How to Turn Off or ON SmartScreen filter feature in Internet Explorer

SmartScreen filter in Internet Explorer 8 and above versions is a security feature that helps you stay protected from malicious sites and software that can harm your PC.  In fact, SmartScreen filter checks the websites you visit or the software you download on your computer for malicious code. In case that it recognizes a site or software that can be harmful to your computer, then it prevents the access to it and displays a warning message on your screen that says that the website or the software has been reported as unsafe. At the same time, SmartScreen sends information about the content you access and its publisher to Microsoft’s SmartScreen online services in order to mark its origin as suspicious. In fact SmartScreen filter in Internet Explorer is an extra protection feature and there is no need to turn it off, unless you want to access a trustworthy website or to install a legitimate software on your computer that SmartScreen is blocking for some reason.

This tutorial contains detailed instructions on how to disable SmartScreen in Internet Explorer.

How to Disable SmartScreen filter in Internet Explorer

1.  From Internet Explorer main menu, click: "Tools "    and choose "Internet Options".

2. Click the “Advanced” tab.

3. At Advanced tab settings and under the 'Security' options, uncheck the “Enable SmartScreen Filter” ("Windows Smart Filter" in Windows 10) option & choose OK.

You ‘re done. In order to re-enable SmartScreen filter feature in Internet Explorer, simply follow the same procedure, but this time check the “Enable SmartScreen Filter” option & choose OK.

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Konstantinos Tsoukalas

Konstantinos is the founder and administrator of Wintips.org. Since 1995 he works and provides IT support as a computer and network expert to individuals and large companies. He is specialized in solving problems related to Windows or other Microsoft products (Windows Server, Office, Microsoft 365, etc.).

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