How to Enable the Hidden Protection Feature Against Unwanted Programs in Windows 10 Defender

Windows 10 includes Windows Defender, which provides essential protection against malware and viruses. However, Windows Defender also has a hidden feature for protection against Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUA), which is disabled by default. Enabling this feature can help safeguard your system against the installation of unwanted software that can slow down your computer or alter its settings without your consent.

Step 1: Open PowerShell as Administrator

To activate this protection feature, you’ll need to use Windows PowerShell. Follow these steps:

  • Press Win + X and select Windows PowerShell (Admin) from the menu that appears.
  • Confirm the action if prompted by User Account Control.

Step 2: Enter the Command to Enable PUA Protection

In the PowerShell window, enter the following command and press Enter:

Set-MpPreference -PUAProtection 1

This command enables protection against potentially unwanted applications in Windows Defender. After executing it successfully, Defender will start blocking the installation or download of unwanted applications, preventing them from negatively affecting your system.

Command Parameters to Configure PUA Protection

You can also use the following values with this command to customize the unwanted app protection behavior:

  • 0 — disables unwanted app protection.
  • 1 — enables PUA protection and blocks suspicious programs.
  • 2 — enables protection but only warns about unwanted apps without automatically blocking them.

Step 3: Check the Protection Status

To verify if unwanted app protection is enabled, run the following command in PowerShell:

Get-MpPreference | Select-Object -Property PUAProtection

If the result is 1, the feature is enabled and unwanted programs will be blocked. If the value is 2, Defender will only notify you about potentially unwanted programs.