Are you facing the error, 'This App Has Been Blocked for Your Protection on Windows' ?

This guide is for you. 

Sometimes, Windows users report that the "This app has been blocked for your protection" error pops up and prevents normal running or installing the applications.

Generally, this occurs with third-party exe or msi files, and standard Microsoft msc snap-ins, launched via mmc.exe.

Yes, it is a good thing that Windows 10 has security features like Defender SmartScreen built in, but sometimes they get in the way. 

You really want to install this app — you know there's nothing wrong with it — but you're locked out.

Here at Ibmi Media, as part of our Server Management Services, we regularly help our Customers to fix Windows related errors.

Methods to fix 'This App Has Been Blocked for Your Protection on Windows' ?

When the digital signature expires or revokes, Windows 10 User Account Control (UAC) blocks running/installing applications.

We can verify this in the properties of the executable file on the Digital Signatures tab. Most likely the Code Signing certificate can be seen as expired.

If we are sure that the application is safe and is from a trusted source, we can bypass this notification and run/install the program.

Apply the tips given below to bypass it:

1. Running the Application from the Elevated Command Prompt

We can try to bypass this software restriction block by running the command prompt with the administrator privileges and starting the application there.

Alternatively, we can create a bat/cmd file with the application launch string and run the batch file as an administrator.

2. Unblock a File Downloaded from the Internet

If we download the executable file from the Internet, we can check if it is blocked by the Windows security system.

To do this we can use the following steps:

i. Firstly, open the file properties

ii. And set the “Unblock” checkbox.

Alternatively, we can unblock a file using the following PowerShell:

Unblock-File install_filename.exe

3. Removing Digital Signature from a File

We can try to remove the code digital signature of a setup file using a third-party FileUnsigner tool.

4. Disabling UAC

As far as it is the UAC system that blocks running an application, we can temporarily disable it.

The UAC is an important Windows protection feature, that is why UAC can only be turned off on a temporary basis.

After the application is installed, we can go back to the default UAC settings and disable UAC through Group Policies.

We can do this using the following steps:

i. First, take Windows Settings

ii. Then go to Security Settings and take the Security Options

iii. After that, open the option “User Account Control: Run all administrators in Admin Approval Mode” and set it to Disable.

iv. Finally, restart the computer.

5. Run an App Using the Built-in Windows Administrator Account

We can try to run/install the application with the built-in administrator account. However, there is no UAC for this account.

In some cases, Windows 10 may start blocking the launch of built-in Windows tools and programs.

To fix this we need to ensure that our Windows contains up-to-date root certificates. Update them if necessary.

6. Errors in Cryptographic Services

Make sure the CryptSvc service is running and starts automatically.

We can recreate the Cryptographic Service EDB database file with the following PowerShell commands:

Stop-Service cryptsvc
Rename-Item -Path "C:\Windows\System32\catroot2" -NewName catroot2.old
Restart-Computer

[Need Assistance in Fixing Windows errors? We are happy to help you! ]