What Is Windows Smartscreen and Is It Safe?
It’s one of the essential processes
Windows 10 includes a number of built-in protections that aim to boost your PC’s security. From integrated antivirus scanning topasswordless logins, Windows 10 offers greater protection than previous Windows releases. To help boost this even further, Microsoft automatically blocks unknown apps and programs from running.
This feature is Windows SmartScreen, designed to stop potentially malicious code from running. The SmartScreen process (smartscreen.exe) runs in the background, which may mean it uses up your system resources occasionally. If you’re curious to learn more, or you’re worried about security, this guide should put you at ease.
What Is Windows SmartScreen and How Does It Work?
Windows SmartScreen has been a feature since the release of Windows 8. It’s designed to stop unknown apps from running automatically. SmartScreen works by scanning a program and checking it against a huge Microsoft database of known apps and services. If it doesn’t recognize it, it stops the app from running.
SmartScreen isn’t likely to do this for well-known software it recognizes, such as Spotify or Google Chrome, but it will likely take a cautious approach to unknown apps by other third-party developers. If it recognizes it as malware, SmartScreen will step in and block it from running, protecting your PC from damage.
If SmartScreen isn’t sure, you’ll be able to override the decision. You can do this if you’re absolutely sure that a piece of software you’re running is safe, but if you want to check, you can run it inWindows 10 Sandbox mode, an isolated version of Windows that you can use to test out software you don’t fully trust.
SmartScreen is also the name for the phishing and malware protection built into the new Google Chromium-based Microsoft Edge browser. As with file protection, SmartScreen in Edge will warn against and block sites and downloads it believes to be unsafe.
As a Windows system service, the SmartScreen process (listed asSmartScreenorsmartscreen.exein Task Manager) is completely safe. As it protects against dangerous files, it’s best to leave SmartScreen running, but you can unblock apps you trust to ensure that files it doesn’t recognize can still run.
Why Does SmartScreen Cause High CPU, RAM, or Other System Resource Issues?
While rare, it is reported that SmartScreen can cause high CPU, RAM, or other issues with your system resources. While there isn’t a clear cause for this issue, it’s possible that astubborn malware infectionor corrupt system files are behind the problem.
Before you consider disabling Windows SmartScreen, you should attempt to repair your PC’s system files using theSystem File Checker (SFC)tool. This should help to resolve issues with your PC’s performance, especially with Windows system processes like smartscreen.exe.
TheSFCtool will automatically search for and fix any issues with your system files. While this isn’t a guaranteed fix for this problem, making sure your system is well maintained and has no corrupted files should help to prevent issues with your PC performance.
If missing files or a malware infection isn’t the cause, you may need to look at the PC itself. As Microsoft introduces new features, Windows becomes harder to run on older PCs. If that’s the case, you may need toconsider upgrading your PCto run the latest version of Windows 10 without performance issues.
You can also disable SmartScreen entirely by following the steps below. This will reduce SmartScreen’s system resource usage to minimal levels, but it isn’t something we recommended for most users.
Adding Software to Windows SmartScreen Allow List or Block List
The Windows SmartScreen service is a trust-based service. If Microsoft recognizes an app and knows it can trust it based on thetelemetry datait receives, then it’ll allow it to run. If it doesn’t recognize it, it doesn’t trust it, so it will block it as a precaution.
If you trust an app and want it to run without SmartScreen blocking it, you can add the app to SmartScreen’s allow list. Alternatively, if you want to block anexecutable filefrom running on your PC again, you can add it to SmartScreen’s block list.
How to Disable Windows SmartScreen
Windows SmartScreen is a security feature that should remain enabled for most users, as it can help to stop you running software or opening files that could potentially damage your PC. While it can be annoying, you can bypass SmartScreen prompts that appear for apps you trust by following the steps above.
With this in mind, westrongly recommendyou leave SmartScreen enabled. If you want to disable it for testing or performance issues, however, you can do so by following these steps.
Protecting Against Threats in Windows 10
The Windows SmartScreen process is one of several essential processes, fromwerfault.exetontoskrnl.exe, that help keep Windows up and running. Keeping SmartScreen active is a great way to protect against threats in Windows 10, but you could also think aboutsetting a scan schedule in Windows Defenderorencrypting your hard drive.
If you’re worried about data loss from viruses or malware, you should make sure toback up your systemandcheck for malwareregularly to ensure your PC is safe to use. Don’t forget to check other devices too, because evenyour router can become infected with malware.
Ben Stockton is a freelance technology writer based in the United Kingdom. In a past life, Ben was a college lecturer in the UK, training teens and adults. Since leaving the classroom, Ben has taken his teaching experience and applied it to writing tech how-to guides and tutorials, specialising in Linux, Windows, and Android. He has a degree in History and a postgraduate qualification in Computing.Read Ben’s Full Bio
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