When trying to download files from the Internet, the browser often blocks the download. This is for safety, to avoid lowering something that is potentially dangerous. But of course, sometimes false positives occur and when trying to download something that is safe, the browser detects it as a threat. This is what happens in Microsoft Edge and in this article we are going to talk about how to download files blocked by Edge.
Why are files locked in Edge
Edge is Microsoft’s browser. It came as a substitute for the classic Internet Explorer and, although without achieving figures from other programs, little by little it has been gaining more users. The developers from the beginning wanted to offer a secure and stable browser.
Files are blocked by the filters Edge uses. They are basically based on SmartScreen . What it does is paralyze the downloads that it considers potentially dangerous and that may be a virus or any variety of malware that puts the computer at risk.
The problem is that in many cases this filter does not work well and is blocking files that are actually safe. This forces us to use another browser, such as Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome, and thus be able to download it normally.
Now, luckily we have the possibility to configure Edge so that this does not happen and to be able to download those files that we are sure are reliable. This way we will avoid blockages and have problems when browsing.
How to download files locked by SmartScreen
If we try to download a file and Edge blocks it , it will show a message as we can see in the image below. This tells us that you have considered it dangerous and does not allow the process to continue and put the computer at risk.
What we have to do first is click on “View Downloads” and thus be able to access the browser’s download manager. It is there where that file will appear, with a red text underneath, which has been blocked and we cannot download correctly.
Later we will have to unlock it and thus be able to complete the download. To do this, you have to click with the right button of the mouse on the file in question that we want to unlock. A small menu with two options will be displayed automatically:
- Report that this download is safe : This will allow us to inform Microsoft that this file is not really a threat and there is no reason to block it. In this way we will also help to improve SmartScreen AI.
- Download unsafe file : this option will allow us to download that file to our computer, even if it has previously been considered a threat. This will always be the responsibility of the user, who must know that there is really no danger.
We simply have to click on the second option . This will allow us to download that file without problems and it will appear in the download folder, like any other document that we download and has not been blocked by Edge. You will ignore the SmartScreen crash and continue the process.
Keep in mind that we should only do this if we are sure that it is not a threat. For example, a document that we have previously downloaded on another computer or from a website that is totally reliable and will not be a risk to our system.
Tips for Downloading Files Safely
After explaining how to download files blocked by Microsoft Edge, we want to give a series of recommendations with which to download any file from the Internet safely . Some guidelines that will help us avoid the entry of malware and that will serve as a complement to the browser’s own measures.
Always use security programs
The first tip is to always use a good antivirus . Regardless of whether we download a file and the browser detects it as a threat or not, having security programs will help us reduce the risk of a virus or any type of malware entering.
What antivirus can we use? Microsoft operating systems have Windows Defender , which is a more than valid option and works very well. We also have other options such as Avast , Kaspersky or Bitdefender that will allow you to have control over security.
Whichever option we choose, we must make sure that it works well, is updated and will act in real time against possible threats that we download when downloading a file from the Internet.
Avoid downloading from untrustworthy sites
Another point to keep in mind is to download only from sources that are really reliable . For example, we must avoid downloading files from third-party pages, which do not inspire trust and which may be a problem for our security.
You always have to check the URL of the page, the general appearance of the site, see that it really corresponds with what we are downloading and that it is not a copy of a website. Sometimes we come across sites that have been created to pretend to be legitimate but are scams.
This we mentioned is directly related to Phishing. They are basically sites that have been created for us to download something and that pretend to be official, but in reality what sneaks in there are viruses and malware.
Keep the systems up-to-date
Of course we must not forget the importance of keeping the equipment correctly updated . It is necessary to have the latest versions, both of the operating system and of any program that we use in our day to day life.
Sometimes vulnerabilities emerge that can be exploited by an attacker. These bugs are corrected through these patches and updates that we must apply whenever they are available and thus reduce the risk of problems appearing.
Downloading files to an outdated computer can lead to this hypothetical malicious document taking advantage of a bug that we have not corrected.
Use stable programs
On the other hand, the programs that we use to download, such as the antivirus itself, it is essential that they be stable and secure. For example, we should not use applications outside of the official ones, although we have some added features that may seem interesting.
This is very important to avoid infiltrating files that are a threat and have not been detected. An example is using a browser that does not have security measures to analyze any document that we are downloading from the network.
In short, security when downloading files while browsing is very important. However, sometimes false positives can arise, as we have seen in the case of Edge, which we must control so that the content is downloaded normally and does not hang.
