Microsoft has continuously strengthened the security of the Windows operating system by making gradual improvements to Windows Defender. It introduced the SmartScreen feature with Windows 8 to protect users from installing potentially dangerous applications on their systems. SmartScreen checks if an app is on the unsafe apps list and warns you about the risks. Microsoft even integrated this feature in Microsoft Edge to protect you from phishing.
However, many users face ‘SmartScreen Can’t be Reached Right Now Error’ on their computer. In this post, we will tackle this troublesome issue with all possible fixes to get the feature working again.
1. Check Internet Connection
SmartScreen relies on an internet connection to compare apps against a list of flagged apps. If your computer does not have an active internet connection, it cannot perform the test.
So check if your router is connected to the ISP and has a working connection. If not, restart the router and check if there is an internet connection available. After securing the internet connection, try to install the app again.
2. Verify Microsoft Server Status
SmartScreen is a cloud protection service and its servers may be down or under maintenance. You will receive an error if you try to connect to the SmartScreen service during the downtime.
So visit the official Microsoft social channels for service outage information and check if other users are having similar issues. You can also visit third-party websites such as DownDetector to monitor server outages for key services. If other users are also having problems with SmartScreen, wait while Microsoft fixes the problem.
3. Disable the proxy server
A proxy server helps to retrieve information from a website or a server on your behalf to present that information to you. However, many users who encountered the problem of not being able to access SmartScreen shared that disconnecting the proxy server helped fix the problem. So if you use a proxy server on your system, disable it and try to install the app again. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Press the Windows + I keyboard shortcut to launch the Settings app.
Step 2: Click on the Network and internet option in the left menu.
Step 3: Click on the Proxy option.
Step 4: Scroll down and find the Manual Proxy Settings section. Click the Edit button.
Step 5: In the Edit Proxy Server window, turn off the switch below the Use Proxy Server option. Click the Save button to close the window.
Open File Explorer again and try reinstalling the app to check if SmartScreen works.
4. Restart your computer
You may also experience SmartSceen errors due to background service glitches. If it doesn’t run properly, or the SmartScreen process has a similar problem, restart your computer. It will shutdown the system and restart all necessary background services.
Right-click the Start button to open the Advanced User menu. Hover over the Shutdown or sign out option and click the Restart option. Wait for the system to reboot and try to install the app again to check if SmartScreen works.
5. Perform a clean boot
Windows services often conflict with third-party programs. Usually this can lead to errors when launching applications and accessing services. So you will need to find the root cause of this problem by performing a clean boot. It will disable all third-party services on startup while retaining all core system services. This is the way:
Step 1: Press Windows + S key combination, type msconfigthen press Enter to launch System Configuration.
Step 2: Click the Services tab.
Step 3: Click the ‘Hide all Microsoft services’ checkbox and click the Disable all button.
Step 4: Click the Apply button. Then, click the OK button.
Step 5: You will see a pop-up asking to restart your system. Click the Restart now button. Wait for the system to boot into the desktop.
Next, run the app install and check if you still see the SmartScreen error. If you are not experiencing any issues then there is a third party service as the root cause. Open the System Configuration tool again and reboot your system with some third-party services enabled. Repeat this cycle until you find the troublesome service.
6. Allow SmartScreen through the firewall
If SmartScreen is blocked from bypassing Windows Defender Firewall, SmartScreen will not be able to connect to Microsoft servers and fetch details. So you will need to allow SmartScreen to communicate through Windows Defender Firewall. This is the way:
Step 1: Press the Windows key, type Dashboardthen press Enter.
Step 2: In the Control Panel Window, click on the System and Security option.
Step 3: Scroll down to the Windows Defender Firewall section and click on the ‘Allow apps through Windows Firewall’ option.
Step 4: Click the Change settings button. Find ‘Windows Defender SmartScreen’ in the list and click the checkbox to allow the service to connect to the internet.
Step 5: Finally, click the OK button and close the Control Panel.
7. Create a new user account
Misconfigured user accounts can lead to SmartScreen errors. So you will need to create a new user account with administrator privileges to download and install the app. Repeat the following steps:
Step 1: Press the Windows + R key combination to open the Run dialog box. Type ms settings: account in the text box and press Enter.
Step 2: Scroll down and click on the Other Users option.
Step 3: Click the Add Account button.
Step 4: Windows will ask you to create a Microsoft account. To avoid adding an email or phone, click the ‘I don’t have this person’s login’ option.
Step 5: Then, click on the ‘Add a user without a Microsoft account’ option.
Step 6: Enter Username and Password. Select three security questions, enter their answers, and click the Next button.
Step 7: Your new user account will appear in the Other Users section. Click the ‘Change account type’ button.
Step 8: Click on the arrow icon and select the Administrator option. Then, click the OK button. Your new user account will now have administrator privileges.
Step 9: Press the Windows key and right-click the User Accounts icon. Select the newly created account name to switch to the new account.
Step 10: Finally, sign in with the new user account and try to install the app.
Test and install apps with SmartScreen
Windows SmartScreen is an important security feature that warns you before installing sketchy applications on your system. If your system cannot access it, try all of the above methods to restore the feature to a working state. Also, never intentionally disable SmartScreen to avoid annoying pop-ups.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
