Enable Potentially Unwanted Application (PUA) protection in new Edge browser

I'm sure you should have seen a warning message after downloading software and trying to run an application. This is Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection (Microsoft Defender ATP) warning you that the program can be dangerous. This feature is now available in the Edge browser based on Chromium, and in this article we will show you how to activate Potentially unwanted application (PUA) protection in the new Edge Navigator.

What is a PUA or potentially unwanted application?

The first thing you should know is that PUP or PUA is not a virus or ransomware, but they are marked as unwanted as they can be annoying. The characteristic behavior of the PUA is as follows:

• Offer other software as an advertising bundle
• Install software without your consent
• Actively try to evade detection by security products or behave differently when they find security software protecting Windows 10 PC.

Enable protection for potentially unwanted applications in the new Edge browser

PUA protection is a great way to prevent unwanted software from being downloaded to your Windows computer.

1. Activate from Edge browser privacy settings
2. Activate the use of on-board indicators.

1) Activate from the privacy settings of the Edge browser

I am sure you do not want to install software that might annoy you. If you're using the Edge browser, it's a good idea to turn on potentially unwanted application protection (PUA).

• From the toolbar, select Settings, etc.> Settings
• Select Privacy and services
• In the Services section, you can enable or disable blocking of potentially unwanted applications

Microsoft has kept this feature disabled by default, but you can choose to enable it. It will then block the download of PUPs or PUAs from the browser. It also blocks URLs associated with PUAs.

In the previous version, I noticed that after downloading the program, which is PUA, it would block it and notify you. You will have the option to delete it. If you want to test it, Microsoft has official demo pages.

2) Activate using on-board indicators

If you can't see the settings, you can activate it using the on-board indicators.

• Type "edge: // flags" in a new tab and press the Enter key.
• Now search for PUA, and it will reveal the Microsoft Defender Smartscreen PUA support settings for you.
• Choose to activate it from the drop-down list.

Now go back to privacy settings and activate it if you want to use it.

How is it different from the Microsoft Defender SmartScreen option

Although it may seem that they are similar, but they are not. While SmartScreen protects against malicious sites and downloads, PUA blocks downloads of low-reputation applications that can cause unexpected behavior. The former is more concerned with sites, ransomware, viruses while the latter wants to prevent downloads instantly.

Badly reported software?

If the software you download is legitimate and you are sure it has been misreported, here is how to download it.

• When you reach the point where the browser asks you to delete it, click the three-dot menu next to the Delete button.
• It will reveal the Keep menu. Click on it.
• It will open the download section of the browser and ask for confirmation again. Click Keep to download it.
• Even when you do, the antivirus solution will ask you for it. You will need to click the Keep button to download.

For now, I don't see any setting in which you can add exceptions to the list of PUA websites.

I hope the tutorial was easy to understand and that you were able to turn on potentially unwanted application protection (PUA) in the new Edge browser.