How to Enable or Disable Scareware Blocker in Microsoft Edge in Windows 11 If you're supporting mixed environments or planning enterprise-wide deployment, Microsoft Edge’s Scareware Blocker is a useful feature to take advantage of, especially with phishing and scareware pop-ups remain common attack vectors. In this video, we’ll show you four methods for managing the Scareware Blocker feature in Microsoft Edge, plus how to verify that the configuration was successfully applied. Before we begin, be sure to subscribe to NinjaOne’s IT video hub for more tech content like this. 4 Ways to Configure the Scareware Blocker in Microsoft Edge Using Microsoft Edge Settings (GUI) Using the GUI is straightforward, requires no admin rights, and applies settings on a per-user basis. Windows may temporarily reassign drive letters, which breaks path assumptions. To fix this: Open Microsoft Edge. Select the three-dot menu, then select Settings. Navigate to Privacy, search, and services. Under Security, locate Scareware Blocker. Toggle it on or off, depending on your needs. This method is ideal for quick configuration changes on individual devices. But if you need system-wide configuration, you’ll need one of these next methods. Editing the Windows Registry Using Registry Editor lets you configure Scareware Blocker at the machine level, impacting all users. This method is great for IT admins who are comfortable working with the registry or environments without Group Policy. Here are the steps: Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\ Microsoft\Edge Create the key if it doesn’t already exist. In the right pane, create a new DWORD (32-bit) value named ScarewareBlockerProtectionEnabled. Set the value to 1 to enable, or 0 to disable. Close the editor and restart Edge. Using PowerShell for Automated Deployment PowerShell enables consistent, repeatable deployments that can scale. Here’s a sample script to enable the feature: Just change the value to 0 if you want to disable the setting. Once your script runs, restart Edge to apply the changes. For larger automation workflows or full script variations, check the blog post linked below. Managing the Scareware Blocker via Group Policy Editor For this method, you need to be running Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education. Make sure your device has the latest Microsoft Edge ADMX templates. Open gpedit.msc. Navigate to: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Microsoft Edge > Scareware Blocker settings Look for the policy: Configure Edge Scareware Blocker Protection. Set it to Enabled or Disabled, depending on your configuration goals. Apply the policy and restart Edge. Verifying Your Configuration Regardless of the method you use, verification is quick: Open Microsoft Edge. Go to edge://policy. Look for the policy: ScarewareBlockerProtectionEnabled Ensure the value matches the setting you applied. This is especially helpful when troubleshooting conflicts between local, registry, and domain-level policies. Managing Scareware Blocker in Microsoft Edge is extremely flexible, whether you're making a quick per-user adjustment or enforcing organization-wide protections. Pairing Scareware Blocker with centralized policy deployment can significantly improve browser security hygiene across your fleet. For more information, check out our official blog post on how to enable or disable the Scareware Blocker in Microsoft Edge in Windows 11, linked in the description below.