By Abhijith M B
Publication Date: 2025-12-16 02:12:00
Microsoft confirmed Smart App Control can now be turned on or off at any time, without requiring a clean install of Windows. The toggle sits under Windows Security > App & Browser Control > Smart App Control settings, and when enabled, it continues to block untrusted or potentially harmful apps. It’s still being tested and not available in production.
Microsoft told Windows Latest that it made changes to the Smart AppControl (SAC) to ensure “users can switch SAC off or on without any clean install requirement based on feedback.” This change will roll out in 2026, and it’s currently being tested in the Windows Insider Program.
Until now, if you disabled Smart App Control even once, Windows permanently locked it off, unless you wiped your system and started over with a clean install. For users who had Smart App Control block legitimate software, they had to either live with broken…
