How to Enable Microsoft Defender SmartScreen in Edge

This brief tutorial shows students and new users how to turn Microsoft Defender SmartScreen on or off in the Microsoft Edge browser in Windows 10.

The new Microsoft Edge browser has adopted the Chromium open-source project code base, offering better web compatibility and performance over the legacy Edge.

Microsoft Defender SmartScreen provides warning messages to help protect you from potentially untrusted and phishing websites and malicious software. The SmartScreen filter can also help you from downloading and installing malware (malicious software) on your computers.

By default, Microsoft Defender SmartScreen is turned on, and it’s recommended to leave it on to protect your computer and Privacy. However, if you find it annoying in some environments, you can disable it, but it’s not recommended.

To get started with configuring Microsoft Defender SmartScreen, follow the steps below:

Turn on Microsoft Defender SmartScreen in Edge

To turn on or off “Microsoft Defender SmartScreen” in Edge, open Microsoft Edge and click the 3 horizontal dots ( . ) at the top right corner of your screen as shown in the image below.

When the Settings page opens, click on Privacy, search, and Services on the left side. Under Security on the right, click on Microsoft Defender SmartScreen and enable or disable it.

If you enable this setting, Microsoft Defender SmartScreen is turned on. If you turn off this setting, Microsoft Defender SmartScreen is turned off.

Turn on Microsoft Defender SmartScreen in Edge via the registry

You can also turn Microsoft Defender SmartScreen on or off in the Microsoft Edge feature from the Windows registry.

You can also enable this feature via the Windows registry if logged in as an administrator. To do that, use the steps below:

Using the Windows registry is one way to force all users on the system to configure Microsoft Defender SmartScreen. There are multiple ways to do this in Windows; however, using the Windows registry is the easiest and most effective way.

To enable, press the Windows Key + R on your keyboard to open the run command box. Or use the search function to search for the Run app.

In the command box, type the commands below and press Enter.

regedit

When the Windows registry opens, navigate to the path below. If you don’t see the Edge key, create one.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge

From there, right-click on the Edge key and select the New > DWORD (32-bit) Value option to create a REG_DWORD value if you don’t see an existing SmartScreenEnabled value already created.

If you don’t see the Edge key or folder, create one.

Name the new DWORD value as:

SmartScreenEnabled

After saving the DWORD above, double-click it to open. Then, enter the value of 1 to enable. 0 to disable.

(delete) = Default
0 = Always disabled
1 = Always enabled

If you enable this setting, Microsoft Defender SmartScreen is turned on. If you disable this setting, Microsoft Defender SmartScreen is turned off.

That should do it!

Conclusion:

• Microsoft Defender SmartScreen is a vital security feature in Microsoft Edge for protecting users from phishing websites and malware.
• It is recommended to keep SmartScreen enabled for optimal safety while browsing online.
• Users can easily turn SmartScreen on or off through the Edge settings or Windows registry.
• Always ensure to follow the steps carefully to maintain system integrity and security.
• Regularly review your security settings to adapt to changing online threats and enhance your overall browsing safety.