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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteTurning off Smart App Control stops that Windows 11 feature from checking apps at launch and notifying you about untrusted ones. It does not turn off Microsoft Defender Antivirus or any third-party antivirus product, which keep running alongside it. Microsoft’s current guidance also says recent Windows updates let you turn the feature back on from Windows Security without a clean installation, although that depends on your device and update state.
What Smart App Control checks before you turn it off
Smart App Control is an app-control layer. Each time you launch an app, a cloud-powered security service tries to make a confident safety prediction. Apps it believes are safe are allowed. Apps it judges malicious or potentially unwanted are blocked.
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When the service cannot reach a confident prediction, it falls back to a signature check. An app that is unsigned, or whose signature is invalid, is treated as untrusted and blocked. That fallback is the part that most often surprises people who run older or niche software, because a legitimate program without a valid signature can be stopped even when nothing about it is malicious.
What changes when the setting is Off
Microsoft’s support guidance says that with Smart App Control set to Off, the feature will not notify you about untrusted apps. In practical terms, the app-control layer stops evaluating apps at launch, so an app that would previously have been blocked for lacking trust can run without that check.
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What Off does not change is equally important:
- Microsoft Defender Antivirus, or a non-Microsoft antivirus, continues to operate as your separate protection.
- Other Windows Security features are not switched off by this setting.
- The change is device-wide. It is not an exception for one program, and Microsoft’s documentation describes no per-app bypass.
Microsoft’s Smart App Control FAQ states the relationship plainly: “Smart App Control works alongside your other security software, such as Microsoft Defender or non-Microsoft antivirus tools, for added protection.” The page is an institutional Microsoft Support statement and does not name an individual author.
Why people turn it off, and the trade-off
Microsoft acknowledges that Smart App Control can interrupt legitimate workflows, including tasks common to corporate users and developers. Tools you build yourself, internal utilities, and unsigned installers are the usual examples, because the feature cannot establish trust for them.
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If an app is blocked, Microsoft’s stated option is to contact the developer and ask for a valid signature. Turning the whole feature Off is the broader alternative, and it removes protection from every app on the device, not only the one that caused the problem. Weigh that before making the change, especially on a machine used for general browsing and email.
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The three modes and what each one means
Microsoft describes Smart App Control as having three states. The table below sets out how each behaves and whether you can move between them.
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| Mode | What Windows does | Blocks untrusted apps? | Returning to it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evaluation | Assesses whether the device is a candidate for Smart App Control | No | Once evaluation finishes, or after you manually switch On or Off, the guidance says you cannot return to Evaluation without reinstalling or resetting Windows |
| On | Checks apps at launch and applies the prediction and signature rules described above | Yes, for untrusted apps | Not applicable |
| Off | Stops the app-control check and the notifications about untrusted apps | No | Re-enabling is covered in the next section |
Note the difference between Evaluation and On. Evaluation is a trial assessment that does not block apps, and it is a one-way state. Turning protection back On is a separate action, and it is the one Microsoft’s current FAQ says recent updates allow without a clean installation.
Turning Smart App Control back on
Microsoft’s FAQ says recent Windows updates let you re-enable Smart App Control through Windows Security without a clean install. Treat that as the current guidance rather than a promise for every PC. The same FAQ lists several situations in which the feature may be off or unavailable:
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- Enterprise management policies, or developer-mode configuration
- A previous manual disabling of the feature
- S mode
- Optional diagnostic-data settings
If the setting will not turn back on, check Windows Update for the latest cumulative updates first. Older Microsoft guidance on this feature describes a clean install or reset as the only route back, so confirm the current wording on Microsoft’s support pages before choosing that path, because a reset removes your apps and files unless you back them up.
Where to find the setting and which Windows version has it
- Open Windows Security from the Start menu.
- Select App & browser control.
- Select Smart App Control settings, then choose the state you want.
Smart App Control is a Windows 11 feature. Microsoft’s support guidance says it is not available in Windows 10, so if you do not see the entry, check your Windows version before looking for another cause.
Practical checks after changing the setting
- Confirm that Microsoft Defender Antivirus, or your third-party antivirus, is still active in Windows Security.
- Run a test launch of an app you previously saw blocked, so you know whether the change took effect.
- Note the date you made the change. Microsoft’s support pages do not show a publication date, so check the live page for current wording if the screen you see differs from these steps.
Microsoft’s pages on Smart App Control describe its settings and eligibility, but the guidance here reflects what is documented as of October 2026. Individual PCs can differ because of update state, management policy, or the feature’s own eligibility checks.
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