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SmartScreen - what is it? Change settings and disable SmartScreen. How to disable Smartscreen: a detailed description of the six best methods

Setting up SmartScreen Filter in Windows 10

Windows SmartScreen appeared quite a long time ago, back in 2009. Then it was part of the Internet Explorer 8 browser and was intended to protect against phishing and downloading of unwanted software. Since the filter turned out to be quite effective, in Windows 8 it was built into the operating system itself to protect against all potentially dangerous executable files.

The main task of the SmartScreen filter is to warn the user about the launch of unknown programs downloaded from the Internet. The filter is based on a cloud rating system, which checks each downloaded file. If a file is marked as unsafe or is not in the database, then its loading/execution is blocked.

The check is carried out at several stages. So if you use the IE or Edge browser, the filter is triggered when you try to download an 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 (Firefox, Chrome, etc.), then the filter is triggered when you try to run the file for execution. In this case, the user has a choice - refuse to launch or launch the file at his own peril and risk.

Speaking about SmartScreen, it is worth mentioning one important detail, namely, it transmits information about all downloaded and installed applications to Microsoft servers. This is necessary to replenish the application database and compile their rating.

By default, the SmartScreen filter is enabled, but if necessary, you can reconfigure it or turn it off completely. There are several ways to do this, let's start with the simplest.

Configuration from the graphics snap-in

To configure the filter, open the classic Control Panel ( Win+R -> control), go to the “Security and Maintenance” section and select “Change Windows SmartScreen settings” on the left side.

In the window that opens, select one of three options for SmartScreen:

Request administrator approval before launching an unidentified application from the Internet (default choice);
Warn before running an unidentified application, but do not require administrator approval;
Do nothing (disable SmartScreen).

Configuration using group policies

Settings can also be made using group policies (both local and domain). To configure on the local computer, open the local group policy editor by clicking ( Win+R -> gpedit.msc). Then go to the Computer configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\File Explorer section and find the “Configure Windows SmartScreen” option.

Set it to Enabled and select one of the options for the SmartScreen filter:

Require administrator approval before running downloaded unknown software;
Warn the user before executing downloaded unknown software;
Disable SmartScreen.

Note. Please note that when using group policies, setting SmartScreen from the GUI becomes unavailable.

Editing the Registry

SmartScreen filter settings can also be changed directly in the registry. To do this, you need to find the parameter in the HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer section SmartScreenEnabled and set it to one of three values:

RequireAdmin—request administrator confirmation before launching a suspicious application (default value);
Prompt - display a warning before launching the application, without requiring administrator confirmation;
Off—do not track application launches (disable the filter).

In conclusion, the SmartScreen filter is another layer of protection against malware, so I personally don't recommend turning it off without a good reason.

Read about What is Windows Defender SmartScreen, how much does it use 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 "SmartScreen" was added back in Windows 8, and with each update it is constantly improving in Windows 10. Every time you launch any program or file, "SmartScreen" 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 this file was previously marked as malicious, then "SmartScreen" will block it from launching. If a particular file is not found in the database "Microsoft", That "SmartScreen" will prevent this file from running and display a warning for you. And it will give you the opportunity to decide whether to run this file or program at your own risk or not.


This service is also used in the browser "Microsoft Edge" and application "Microsoft Store", to block harmful or unwanted web content. Nevertheless, "SmartScreen" in the Windows 10 operating system, constantly checks downloaded data from the Internet, no matter what browser or download software you use. It works great with any modern browsers such as "Google Chrome", "Opera", "Mozilla Firefox" etc., constantly scanning data, both during regular web surfing and when downloading any content.


Process "SmartScreen"– this is another level of security in addition to the standard one Windows Defender which is running as an executable service process "Antimalware" on your PC. Having multiple layers of security helps to better protect your computer. Even if you use any other antivirus program and web browser with its own anti-malware features.

How much does it use PC resources?


In most cases the process "SmartScreen" works in the background and uses almost no resources of the personal computer. You can find out exactly how much a process consumes in "Task Manager", it uses almost no resources "CPU"(0%), and takes up only a few megabytes of RAM (RAM - 4.3 MB). Windows may automatically close this process when it is not in use, so sometimes you may not be able to find it in "Task Manager".

However, if the OS has the function enabled "SmartScreen", and you download or launch a new application or file, it will resume its work 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 resources and RAM it requires to operate. Because the, "SmartScreen" calculates "hash data" file, sends this data to the server "Microsoft" and waits for a response to know if the file is safe or not. If it is safe, then the system runs the application or file as normal.

Filter "SmartScreen" used in conjunction with normal antivirus scans, which are performed using an executable file process "Antimalware" if you are using 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 a given service should be very fast and almost invisible to users. At the same time, scanning large files takes longer than smaller ones. This check is performed only the first time a loaded program is launched or the first time a file is accessed; it will not be performed again 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 "SmartScreen". Even if you quit "SmartScreen" in Windows, the process will still restart automatically when you log back into the operating system. At the same time, we do not recommend terminating it, since 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.

"SmartScreen"- This is an extremely useful system security feature, another level of PC protection from malware. Even if you are using third party security software, "SmartScreen" will be another level of protection, without interfering with the operation of your antivirus. In addition, file databases "Microsoft" are updated quite quickly and, perhaps, this function can protect your computer even before your antivirus database is updated.

However, to disable the filter "SmartScreen" 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?

At this point in time, I have not seen information on the Internet that any malware is masquerading as a process "SmartScreen" or "smartscreen.exe". It is a built-in feature of Windows 10 and helps protect your computer from malware. Every day new viruses, Trojans, bots and various kinds of network worms appear on the Internet. It is quite possible that one day a virus will appear that will appear to the system as a process "SmartScreen". If you're concerned that there may be malware on your PC, 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.

SmartScreen is one of the new technologies from Microsoft. SmartScreen is a cloud service designed to protect users from malware. The basic principle of operation of this service is quite simple. All programs downloaded from the Internet are checked. And if a program downloaded by a user is encountered by the service for the first time, it is recognized as potentially dangerous and the launch of such a program is blocked.

Many Windows 10 users experience that SmartScreen works too often. Blocking the launch of almost any downloaded program. If a similar problem occurs, it makes sense to disable SmartScreen in Windows 10.

Disabling SmartScreen via Windows 10 Control Panel

The easiest way to disable SmartScreen in Windows 10 is to use the classic " Control panel" To do this, press the Windows + X combination and select “ Control Panel" You can also do it in other ways.

After that, go to the section “ system and safety».

And open the subsection “ Security and Service»

So you should open a small window with SmartScreen settings in Windows 10.

Here you can choose one of three modes of operation of the SmartScreen service:

  • Request permission from the administrator before launching an unknown program from the Internet (recommended);
  • Warn before launching an unknown program, but do not require administrator confirmation;
  • Do nothing (disable Windows SmartScreen);

If you select the option " Nothing to do", then the SmartScreen service will be completely disabled and will no longer bother you with pop-up warnings.

Update . If you have the latest version of Windows 10, then you may not have the menu items shown in the screenshots. In this case, you can disable SmartScreen through the Options menu. To do this, press the Windows-i key combination and enter the word “smartscreen” in the search bar. After this, the search results will appear. Here you need to select the settings section called “Application/Browser Management”.

In the "Application/Browser Control" section, a number of settings will be available that enable and disable various SmartScreen technology options.

In order to completely disable SmartScreen on Windows 10, you need to scroll to the very end of the page and select “Disable” for all settings.

Disabling SmartScreen through Group Policy

If you are using Windows 10 Pro, then you can disable SmartScreen in Windows 10 through group policies (this method will not work in Windows 10 Home). To do this, open " Group Policy Editor" This can be done by pressing the Windows + R key combination and running the command “gpedit.msc”.

In the Group Policy Editor, go to the " Computer Configuration – Administrative Templates – Windows Components – File Explorer" and on the right side of the screen find the option " Set up Windows SmartScreen»

This will open the settings for the selected option. In this window you need to enable the parameter, and then select the function “ Disable SmartScreen" and save the settings by clicking on the "Ok" button.

Disabling SmartScreen for Windows 10 Store Apps

SmartScreen can also inspect web content used by programs in the Windows 10 App Store. This feature can be disabled without disabling SmartScreen itself.

To do this, click on the “Start” button and open the “Settings” window. Here in the section " Privacy - General", the function " Enable SmartScreen to scan web content».

You can also disable this feature via " Registry Editor" To do this, open the registry key “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ AppHost” and set the “EnableWebContentEvaluation” parameter to 0.

Disable SmartScreen in the Edge browser

If you use the Edge web browser, you can disable SmartScreen for that browser only. To do this, you must first open your browser options.

And then scroll through the list of parameters to the end, click there on the “ Show advanced options» and scroll down again. Thus, at the very bottom of the list of parameters, you can find the function responsible for disabling the SmartScreen service in the Edge browser.

To disable SmartScreen in the Edge browser, simply toggle the switch to the Off position and close browser options.


First, you need to decide what kind of beast SmartScreen is and what it is needed for. This function has been introduced into use since Windows 8; its purpose is to provide protection to the user from launching untrusted files, dubious sites, or downloading virus applications.

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

Now it’s worth considering the algorithm for how this function works on your system, first using a browser as an example. Internet Explorer submits a request to the application database before loading and rendering the site. The database itself searches for matches and, if there are any, you will be presented with a window warning about the threat. Sites can be included in the corresponding database for several reasons, one of them is that this site actually distributes viruses, another reason is that this resource is rarely 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 the computer.

Any restrictions, even if they are for the protection of the user, have another side, namely, they are very intrusive and do not always justifiably block the launch of the application. In this regard, there is a need 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 analogues that can cope with similar tasks better. There are a huge variety of antivirus programs; preference should be given to market leaders, since they always actively search for and eliminate new virus code, and accordingly, the likelihood of encountering this problem will be reduced to a minimum.

Changing SmartScreen settings via Control Panel

1.Go to the “Control Panel”; this can be done either using the “Start” button or the Win + X hotkey;

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 a risk;

2. Warn - you will not experience any interference from SmartScreen, but you will be provided with information about the dubious file manufacturer;

3. Do nothing - accordingly, in other words, completely disabling the function.

Disable SmartScreen using Group Policy Editor

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

1.Open the “Run” line; 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.Last station “Provodnik”;

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 state to “Enabled”, and already, in the “Options” drop-down list, set the active state to disabled.

Editing SmartScreen Settings Using the Registry

As always, the last thing left is the surgical, that is, manual method of changing application settings through the registry editor.

1.Launch the “Run” line using the hot keys Win + R;

2.Specify the word regedit;

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

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 as we have already considered: RequireAdmin, Prompt, Off.

The last case left for consideration is one that takes place in the life of a PC user.

Since SmartScreen checks all URLs, it becomes necessary to disable this filter, because it can block the correct operation of applications.

Disabling 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 whose name speaks for itself “Disable SmartScreen filter...”.

At this point, all problems associated with the filter should be resolved. Don't focus all your attention on it, at the expense of reducing security, since Microsoft developed this feature for a reason, which means it has a place in your Windows.

If you still have questions on the topic “SmartScreen - what is it? Changing settings and disabling SmartScreen”, you can ask them in the comments


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Windows Smartscreen is an important Windows feature that protects your computer from suspicious software. Previously, the filter was built only into the Internet Explorer browser, but starting with Windows 8 it became an integral part of the operating system itself. For the time being, the user may not be aware of the existence of a smartscreen, but at one point, when trying to install some program, a message will appear warning about a possible threat. What is this Windows filter, is it possible to disable it, and what are the consequences of such deactivation?

How Smartscreen works

As we have already noted, smartscreen functionality is integrated into the Internet Explorer browser. After the release of the new Microsoft Edge browser, it was also provided with similar protection. So downloading software through any of these browsers may be blocked if the smartscreen suddenly considers it potentially dangerous.

If the executable file is already on your computer, the filter will make itself known when you try to run it. A pop-up window with a warning message will give the user the option to either refuse or continue despite some risk.

And here the question arises, by what criteria does the filter classify applications as unwanted and is it worth ignoring the notification?

During its operation, Windows Smartscreen accesses a cloud database that stores a list of programs and their ratings. Information here comes from user computers that have the smartscreen filter enabled and the corresponding option is active, allowing information about all installed software products to be transmitted to Microsoft. Based on the collected data, a trust rating is created, and if the downloaded application has a low security rating or is not in the store at all, then the above message is displayed.

What happens if you disable Windows Smartscreen?

Very often, the filter mistakenly blocks applications that do not pose any threat to the user. In such cases, you should simply use the button that allows you to continue executing the program. If the protection is triggered constantly, then it can be completely disabled. But in this case, a good antivirus with constantly updated databases must be installed on your computer. Otherwise, the possibility of running malware cannot be ruled out. Let's say you are completely sure that you don't need Smartscreen. What are the ways to disable it?

How to disable SmartScreen in Explorer and Edge browsers

In Internet Explorer, to disable scanning of websites, first click on the gear in the upper right corner of the window, then select the “Security” line and the “Disable SmartScreen filter...” item.

Select the appropriate item in the window and save the settings.

To remove protection in the Microsoft Edge browser, click on the ellipses button in the upper right corner, and then go to Options - View additional. options. Scroll down and switch the desired option to the “Off” position.

Deactivating a filter using the Control Panel

To turn off the Smartscreen feature in Windows 10, go to Control Panel, and then to the “Security and Maintenance” section.

If the filter is enabled, then in the window that opens, the switch will be in the “Request administrator approval before launching an unidentified application from the Internet (recommended)” position. There are also two more points:

  • Warn before running an unidentified application, but do not require administrator approval.
  • Do nothing (disable Windows Smartscreen).

To completely disable Smartscreen, select the last option and save the changes with the OK button.

How to configure Windows Smartscreen through Group Policy

A more sophisticated way is to use the Local Group Policy Editor. To run it, enter the command in the “Run” line (Win + R) gpedit.msc. In the editor window, follow the branch Computer Configuration - Administrative Templates - Windows Components - Explorer. On the right we find the option “Configure Windows Smartscreen” and click on it.

Disabling SmartScreen in the registry

Changing Windows Smartscreen settings can be done using the Windows Registry. Open the registry editor ( Win+R ->regedit) and go to the section HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer. Here we find the parameter SmartScreenEnabled, taking one of three values:

  • RequireAdmin – request administrator confirmation;
  • Prompt – display a warning, but do not require administrator confirmation;
  • Off – disable the filter.

Set it to "Off" and Windows will no longer monitor application launches.

That's all we wanted to tell you about Smartscreen in Windows. Think and decide for yourself whether you need this function or whether your computer is already well protected.