Microsoft Defender SmartScreen Pop-up when Installing LinkFixer Advanced

Microsoft Defender SmartScreen Pop-Up When Installing LinkFixer Advanced

Modified on: Mon, 9 Mar, 2026 at 5:01 PM

When installing LinkFixer Advanced, you may occasionally see a Microsoft Defender SmartScreen warning indicating that the application is unrecognized.

This warning is normal and does not mean the application is malicious. It usually occurs when the code-signing certificate used for the release has not yet built sufficient trust with Microsoft’s reputation system.

As part of the standard release process, LinkTek submits each new version of LinkFixer Advanced to Microsoft for whitelisting. While this approval is pending, the SmartScreen warning may appear during installation.

How to Continue the Installation

If the Microsoft Defender SmartScreen pop-up appears, follow these steps to proceed:

1. Click More info on the SmartScreen dialog.

2. Click Run anyway.

3. Continue following the installation prompts to complete the setup.

Once Microsoft completes the whitelisting process, the SmartScreen warning typically no longer appears for that version of the installer.