Smart App Control is a security feature in Windows 11 that helps block untrusted or potentially harmful applications before they get a chance to run on your system. It works in conjunction with Microsoft Defender to improve protection against unsigned, suspicious, or malicious software. There are a couple of different options you can configure it in. However, the entire tool may be greyed out sometimes, so follow along as we show you how to fix things.

Takeaways:

  1. Why is the Smart App Control Option greyed out on Windows 11?
  2. Is there a way to fix Smart App Control greyed out on Windows 11?

Why is Smart App Control greyed out on Windows 11?

Smart App Control is tightly integrated into Windows security policies. If your system does not meet requirements or is managed by external policies, registry changes may not work permanently. There are quite a few different reasons Smart App Control might be greyed out on Windows 11. The list below is in order of likelihood.

Clean installation requirement: In many cases, Smart App Control can only be enabled on a clean installation of Windows 11. If your system was upgraded from Windows 10, the feature may remain locked.

System requirements: Missing security requirements, such as TPM 2.0 or Secure Boot, can also prevent activation.

Previous configuration state: If Smart App Control was turned off earlier, it may not be possible to re-enable it without resetting Windows.

Windows updates not installed: Some devices do not yet have the required Windows updates that allow toggling Smart App Control freely.

Device restrictions: If your PC is managed by an organisation, group policies may disable changes to Smart App Control settings.

How to Fix Smart App Control Settings Greyed Out in Windows Security

The first and quickest thing you can do is check to see if the setting has been updated via Windows Updates. So force check for an update and see if the feature is unlocked. Keep in mind the reasons why it may not be working above as well.

  • Open Settings
  • Go to Windows Update
  • Check for updates and install all available updates
  • Restart your PC
  • Open Windows Security and check Smart App Control again

If the option is still greyed out, the feature may not yet be available for your system configuration, and you may need to wait for a staged rollout update.

Enable Smart App Control using Registry Editor

Before you go ahead and make changes to the Windows Registry, you'll want to make sure that you have a System Restore point to revert back to if you make any major mistakes. You can check out this guide if you aren't sure how to create one.

  • Press Win + R, type regedit, then press Enter
  • Navigate to the following path

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CI\Policy

  • Look for a value named VerifiedAndReputablePolicyState
  • If it does not exist, create it
  • Right click in the right panel
  • Select New then DWORD (32-bit) Value
  • Name it VerifiedAndReputablePolicyState
  • Double click the value and set the data as follows
  • 1 enables Smart App Control
  • 0 turns it off
  • 2 sets it to evaluation mode
  • Click OK and close Registry Editor
  • Restart your PC

After restarting, open Windows Security and go to App and browser control to check Smart App Control. If this doesn't work, your system is not compatible with it for one reason or another. But if you are desperate, you can clean install Windows 11 to see what happens.