

Windows SmartScreen guards your browser and computer by preventing you from downloading and running potentially malicious files and programs. Windows SmartScreen shows a nag screen with additional confirmation if you try to open it.

If the file is unknown to the database, you will see a warning when you download and run such a file. The SmartScreen is a built-in security filter that Windows uses to check every file you download and run against a unique database. There isn't much to be gained from turning it off.Disable Windows Defender SmartScreen in Windows 11 and 10 Defense in Depth is how one makes a system secure. It's an additional point of defense on top of antivirus, anti-malware, and a firewall. You might know them as Reputation Lists or SONAR. Similar systems like this are integrated into many AV suites like Norton, McAfee, and Kaspersky. exe files that have been downloaded from the Web (Mark of the Web), and for verifying code-signing certs on. Smartscreen is also integrated in Windows 10 for checking. It pretty much operates just like Google's Safebrowsing system, which is the system that Chrome and Firefox use to protect users from malware infested sites and files. If the file that you're downloading isn't on that list, SmartScreen will warn you. SmartScreen also checks the files that you download against a list of files that are well known and downloaded by many people who use Internet Explorer. If it finds a match, SmartScreen will warn you that the download has been blocked for your safety. SmartScreen checks files that you download from the web against a list of reported malicious software sites and programs known to be unsafe. If it finds a match, SmartScreen will show you a warning letting you know that the site has been blocked for your safety. SmartScreen checks the sites you visit against a dynamic list of reported phishing sites and malicious software sites. If it finds suspicious pages, SmartScreen will display a warning page, giving you an opportunity to provide feedback and advising you to continue with caution. As you browse the web, it analyzes pages and determines if they might be suspicious.
