How to Disable Downloaded Files from Being Blocked in Windows If your team constantly shares internal files or downloads trusted tools, you know how often Windows security prompts can slow down your workflow. These warnings can become repetitive and disruptive, especially when they block files you know are safe. In this video, we'll show you how to disable downloaded files from being blocked in Windows. Before we begin, be sure to subscribe to NinjaOne's IT Video Hub and our YouTube channel for more tech content like this. Some Notes on Windows Attachment Manager Windows Attachment Manager is a built-in Windows feature that scans files from external sources and blocks or warns against anything that can harm your system. It works closely with Zone Identifiers to flag risky downloads, including email attachments and executable files. Without this feature, users won't be warned before opening a potentially harmful file. How to Prevent Downloads from Being Blocked Method 1: Using Group Policy Editor This option is ideal if you’re running Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, or Education. If you’re managing devices in an Active Directory environment, this is the go-to method. Open the Group Policy Editor. Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and hit Enter. Navigate to Attachment Manager. Head to the following path... Configure the policy. Locate Do not preserve zone information in file attachments and make sure it's set to Enabled. This will stop Windows from tagging downloaded files with the Zone Identifier. Apply the changes. Restart your machine or sign out and back in for the changes to take effect. Method 2: Using the Registry If you’re using Windows 10 Home, you won’t have access to Group Policy— but you can achieve the same outcome via the Registry Editor. Proceed with caution: Registry edits apply instantly, and a misstep can affect system stability. Always export or backup your registry keys before editing. Here's the process: Open the Registry Editor by pressing Win + R and typing regedit. Find the Attachment Manager registry key by going to the following path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion\Policies\Attachments Modify or create the SaveZoneInformation value. This will be located inside the Attachments registry key. If it doesn't exist, right-click inside Attachments, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it SaveZoneInformation. Set it to 2 to enable file blocking or 1 to disable file blocking. Click OK to save. Close the editor. Registry will immediately apply the changes. Disabling the Attachment Manager can remove unnecessary prompts and speed up workflows, especially in trusted environments where internal file sharing is routine. Just remember to always have proper endpoint protection in place and monitor for anything unusual. For more information, check out our official blog post on how to disable downloaded files from being blocked in Windows linked in the description below. Be sure to subscribe to NinjaOne's IT Video Hub and our YouTube channel for more tech content like this.