However, when I’m trying to be productive and set up a new PC, it slows down progress and is plain annoying.

When it appears, it’s just a matter of clicking the “I agree…” box and the “Run anyway” button. The shot below I received the other day when I was about to install VirtualBox. Also, Microsoft has improved the SmartScreen Filter in Windows 10 to integrate with Microsoft Edge and IE 11 to help keep you safe from malicious websites. It does help protect you from installing malicious software. Important Note: If you’re new to Windows 10 or a novice user, I recommend not turning off SmartScreen. So, you don’t need the annoyance of the SmartScreen filter constantly popping up when you’re about to install something. If privacy were a concern it’s time to consider another operating system like Ubuntu.If you’re an experienced power user, you should already know what’s safe and what isn’t when downloading and installing apps. Wven if you were to disable it, Windows 10 is like a leaking sieve when it comes to privacy. Personally, I think the security benefits of SmartScreen out way the privacy issues.

Microsoft have said that they are not keeping personally identifiable information such as your IP address – but they do collect it when communicating with their online system. Much like anything Microsoft – privacy is … unknown.

Click ‘OK’ when prompted to apply the changes.

Under ‘Check apps and files’ select ‘Off’.

In the taskbar, search for “App & browser control” and click on it when it appears in the search results.

How do I completely disable Window Defender SmartScreen? If you’re absolutely sure you can trust the application you can run it by How do I run an application SmartScreen has prevented? Sometimes SmartScreen will prevent applications you know are not bad – for example, it’s a CMD or VBS script you wrote, or a program from a trusted source. Why has SmartScreen prevented my application?Įither it’s a known bad or unknown application. It’s a good security measure and is particular helpful at stopping malware spreading through email attachments – where some users do not understand the difference between a legitimate document and an application. SmartScreen is a security feature built into Windows 10, specifically the Windows Defender tool.Įach time an application is ran Windows 10 will check if it is a “good” application against their catalog of applications.

Smartscreen defender