How to Enable or Disable Microsoft Defender SmartScreen in Windows Microsoft Defender Smartscreen helps protect you from phishing and malware while browsing the web. But in some environments, organizations may prefer third-party tools for more flexibility. In this video, we'll walk you through how to turn Microsoft Defender SmartScreen on or off 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. Prerequisites to Enable or Disable Microsoft Defender For some steps in this guide, you’ll need a few things ready. Namely: Microsoft Defender must be enabled to adjust its settings, A stable internet connection for SmartScreen updates, Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education to use Group Policy Editor Administrative rights for Registry or GPO changes Keep in mind: editing the Registry can impact your system. Always back it up first so you can restore it if needed. Now, let’s go over the different methods you can try. Methods for Managing Microsoft Defender SmartScreen Method 1: Enable or disable SmartScreen via the Windows Security GUI Use this method for quick, one-time changes: Go to Settings > Privacy & security > Windows Security > App & browser control Select Reputation-based protection settings Turn Check apps and files On (recommended) or Off Method 2: Enable or disable SmartScreen via Group Policy Before we move forward with this method, remember that GPO requires Windows 10 or 11 Pro or higher and Microsoft Defender policies to be available. This method is ideal for consistent policy enforcement across all managed systems. Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc and hit OK Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer. Open Configure Windows Defender SmartScreen. Set to Enabled (choose Warn or Warn and prevent bypass) or Disabled to turn it off. Click Apply. Method 3: Enable or disable SmartScreen via Registry Press Win + R, type regedit, and click OK Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion\Explorer Edit the SmartScreenEnabled String Value If it doesn’t exist, right-click on System and choose New > String Value, and name it SmartScreenEnabled. Set Value data to: RequireAdmin = Warn (with admin) Warn = Prompt (no admin) Off = Disable Close Registry Editor. You can also change this using PowerShell using the following command... Turning on SmartScreen is recommended to block harmful apps and malware. But in some cases, you may need to turn it off if other security tools are being used. For more information, check out our official blog post on how to enable or disable Microsoft Defender SmartScreen, linked in the description below.