How to Fix “Windows protected your PC” Pop Up

Are you getting a “Windows protected your PC” pop up message when you’re trying to run an app?

Here’s the second part of the error, “Microsoft Defender SmartScreen prevented an unrecognized app from starting”.

Followed by “Running this app might put your PC at risk” and a “Don’t run” option.

If you trust the app or program, you might be looking for a way to bypass the pop up and run it.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to remove, disable, bypass, or fix the Windows protected your PC pop up message and what is it.

What does it mean by Windows protected your PC?

Windows protected your PC means that Windows does not recognize the app or program that you’re trying to run.

This can happen if you’ve downloaded an app from Google Drive, SourceForge, Itch.io, and other third party websites.

This feature called “Reputation-based protection”, and it’s part of Windows Security.

The “Check apps and files” feature protects your device by checking for unrecognized apps and files from the web.

To fix “Windows protected your PC”, you can choose to run the app or program anyway.

You can also disable the “Check apps and files” feature or remove malware from your PC.

Note: Only run the app anyway if you trust it and you’re certain that it doesn’t contain any viruses.