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Switched Smart Control off by Accident

Johnny Grinter 10 Reputation points
2025-11-26T19:26:20.5233333+00:00

Switched off Smart Control off in Windows Defender in confusion. Imagine my shock when it says you can't switch it back on. You literally can't lol. Putting a feature in an OS where people can accidentally switch it off and they tell you to reinstall the OS. I am not going through all that again. So what am I suppose to do now? How can you expect a person who may have gone through weeks of installations, to reinstall their OS, when all you have to do is let them toggle it back on.

So I want to know how to do this.

Microsoft Security | Microsoft Defender | Other
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  1. Q&A Assist
    2025-11-26T19:26:28.49+00:00
    AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more

    Once Smart App Control has been turned off, it cannot be turned back on without resetting or reinstalling Windows. This is a security feature designed to prevent unauthorized changes to the system. Unfortunately, if you have accidentally switched it off, your only options are to either reset your device or perform a clean installation of Windows to restore Smart App Control functionality.

    If you are looking for alternatives or workarounds, you might want to consider reaching out to Microsoft Support for assistance or to explore if there are any updates or patches that might address your situation without a full reinstall.

    References:

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