You may find the need to disable the SmartScreen Filter on your computer, if you are unable to download a file, app or program from a reputable source on your Windows 11/10 computer.
Before going ahead with the steps to disable SmartScreen Filter, you need to be aware that SmartScreen Filter is designed to perform a safety check for websites that you visit, using a cloud-based dynamic list of reported phishing and malicious sites.
Additionally, the SmartScreen filter performs a reputation check for all downloads on your computer, by analyzing digital signatures related to the Files or Apps that you are trying to download on your computer.
However, SmartScreen Filter is also known to prevent genuine or harmless content from being downloaded. In-fact, users have even reported being unable to download their own Word, Excel and PDF files from Google Drive.
In such cases, the only way to download such Apps and Files on your computer is to temporarily Disable SmartScreen and enable it back again, after completing the download.
1. Disable SmartScreen Filter in Microsoft Edge Browser
If you are having problems downloading files, the default Microsoft Edge browser on a Windows 11/10 computer provides the option to disable SmartScreen filter from within the browser settings.
1. Open Microsoft Edge > Click on Three-dots icon and select Settings in the drop-down menu.
2. On the Settings screen, select Privacy, Search, and services in the left-pane. In the right-pane, scroll down to “Security” section and disable Microsoft Defender SmartScreen.
2. Disable SmartScreen Filter For Apps & Files
If you are having problems downloading Apps or programs from a reputable download source or website, you can disabling the SmartScreen filter for Apps and Files on your computer by following the steps below.
1. Type Windows Security in the search box and click on Windows Security System settings in the search results.
2. On the Windows Security screen, click on Apps & Browser Control in the left-pane. In the right-pane, click on Reputation-based protection settings.
3. On the next screen, disable Check Apps and Files option.
After this, you will be able to download the File/Program that was being blocked by the SmartScreen Filter on your computer.