How to Unblock Downloaded Files Blocked by Windows

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Environment

• Microsoft Windows: All Supported Versions

Objective

Files may be blocked by default by Windows Local Group Policy when downloaded from the internet.

Resolution

How To Unblock Manually:

1. Go to Downloads
2. Locate the downloaded file
3. Right-click on the file and select Properties from the menu
   
4. Click Unblock on the General tab
5. Click OK

How To Unblock Via Group Policy (not recommended)

1. Open the Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc)
2. Browse to: User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Attachment Manager
3. Locate the policy for: Do not preserve zone information in file attachments
4. Choose to 'Enable' the policy and click OK
5. As the description explains, if you enable this policy setting, Windows does not mark the file attachments with their zone information.
6. Restart the machine.

Additional Notes

• Perform this check as soon as the file is downloaded and prior to extraction
• Unblocking zip files (and other files as well) ensures that there are no issues with the files once extracted and installed
• This is not a way to bypass functionality of Cb Defense, Cb Response, or Cb Protection

Related Content

Blocked access to files with Windows 10