The easiest way to disable the SmartScreen filter is to use a system settings menu called “App & Browser Control,” which can be accessed from the Start menu. At times like these, you should turn SmartScreen off. Like most of these scam websites, it often tricks people into believing that they need to contact scammers who pose as technicians, since the computers are supposedly infected and blocked. However, there may be times when it’s getting in the way of you visiting sites or downloading things that you know are safe but just haven’t been verified by SmartScreen. What is 'Windows protected your PC' 'Windows protected your PC' is the name of a tech-support scam promoted using a deceptive website.

Overall, SmartScreen is a handy security layer that you’re better off leaving on. If you run this application, you could put your computer at risk. If it’s a program, you’ll usually have the option to “Run Anyway.” If SmartScreen pops up on a website you know is safe, you can click “More Information” and report it as a safe site. Windows Defender SmartScreen prevented an unknown application from starting.

It runs in the background on Windows 10 and will usually manifest as a big blue box saying “Windows protected your PC” by blocking a given program or website. It essentially uses a big database of whitelisted and blacklisted sites to analyze whether a given thing is safe to open. SmartScreen works as an early warning system to let a user know whether a site or app is suspicious or a downloaded file wasn’t found in its list of safe software programs.

Windows protected your pc