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How to disable Open File security warning on Windows 10/11
15 min. read
Updated onOctober 4, 2023
updated onOctober 4, 2023
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Key notes
Your onlinesecurityis rather important, so getting a message that statesYour Internet security settings prevented one or more filesis nothing out of the ordinary.
How many times have you tried to browse freely, only to receive a message like this? You know the answer to that better than anyone else.
OpenFilesecurity warnings can be a bit annoying, and in this article, we’ll show you how to easily disable them on Windows 10.
How can I disable Open File security warning onWindows 10?
1. Change your Internet options
OpenFilesecuritywarning usually appears when trying to run downloadedfiles, but you can fix this problem simply by changing your Internet options.
This is relatively simple and you can do it by following the above steps. After changing these settings you should be able to run downloadedfileswithout any problems.
2. Disable User Account Control
Once you disable User Account Control, you should see fewer security warnings on your PC. Disabling User Account Control won’t greatly reduce yoursecurity, so you can disable it without fear.
If you’re frequently getting an OpenFilesecuritywarning, you might be able to disable it by turning offUser Account Control.
This is asecurityfeature of Windows that notifies you when trying to change a setting or perform an action that requires administrative privileges.
Users claim that this feature is the cause behind this security warning, and if you want to disable it, you need to turn off User Account Control.
This guide will help you become an expert in managing User Account Control!
3. Modify your registry
Your registry holds sensitive system information, and by modifying it you can disable this security warning from appearing.
Modifying the registry can be potentially dangerous if you’re not careful, so we advise you to be extra cautious.
Once your PC restarts, the problem should be fixed and you won’t see the security warning anymore.
If you don’t want to manually edit your registry, you can downloadDisable_Open-File_Security_Warning.regfileand run it.
By doing that, you’ll disable the security warning for the specifiedfiletypes. In case you want to enable the security warning, simply downloadEnable_Open-File_Security_Warning.regand run it.
4. Edit your Group Policy
You can prevent this security warning from appearing by using Group Policy Editor.
This is a useful application that allows you to change various settings, but unfortunately, it’s available only on Pro and Enterprise versions of Windows.
To use Group Policy, do as described above. Close Group Policy Editor and restart your PC. Once your PC restarts, check if the problem still appears.
Check ourhandy guideto easily edit the Group Policy like a pro.
5. Use Command Prompt
You can also prevent this security message from appearing by using Command Prompt. Many users don’t know this, but you can use Command Prompt to quickly edit your registry.
We have to warn you that modifying the registry can be potentially dangerous, so you’re doing it at your own risk. To fix this problem using Command Prompt, do as described above.
After commands are executed, you might have to restart your PC to apply the changes.
Working in Command Prompt will be like a walk in the park after you read our guide!
6. Unblock the file
To stop this security warning from appearing, you might need to unblock yourfile. Sometimesfilescan become blocked causing this warning to appear.
To unblock yourfile, be sure that thefileis located in a directory that is associated with your user accounts such as your Desktop or Documents.
If you want to unblock a specificfile, complete the above procedure. After doing that, you won’t see the security warning for thisfileanymore.
7. Uncheck Always ask before opening this file option
If you want to disable OpenFilesecurity warning for a specificfile, you can do it simply by unchecking a single option. To do that, follow the above procedure.
After doing that, you should be able to open thatfilewithout any security warnings.
This method is simple and straightforward, and it’s rather useful if you want to disable this security warning for a specificfile.
8. Take ownership over the problematic file
If you’re getting this security warning on your PC, you might be able to disable it for a specificfileby taking ownership of thatfile.
This is relatively simple, and you can do it by following the above procedure.
After taking ownership of thefile, you should be able to run it without any security warnings. If you’re an advanced user, you can also use Command Prompt to take ownership of a certainfile.
To do that, just follow these steps:
Of course, be sure to replace the<path_to_file>with an actual path to the problematicfile. This method is faster, but it requires you to enter the exact path to the problematic application.
If you’re an advanced user and familiar with Command Prompt, feel free to try this method instead.
9. Change Local intranet settings
According to users, this security warning can appear if you’re trying to run an application from a network directory.
To fix this problem, you need to add the name or the IP address of the server on which the application is stored in Intranet settings.
This is relatively simple to do, and you can do it by following the above steps.
If you don’t want to use Internet Options, you can make the same changes using theGroup Policy Editor. To do that, follow these steps:
Both methods will achieve the same results, so you can use any of them. Keep in mind that this solution works only if you’re trying to run an application from a network directory.
10. Use Command Prompt
If you’re frequently getting this security warning, you might be able to disable it for a specificfileby using Command Prompt. To do that you need to follow these above steps.
This is a solid workaround, and it works according to users, so feel free to try it out. Keep in mind that in order to use this solution you need to have a basic understanding of Command Prompt syntax.
11. Check Include all network paths options
Few users claim that you can fix this problem simply by checking a few settings in Internet Options. To do that, follow the above procedure.
After doing that, the problem should be fixed and you’ll be able to runfilesfrom network directories without any problems.
12. Create a bat file that will run the problematic file
We used Notepad as an example, but if you want to launch any other application using the batfile, you need to enter the location of thefilebetween the quotes and thefilename after it.
According to users, you can avoid this security warning while running a certain application simply by creating a batfilethat will start the application for you. To do that, follow these steps:
This is a solid workaround, but it might be a bit complicated since you have to create a bat script for that specificfile.
Since this is just a workaround, you’ll have to use the script to start the desired application every time.
Schedule batch files like a real expert! Learn how from our handy guide!
13. Use the icals command
Several reported this security warning while trying to run applications from Start Menu or from the Taskbar.
According to them, you can fix this problem simply by using the icals command. This is relatively simple and you can do it by following the above steps.
After running these commands the security warning should disappear and you won’t see it while trying to run applications from Taskbar or Start Menu.
If you’re having this problem with Desktop shortcuts, you might be able to fix it by runningCommand Promptand usingICACLS C:UsersDesktop /Setintegritylevel (OI)(CI)Mcommand.
After doing that, you should be able to run shortcuts from your Desktop without problems.
14. Download and use streams utility
If you’re getting OpenFilesecurity warning while opening a specificfile, you might be able to fix it by using streams tools. This tool is a part ofSysinternalsand you can download it for free from Microsoft’s website.
After you download the tool, you need to start it manually or useCommand Promptto navigate to its directory and enter the following command:
After running this command you’ll remove all zone data from thatfileand you won’t see any security warnings while running it.
15. Copy the files to a different location
According to users, you might be able to fix the problem with the annoying security warning simply by copying the affectedfilesto a new location.
To do that, locate the problematicfilesand select them. Now copy them to your Desktop.
After doing that, delete the originalfilesfrom their directory. Now move thefilesfrom your Desktop to the original location. After doing that you should be able to run thosefileswithout any problems.
Users reported that this workaround works with Internet Explorer favorites, but be sure to try it with otherfilesthat are giving you this security warning.
Files are copied too slow? Check our comprehensive guide to solve this issue!
Open File security warning can be rather annoying at times, but you should be able to prevent it from appearing by using one of our solutions.
Moreover, use them when encountering these similar issues too:
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More about the topics:All the Windows 10 tips you need to Know
Milan Stanojevic
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Milan has been enthusiastic about technology ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. He’s a PC enthusiast and he spends most of his time learning about computers and technology.
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s one of the Troubleshooting experts in our worldwide team, specializing in Windows errors & software issues.
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Milan Stanojevic
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s specialized in Windows errors & software issues.
