Quite often, users of operating systems (starting with the "seven" and above) are faced with a somewhat obscure service called SmartScreen. Many do not know what it is, and begin to wonder: "How to disable SmartScreen in Windows 7, 8 or 10?" To begin with, let's see what kind of service it is, why it is needed, whether it should be turned off, and how to do it if necessary.
What is a SmartScreen?
Before solving the mentioned problem (how to disable SmartScreen), we will figure out what it is. For example, we will use the Windows 10 operating system, since it now raises the most questions, but in the "seven" and in the "eight" all actions will be similar.
So, the SmartScreen service is a real filter included in the system components of Windows. According to the statements of Microsoft representatives themselves, it was created only to connect a specific IP address to the company's remote server, as is the case with other online services. Frankly, such a statement is doubtful.
The fact is that the SmartScreen filter in the background sends to the appropriate Microsoft service data on all applications and programs installed on the local computer — it seems to be for certificate verification, initialization of malicious programs, etc. And, it is alleged, in the corporation logs such data not stored for a long time, but deleted after a certain period of time. Again, the issue is very controversial, since none of Microsoft experts can give a full guarantee regarding the removal of information necessary for user identification. Along the way, it is noted that such information is not transmitted to third parties. Since this cannot be 100% sure, many users, having learned what kind of service they are, begin to look for ways to solve the problem, that is, they are keenly interested in how to disable SmartScreen in any version of Windows. But first, a few words about the confidentiality of information.
Should I turn off the SmartScreen filter?
This question is quite serious. On the one hand, you can protect yourself from transmitting unwanted information to the developers of Windows operating systems. On the other hand, there are some doubts about the possibility of lowering the protection provided at the level of standard Windows tools.
However, in general, it can be noted that it is not in vain that users install powerful antiviruses, anti-spyware programs and even third-party firewalls that work much better than the built-in Windows tools. So if you want to answer the question of how to disable SmartScreen, first decide if you need to do this at all. However, with a high degree of probability, we can conclude that it is really necessary to disable this service (all the more so since this will not affect the system performance in any way).
How to disable SmartScreen in Windows 10 through the control panel?
If the decision to disconnect is made, proceed to action. For starters - the easiest way, which involves the use of a standard control panel.
The security and maintenance section is selected in it, after which the SmartScreen settings menu is used. There are three options for the service: request, warning, and shutdown. In this case, select the item “Do nothing”, which will lead to the filter being turned off, and confirm the changes.
How to disable SmartScreen Filter in Windows 10 through Group Policy Settings
To disable the service, you can also use the editing of Group Policy settings, accessed by entering the gpedit.msc command in the Run section.
Here we need to go through the computer configuration to the administrative templates, where first we select the Windows components section, and then “Explorer”. Here in the window on the right there is a SmartScreen setup menu. Upon entering it, the filter operation mode is selected according to the same points that were presented above (three modes). It is worth noting that if the settings are configured using Group Policy, the first method will not work in the future (for changing modes).
Disabling Smartscreen through the registry
Now let's see how to disable SmartScreen in Windows 10 using the registry editor, which, in general, simply duplicates the group policy (and vice versa).
Here it is necessary to use the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE branch, and then through the tree of subfolders in the Software sections, then Microsoft, then Windows and CurrentVersion to get to the Explorer item. This is where the included SmartScreen Enabled parameter is located. Again, when editing the parameters, you can meet all the same three modes (but only in the English version): RequreAdmin - request for action, Prompt - warning, Off - disabling the service. Select the desired item and close the editor.
Conclusion
Here, in fact, is all about how to disable SmartScreen in versions of Windows, starting with the seventh. The question is different: is it worth it? But everyone decides for himself. In principle, many experts say that there will be nothing to worry about turning off the filter, and the possible consequences like a decrease in security look clearly exaggerated.
As for the issues of disabling or using other modes of operation, then, as can be seen from the above, that in the "seven", in the "eight", in the "ten", they are absolutely identical. By the way, all methods are, in general, duplication. Disabling can be done by any of the above methods, but the essence of this, as they say, does not change.