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 at Windows platforms 7, Windows 8 and 8.1, Windows 10.

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 webpage while using Internet Explorer and don't receive a warning, you can report the site to Microsoft. 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 .

This article shows various ways, with which you can disable or change the settings of the Windows Defender SmartScreen filter in the operating Windows system 10

The Windows Defender SmartScreen feature helps protect your PC by warning users before running unrecognized programs and files downloaded from the Internet. This warning is presented as an embedded dialog shown before launching an application downloaded from the Internet that is not recognized or known to be malicious. The dialog box is not displayed for applications that are not suspicious.

The operation of the Windows Defender SmartScreen filter is based on cloud system ratings against which each uploaded file is checked. If a file is marked as unsafe or it is not in the database, then its loading or execution is blocked.

Verification is carried out at several stages. If you are using Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge, then the filter is triggered when you try to load unknown file. In this case, the download is interrupted, and a corresponding warning is displayed to the user.

If the file has already been downloaded using another browser (for example, Firefox, Chrome, Opera), then the filter is triggered when you try to run the file for execution. In this case, you have a choice - to refuse to launch or execute in any case.

Windows Defender SmartScreen passes information about all downloaded and installed applications to Microsoft servers. This is necessary to replenish the application database and rank them.

Windows Defender SmartScreen is enabled by default, but you can change its settings or disable it completely if needed.

How to disable the Windows Defender SmartScreen filter in the GUI

If necessary, you can change the settings or completely disable the Windows Defender SmartScreen filter using the graphical interface of the operating system, namely the interface of the Windows Security service

To disable or change Windows Defender SmartScreen filter settings and select App/browser control

To disable scanning of applications and files downloaded from the Internet by the Windows Defender SmartScreen filter, in the section Checking apps and files

To disable the SmartScreen filter for the Microsoft Edge browser, see SmartScreen for Microsoft Edge set the switch to Off

You can also disable the SmartScreen filter for the Microsoft Edge browser directly in the settings of the Edge browser itself, read about this below in the section

To disable the SmartScreen filter for apps from the Microsoft Store, see SmartScreen for apps from the Microsoft Store set the switch to Off

How to disable or change Windows Defender SmartScreen filter settings in the Local Group Policy Editor

Local Group Policy Editor is available in Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, Education editions

To disable (enable) or change the settings of the Windows Defender SmartScreen filter, open the local group policy editor, to do this, press + R, in the window that opens, enter gpedit.msc and press the key Enter↵

In the Local Group Policy Editor window that opens, expand the following elements list:

Computer Configuration ➯ Administrative Templates ➯ Windows Components➯ Explorer

Customize the Windows Defender SmartScreen feature to disable Windows Defender SmartScreen, select the switch to Disabled and click OK

To enable Windows Defender SmartScreen, set the toggle to Not configured and click OK

To change Windows Defender SmartScreen settings, set the toggle to Enabled, then in the drop-down list Choose one of the following options: select or Warn and press the OK button

When you enable a policy with the setting Warn and prevent bypass, the SmartScreen dialog box will not give the user the option to ignore the warning and run the application. SmartScreen will continue to display the warning on subsequent attempts to launch the application.

If the policy is enabled with the Warn option, the SmartScreen feature dialog will warn the user that this application seems suspicious, but despite this will allow him to ignore the warning and run the application. The SmartScreen feature will no longer display a warning to the user for this application if they instruct SmartScreen to launch the application.

Please note that when using group policies, configuring the Windows Defender SmartScreen filter from GUI becomes unavailable.

How to disable or enable the Windows Defender SmartScreen filter using a registry file

This method also allows you to disable or enable the Windows Defender SmartScreen filter by modifying the

Before making any changes to the registry, highly recommended or export the registry key in which changes will be made directly.

All changes made in the registry editor are displayed below in the registry file listings.

To disable the Windows Defender SmartScreen filter, read the following:

"SmartScreenEnabled"="Off"

To enable the Windows Defender SmartScreen filter, read the following:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

"SmartScreenEnabled"="Warn"

How to disable Windows Defender SmartScreen in Microsoft Edge browser

To disable Windows Defender SmartScreen in the Microsoft Edge browser, open the browser settings menu, to do this, in the right upper corner browser window, click the button or press ALT + X , in the opened side menu select Options

Then select the tab Privacy & Security and in the Security section check the radio button Windows Defender SmartScreen to the off position.

How to disable the Windows Defender SmartScreen filter in Internet Explorer

To disable Windows Defender SmartScreen in Internet Explorer, open the browser settings menu, to do this, in the upper right corner of the browser window, click the button or press ALT + X , in the menu that opens, select Security > Disable Windows Defender SmartScreen Filter…

In the "Microsoft Windows Defender SmartScreen" window that opens, select Disable Windows Defender SmartScreen Filter and click OK

To protect the data stored on your computer from malicious files and programs in operating system Windows integrated smartscreen filter.

Initially, this feature was available only to users Internet browser Explorer, but since the eighth version of Windows, Microsoft has made Smartscreen integral part the operating system itself.

The filter is able to identify and block previously detected malicious and phishing sites, and allows the user to make informed decisions when downloading files from the Internet.

SmartScreen works in three key areas:

1. Analyzes website pages when working on the Web, tracking suspicious ones. If suspicious web pages are detected, the filter issues a corresponding warning to the user;
2. Checks the sites visited by the user for the presence in the list of previously exposed phishing Internet resources and sites with malicious content. If the requested page falls under suspicion, the SmartScreen filter blocks access to it for security purposes;
3. Checks files downloaded by the user according to the list of previously identified sites with malicious and potentially dangerous programs. If the requested file matches a blacklisted file, SmartScreen reports a security block. If the executable file is already saved on the PC, the filter will warn you about the danger when you try to run it.

Default blue filter Windows screen 10 switched to active mode, but if necessary, you can go to the settings at any time and turn it off. The fact is that SmartScreen often mistakenly blocks access to applications that do not pose any threat to the computer.

Please note: if we are talking about a computer operating on a network, then in this case only the system administrator has the right to change the specified parameter.

What do the messages from the Smartscreen filter mean?

When a user attempts to run a potentially dangerous application or download a malicious file, the system will display a message similar to the following:

• "Windows Smartscreen Filter has prevented an unidentified application from running that could put your PC at risk."
• "Running the requested program may compromise the security of your computer."
• “SmartScreen Filter has no information about the requested unsigned program. Running it may harm your computer”, etc.

If a program or file is really questionable in terms of security, then it is better to refrain from downloading and / or running it.

However, very often, a known safe application or web page is blocked by the smartscreen filter.

It also happens that while working in Explorer on a Windows 10 computer, a notification pops up unexpectedly on the screen, which notifies that "the Windows smartscreen filter is currently unavailable, therefore it cannot determine whether it is safe to run this application." Last message displayed with a reference to not being connected to the Internet.

Protecting a personal computer from viruses and other questionable files, SmartScreen becomes a real problem for users of the latter. Windows versions. The only way to get rid of it is to deactivate the filter. Make it easy.

How to disable the Smartscreen filter in Windows 8.1 and 10

To remove the smartscreen filter on Windows 10, follow these steps:

1. Go to Control Panel. To do this, just click right click mouse on the "Start" icon and select the appropriate item in the list that appears;
2. Go to tab " Security and maintenance«;
3. From the menu on the left, select " Change Windows settings smartscreen«;
4. , confirm the selection by pressing the OK buttons;
5. Perform a system reboot.

Attention! If all the items in the SmartScreen settings change block are inactive, you must first make changes to the registry editor.

To do this, press the Win + R combination on the keyboard and enter the “regedit” command. Next, you need to go through the branch: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE - Software - Policies - Microsoft - Windows to the "System" tab. Then you should remove the "EnableSmartScreen" parameter and reboot the system.

The Windows 10 Store also interacts with the SmartScreen filter, as the service analyzes the addresses of all products installed from this resource. This means that even here SmartScreen can become an obstacle to downloading any program or game.

To deactivate the filter, just follow these steps:

1. Press the button "Start";
2. Go to "Settings", select the item " Confidentiality«;
3. In the "General" section, in the sub-item regarding the SmartScreen service, move the switch to the "Off" position.

If necessary, you can always turn on the filter again, for this you need to follow the steps listed above, and turn the switch to the “On“ position.

VIDEO INSTRUCTION

To disable smartscreen filter on windows 8.1, follow these steps in sequence:

1. Look into the Windows Action Center through the Control Panel;
2. In the left menu, select the " Change Windows SmartScreen settings«;
3. In the dialog box that appears What do you want to do with unidentified applications?»check the box next to « Do Nothing (Disable Windows Smartscreen), confirm the selection by pressing the OK button;
4. To restart a computer.

To do this, just go to the Windows Action Center again and click on the link "Do not receive more messages on the topic: Windows SmartScreen".

Read about what is "Windows Defender SmartScreen", how much it uses PC resources and how to disable it. Windows Defender SmartScreen helps protect your computer from malware downloaded from the Internet and malicious websites. The "SmartScreen" process with the file name "smartscreen.exe", which can be found in the task manager, is responsible for this function.

So what is the "SmartScreen" process and what exactly does it do?

Process "Smart Screen" was added back in Windows 8, and with each update, it is constantly improving in Windows 10. Every time you run a program or file, "Smart Screen" scans them for presence in the database Microsoft. If the file was previously added to the database as safe (for example, if you run the installer « Google Chrome» or iTunes) then this program will not be blocked. If given file was previously marked as malicious, then "Smart Screen" will block it from running. If a certain file is not found in the database Microsoft, then "Smart Screen" will prevent the given file from running and will issue a warning to you. And it will give you the opportunity to decide whether to run this file or program at your own peril and risk, or not.

This service is also used in the browser "Microsoft Edge" and application "Microsoft Store", to block malicious or unwanted web content. Nonetheless, "Smart Screen" in the Windows 10 operating system, constantly checks downloaded data from the Internet, regardless of which browser or download software you use. It works great with any modern browsers like Google Chrome, Opera, « Mozilla Firefox» etc., constantly scanning data, both during normal web surfing and when downloading any content.

Process "Smart Screen" is another layer of security in addition to the standard "Windows Defender", which is running as an executable service process antimalware on your PC. Having a security system with multiple levels helps to better protect your computer. Even if you are using any other anti-virus program and web browser with its own anti-virus malware.

How much does it use PC resources?

In most cases, the process "Smart Screen" runs in the background and uses almost no resources personal computer. How much exactly the process consumes can be found in "Task Manager", it uses almost no resources CPU(0%), and takes only a few megabytes random access memory(RAM - 4.3 MB). Windows can automatically close this process when it is not in use, so sometimes you will not be able to find it in "Task Manager".

However, if the OS has enabled "Smart Screen", and you download or launch a new application or file, it will resume and scan the data. The operating system will automatically launch it if it was unloaded earlier, and then you can see exactly how much processor and RAM resources it requires to work. Because the, "Smart Screen" calculates "hash data" file, sends this data to the server Microsoft and waits for a response to see if the file is safe or not. If it is safe, then the system runs the application or file normally.

Filter "Smart Screen" used in conjunction with normal antivirus checks that are performed by the executable file process antimalware if you use « Windows Defender» by default as your antivirus program.

In any case, the amount of CPU and RAM resources used should be quite low, and the entire process of running this service should be very fast and almost imperceptible to users. At the same time, scanning large files takes more time than smaller ones. Such a check is performed only at the first launch of the downloaded program or at the first access to the file, it will not be repeated and, accordingly, PC resources will not be consumed.

Is it possible to disable "SmartScreen"?

The operating system will not give you the option to completely disable the process "Smart Screen". Even if you complete the job "Smart Screen" on Windows, the process will still restart automatically when you log back into the operating system. At the same time, we do not recommend shutting it down, as it practically does not use computer resources. But, if necessary, you can forcefully terminate this process in "Task Manager".

Also, it cannot be prevented from restarting again and using CPU and RAM resources in the background.

"Smart Screen"- it's extremely useful feature system security, another layer of PC protection against malware. Even if you use software security from third-party developers, then "Smart Screen" will be another layer of protection, while not interfering with the work of your antivirus. In addition, database files Microsoft are updated quite quickly and, perhaps, this function will be able to protect the computer even before the databases of your antivirus are updated.

However, to disable the filter "Smart Screen" on Windows 10, go to "Start" – > "Options" – > "Update and Security" – > "Windows Defender". Next, click on the button "Open Windows Defender Security Center".

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Could it be a virus?

On the this moment time, I have not seen information on the net that any malware masquerades as a process "Smart Screen" or "smartscreen.exe". It is a built-in feature of Windows 10 and helps to protect your computer from malware. Every day new viruses, trojans, bots and all kinds of network worms appear on the Internet. It is quite possible that someday a virus will appear, which will be presented to the system as a process "Smart Screen". If you're concerned that your PC might have malware, then it's always a good idea to run a full system scan with your antivirus program to make sure everything is fine with your system.

Reading time: 35 min

First you need to decide what kind of animal this SmartScreen is and what it is for. This function has been introduced into use since Windows 8, its purpose is to provide protection to the user from running insecure 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 remains a surgical one, that is manual method changing the settings of the application through the registry editor.

1. Run the "Run" line, use hot Win keys+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 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 correct work applications.

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 resolved. 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.

If you have any questions on the topic "SmartScreen - what is it? Changing settings and turning off SmartScreen", you can ask them in the comments