To turn off SmartScreen in Windows 11, open Windows Security, select App & browser control, then Reputation-based protection settings, and switch off Check apps and files (plus any other toggle that is getting in your way). If a single app you trust is being blocked, you don’t need to turn anything off: choose Run anyway on the warning instead. These steps apply to Windows 11 Home and Pro, including version 25H2.
Turn Off SmartScreen in Windows Security
SmartScreen is the reputation check that warns you about unfamiliar downloads, apps and websites. In Windows 11 it is split into several switches on one page, so you can turn off only the part that is causing trouble.
- Open the Start menu, type Windows Security, and open the app.
- Select App & browser control in the left pane.
- Under Reputation-based protection, select Reputation-based protection settings.
- Turn off Check apps and files. This is the switch behind the “Windows protected your PC” warning for programs you download.
- Turn off any other toggle only if it is the one blocking you (see the table below). Approve the administrator prompt if Windows shows one.
- Close Windows Security when you’re done.
If Windows asks for administrator approval, you’ll need an administrator account to finish. If a toggle is grey and won’t move, jump to the troubleshooting section, because that usually means a policy is controlling it. Microsoft describes every switch on this page in its App & browser control documentation.
What Each Reputation-Based Protection Toggle Does
The page holds five switches, and they protect different things. Turning off all of them to fix one blocked installer removes far more protection than you need.
| Toggle | What it checks | Turn it off only if |
|---|---|---|
| Check apps and files | Apps and files you download from the web, using Microsoft Defender SmartScreen | A trusted desktop program keeps getting blocked and Run anyway isn’t enough |
| SmartScreen for Microsoft Edge | Sites and downloads in Microsoft Edge, including phishing and tech support scam pages | Edge keeps flagging a site or download you have verified |
| Phishing protection | Warns when you type your Windows sign-in password into a malicious site or app, and optionally when you reuse it or save it in Notepad or Microsoft 365 apps | You get repeated false alarms in a specific app |
| Potentially unwanted app blocking | Apps that show unwanted ads, mine cryptocurrency or do other unwanted things; Block apps and Block downloads are separate options | A bundled installer you need is flagged and you accept the risk |
| SmartScreen for Microsoft Store apps | Web content that Microsoft Store apps use | A Store app’s content is being blocked |
Phishing protection exists only in Windows 11, and by default it watches only for your password going into malicious content. Within Potentially unwanted app blocking, Microsoft explains that Block downloads only works in Microsoft Edge, while Block apps catches unwanted software that is already downloaded or installed, whichever browser you used.
The Safer Option: Let One App Run Anyway
Most people searching for this fix have one specific installer that Windows refuses to open. SmartScreen flags files with no established reputation, which includes plenty of legitimate software: an unsigned file starts at zero reputation, and Microsoft says it can take several weeks and hundreds of clean installs before the prompt stops appearing for that file. Letting that one file through keeps SmartScreen working for everything else.
- Open the file again. If you can’t find it, look in your Downloads folder in Windows 11.
- When the “Windows protected your PC” window appears, select the More info link under the message if Run anyway isn’t already showing.
- Check the app name and publisher shown on the warning. Signed apps show the publisher’s name; if none is listed, make sure the file came straight from the developer’s own site.
- Select Run anyway. Windows opens the installer, and SmartScreen stays on for every other download.
For example, say Dana downloads a label printer utility called LabelDesk Lite from the printer maker’s support page, and Windows blocks it because the latest version is brand new. Dana confirms the link came from the manufacturer’s site, then scans the file with Microsoft Defender before choosing Run anyway. That takes a minute and leaves all five protections in place.
If you already ran something and now suspect it, the steps to find and remove malware from Windows 11 are the next stop. On work or school PCs, the Run anyway button may be missing entirely, because organizations can set a policy that prevents users from bypassing the warning.
Turn Off SmartScreen in Microsoft Edge Only
Edge has its own SmartScreen switch, and it is the one that controls the “unsafe site” warning pages and blocked downloads inside the browser.
- Open Microsoft Edge and select Settings and more (the three dots at the top right).
- Select Settings, then Privacy, search, and services.
- Find the Security section and turn off Microsoft Defender SmartScreen.
The setting covers every Edge profile on that PC, including InPrivate windows and Guest mode, and it doesn’t sync to your other devices. Microsoft’s admin documentation places the switch under a Services heading instead of Security, so if you don’t see it, type SmartScreen in the search box at the top of the Settings page.
If Edge wrongly blocks a site you trust, you don’t have to turn anything off. On the warning page, select More information, then Report that this site doesn’t contain threats, as described in Microsoft’s SmartScreen help for Microsoft Edge.
Smart App Control Is a Separate Switch
Smart App Control is a newer, stricter feature that sits on the same App & browser control page, under Smart App Control settings. It lets apps run only if its cloud-based prediction model trusts them or they carry a valid signature, and it has three modes: Evaluation, On and Off. It is set separately from the SmartScreen toggles, so if an app is still blocked after you switch off Check apps and files, check this setting too.
Be careful here. For years, turning Smart App Control off was a one-way trip unless you reset or reinstalled Windows. Microsoft’s current Smart App Control FAQ now says recent Windows updates let you turn it back on without a clean installation, but the main Windows Security help page still says that turning it on, or returning to Evaluation mode, needs a reset or reinstall. Install the latest updates from Settings > Windows Update before you change it, and treat Off as hard to undo.
Use Group Policy on Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise and Education
On editions that include the Local Group Policy Editor, a policy can switch SmartScreen off for every account on the PC. The policy also locks the Windows Security toggle, so only use it on a computer you manage yourself. Windows 11 Home doesn’t have this policy; use the Windows Security toggles instead.
- Press Windows key + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.
- Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Defender SmartScreen > Explorer.
- Double-click Configure Windows Defender SmartScreen.
- Select Disabled, then OK. Microsoft says this turns off SmartScreen and users can’t turn it back on.
The Edge equivalent lives at Administrative Templates > Microsoft Edge > SmartScreen settings > Configure Microsoft Defender SmartScreen. It appears only after the Microsoft Edge policy templates are installed, and Microsoft notes the Edge SmartScreen policy applies only to PCs joined to a domain or enrolled in device management. On a home Pro PC, the Edge settings toggle is the practical route. Microsoft’s list of SmartScreen policy settings covers the full set, including the policies that stop people from bypassing warnings.
How to Turn SmartScreen Back On
Once the app you needed is installed, switch protection back on so the next unfamiliar download gets checked.
- Windows Security: return to App & browser control > Reputation-based protection settings and turn each switch back on.
- Microsoft Edge: turn the Microsoft Defender SmartScreen toggle back on under Privacy, search, and services.
- Group Policy: open Configure Windows Defender SmartScreen again and set it to Not Configured, which hands control back to the Windows Security toggle.
To confirm it worked, reopen the Reputation-based protection settings page and check that Check apps and files shows On and is not greyed out.
When the Settings Won’t Cooperate
Toggles Are Greyed Out or Managed by Your Organization
A greyed-out switch means a policy controls it. On a work or school PC, your IT team set that policy on purpose, and Microsoft notes you might not be authorized to turn reputation-based protection off; ask them for an exception rather than trying to work around it. On your own PC, open gpedit.msc and check whether Configure Windows Defender SmartScreen was set to Enabled or Disabled at some point. Setting it back to Not Configured frees the toggle.
A Toggle Keeps Turning Back On
Something is enforcing the setting. Two likely causes are a Group Policy or device management from a work or school account that was added to the PC. Check Settings > Accounts for a connected work account, and remove it only if the PC is yours and you no longer need that access.
Edge Still Blocks Downloads After You Turned SmartScreen Off
Windows Security has a SmartScreen for Microsoft Edge switch and Edge has its own Microsoft Defender SmartScreen setting, so check both. Also check the Block downloads option under Potentially unwanted app blocking, which only applies in Edge. If your Edge settings page says the browser is managed, a policy is setting SmartScreen for you.
The App Is Still Blocked With No Run Anyway Button
Two likely reasons: Smart App Control is On, or a policy blocks bypasses. Check Smart App Control settings first. On a managed PC, Run anyway can be removed by policy, and only your administrator can allow the app.
More SmartScreen Questions
Does Turning Off SmartScreen Turn Off Microsoft Defender Antivirus?
No. They are separate features: SmartScreen checks reputation before something runs, while Microsoft Defender Antivirus scans for malware and has its own real-time protection switch under Virus & threat protection. If antivirus is what’s blocking you, see the separate steps to turn off Windows Defender real-time protection, though adding an exclusion is usually the safer fix.
Does SmartScreen Check Files on Network Drives?
No. Microsoft says SmartScreen protects against malicious files from the internet, not files on internal locations or network shares, so turning it off won’t change how files opened from a shared drive behave.
Is Store-Only Mode the Same Thing?
No. The option to only allow apps from the Microsoft Store is a separate setting that restricts where apps can come from, while SmartScreen only warns about downloads with no reputation.
Next step: if you turned off Check apps and files to get one installer through, set a reminder to switch it back on as soon as that app is installed.
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are checked step by step against the device or app maker’s own documentation and tested on his own devices whenever he has the hardware or software, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
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