, in which case it will appear in the search results - be sure to try it, it's incredibly convenient)

In the Control Panel, select System and Security. Please note if you have appearance different from the picture below and you cannot find the item you need - check that the "Category" option is selected in the "View" line

... and we get to the cherished item “Change Windows settings SmartScreen" (how far they hid it, probably so that we would suffer and not be able to find it)

Here we have a small choice (before, by the way, there were as many as three options, but now it either works or not - there is no third)

The window tells us that the SmartScreen filter protects us and they say, choose from two options, which is more suitable for you.

1. To warn before executing an unidentified application is to bug us at the first opportunity.
2. Do nothing (disable Windows SmartScreen) - this will allow us to work normally and calmly run any applications without being paranoid (but if you download a program of unknown origin and you do not have an antivirus, then no offense)

Most likely, this method will be quite enough for you - as you can see, all problems are solved with a few mouse clicks.

Disable SmartScreen via Group Policy

I immediately warn you that this method possible to use only in professional edition of Windows 10 , for home languages ​​and for one language, this option is not applicable. To disable the filter, we need to open the "Local Group Policy Editor", this is done by calling the "Run" window (by keyboard shortcut Windows + R) and then entering the gpedit.msc command

On the left side of the local group policy editor, find the item "Explorer" (it is located in "Computer Configuration" - "Administrative Templates" - "Windows Components"), well, in the adjacent, right side of the window, find the item "Configure Windows SmartScreen"

At first glance, everything is simple here, but this is only a cursory examination - carefully read the help, which I see no reason to publish. If you select the item "Disabled" - by this we do not turn off SmartScreen , but we give the opportunity to do this through the control panel. You need to select the "Enabled" option and check the "Disable SmartScreen" option. Click "OK" and enjoy life.

Again, please note that this method only works on Windows 10 Professional, on the home version you will not be able to open the Local Group Policy Editor. Of course, this feature can be added, but without modifying the OS, this is impossible.

Disable SmartScreen for Windows 10 Store Apps

Starting with Windows 8, Microsoft added the App Store. So, you can disable SmartScreen specifically for applications from the Store, without disabling it completely. I don’t know who it might be useful to, but since there is such an opportunity, it should be considered.

Open the "Start" menu, go to "Settings" - "Privacy". On the left side, select the "General" option and move the slider to the "Off" position on the right side in the line that is responsible for the SmartScreen filter

There is another way which uses the editor Windows Registry, but I doubt its convenience and see no reason to talk about it in detail - let's not create unnecessary problems for ourselves.

Disable SmartScreen for Microsoft Edge browser

If you, despite numerous reviews, prefer to use in your work latest browser from Microsoft - EDGE, then the SmartScreen filter can be disabled specifically for it. To do this, in the program menu, go to "Options"

Scroll to the very bottom and look for “Show advanced options” there, scroll down again to the very bottom and find the item we need “Help protect your computer from malicious sites and downloads using the SmartScreen filter”. We move the slider to the "Off" position and on this our quest with the search for a place to turn off the filter can be considered passed.

Well, here we are with you and figured out how to disable SmartScreen in Windows 10. Whatever raw it was not, but if possible, if you are not an advanced user, do not disable it. It is worth ignoring it if you are sure of those programs and applications that the SmartScreen filter does not allow you to run. In my practice, the filter creates huge problems when installing programs that have not been updated for a long time and have long been forgotten by developers ... do not forget that even in the absence of an Internet connection (and in Russia this is not so rare) The SmartScreen filter constantly tries to check applications and writes an error connecting to the server, which can be very annoying.

Reading time: 35 min

First you need to decide what kind of animal this SmartScreen is and what it is for. This feature has been introduced since Windows 8, its purpose is to provide protection to the user from running untrusted files, dubious sites, or downloading virus applications.

This filter is used by developers for certain parts of the system, mainly Internet Explorer and Explorer itself. Accordingly, the threats that SmartScreen helps protect against are also different, or these are files from a suspicious manufacturer, or sites that have not yet been trusted.

Now it is worth considering the algorithm of this function in your system, first on the example of a browser. Internet Explorer queries the application database before loading and rendering the site. Matches are searched in the database itself and, if there are any, you will be presented with a window with a warning about the threat. Sites can get into the appropriate database for several reasons, one of them is that this site is really engaged in the spread of viruses, the other reason is that this resource is not very visited and SmartScreen has no reason to believe that the resource can be trusted.

Explorer applications are checked in a similar way, because in reality, any exe file, that is, an executable one, can cause damage to a computer.

See also: Why exe files do not start?

Any restrictions, even for the protection of the user, have another side, namely, they are highly intrusive and do not always justify blocking the launch of the application. In this regard, it becomes necessary to disable or, at least, limit the power of this function over the system. If you are not confident in your knowledge or have little computer skills, then you should think carefully about whether you should disable this protection.

As an alternative to this function, you can use other third-party analogs that can handle similar tasks better. Antivirus programs huge number, market leaders should be preferred, as they are always actively looking for and eliminating new virus code, respectively, the likelihood of encountering this problem will be reduced to a minimum.

Changing SmartScreen settings through the "Control Panel"

1. Go to the "Control Panel", this is done either using the "Start" button, or hot key Win + X;

5.Select the option that suits you and save the change.

Security settings options

1. Request approval - this way you can decide whether you really trust the resource and whether you need the content enough to take the risk;

2.Warn - you will not have any interference from SmartScreen, but information about the dubious file producer will be presented;

3. Do nothing - respectively, in other words, the complete shutdown of the function.

Read also: How to disable SmartScreen filter in Windows 10?

Disabling SmartScreen thanks to the Group Policy Editor

You have this editor only if Windows 10 Pro or a higher version is installed, since there is simply no such function in the home.

1.Open the line "Run" for this, press Win + R;

2.Enter the service name gpedit.msc;

3.After this, you need to go to the "Computer Configuration" tab;

5.Now find "Windows Components";

6. The last station "Explorer";

7.Now you need to change the value of the "Configure Windows SmartScreen" variable by double-clicking;

8. In the left menu, you should set the status to the “Enabled” position, and already, in the “Parameters” drop-down list, set the active state to disabled.

Editing SmartScreen Settings Using the Registry

As always, in the end, there is a surgical, that is, a manual method for changing the settings for the application through the registry editor.

1. Run the "Run" line, use the hot keys Win + R;

2. Enter the word regedit;

3.Now follow the path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer without changing anything else;

4. You need a parameter that is responsible for the state of our function, it is called SmartScreenEnabled open it by double clicking;

5. There are 3 types of possible values, they are presented in the same order that we have already considered: RequireAdmin, Prompt, Off.

For consideration, the last case remains, which takes place in the life of a PC user.

Since SmartScreen checks all Url, it becomes necessary to disable this filter, because it can block applications from working properly.

Disable SmartScreen for apps

1. You should open "Settings", this is done from the notification panel or Win + I;

2.Go to the "Privacy" window;

3.On the "General" tab, you will see an option, the name of which speaks for itself "Turn off the SmartScreen filter ...".

On this, all problems associated with the filter should be solved. Don't focus all your attention on maximizing performance at the expense of security, as Microsoft has developed this function not by chance, which means it has a place in your Windows.

Windows 8 has a lot of secrets and "tricks" that you can not immediately understand the principle of operation and operation. Well, one of these options was windows function smart screen. Since the system was created by the developers, this option is enabled by default.

What does this give the user?

In fact, sometimes it turns out that there is little that is pleasant. The filter is engaged in the fact that it monitors the applications installed on the device, from time to time "spoiling" the user with its simple warnings about the security status of a particular program. In general, the principles of operation are quite clear and simple.
SmartScreen has a big rational, positive start: it helps users recognize what is a normal program and what is potentially dangerous (with a few vicissitudes, but still).

In addition to all this, Windows SmartScreen is endowed with the ability to send a certain category of data, certain information to Microsoft servers.

To work or not to work with this "chip", it's up to you. But one thing is for sure: if you want to disable all options, you should pay attention to the information that will be given below.

What happens when the options are enabled?

In total, three of the most significant "pillars" can be distinguished:

Require administrator confirmation before running downloaded unknown software. Like something like this: “Are you really confirming that the program is running as administrator?” (pictures and threat icons are attached).
Warn the user before executing software unknown to the device
Disable SmartScreen, which frankly got its warnings already.

A few pluses shutdown Windows smart screen

It is worth saying that the obvious and visible to all the problem of the presence of surveillance of the installation of unknown software included by default in the program is just the tip of the iceberg.

In fact, it is worth digressing and trying to look a little deeper, to appreciate the very essence of this problem. The operation of Windows SmartScreen is a violation of the privacy of information and the actions that users take. Sometimes such an impression is created that new technologies that seem to serve for the benefit of humanity and its development turn out to be an attempt to “control” the entire population (and, most surprisingly, at the own will of each of us). The problem has been discussed more than once, which is associated with the use of the same Skype and currently existing social networks, in the user agreement of which the possibility of "draining" information about a particular user in one case or another is directly prescribed (a special procedure is used and all that). Not so long ago, another “novelty” appeared, which is perceived ambiguously. It is connected with the "revolution in fingerprints", with the help of which the security of the user's devices will be ensured (maybe something else?).

The Windows SmartScreen tool is just a kind of "lever" that can be used far from always, not in all cases, but potentially has a place to be. If Windows SmartScreen collects information about users, this indicates the potential for pressure on Microsoft in the future. The purpose of pressure is the issuance of private information, private information to government agencies, as well as legal representatives of the owners of certain copyrights. The flow of information that is slowly but surely moving from your computer has the potential to be intercepted by hackers. Without big problems, you can study and understand which programs are installed by the user, what features they have, and so on.

How is the "dangerous-safe" SmartScreen turned off?

Method number one.

In panel Windows controls you need to find the Help Center. The left column should grab your attention with an option called Change Windows SmartScreen settings. Here you need to select a tab called "Do nothing / disable Windows SmartScreen"

Method number two.

Win+R.
gpedit.msc (this is needed in order to "call to work" the Local Group Policy Editor)
Computer configuration
Administrative Templates
Windows Components
Configure Windows SmartScreen (choose what you need in the box).

As you can see, the second option is several times longer. As they say, for those who do not seek simple ways. Well, as for the question of whether to turn it off or not to turn it off Windows work SmartScreen, then it's up to users to decide.