If the app has been seen before but it is known to be dangerous, then Smartscreen will block the malware to protect your computer from virus infection. If the app or file has been seen before and it is known to be safe, it can pass through SmartScreen filter. Well, every time you download an application or file from the Internet, the SmartScreen filter will check it against Microsoft’s database. When you open Task Manager, you may see the process SmartScreen running in the background. Now, Windows 10 has an improved version of this utility. Originally introduced in Windows 8, this utility aims to prevent you from downloading malware. Smartscreen, also known as Windows Defender Smartscreen (with its smartscreen.exe), is a very useful security feature that belongs to the Microsoft Windows operating systems. If you want to learn more information about the Windows Defender SmartScreen or SmartScreen.exe, please keep reading. On the contrary, it helps protect your PC from virus infection by blocking the download of malware or files from malicious websites. Is it a virus? Some users are worried about this. Many Windows users report that they see SmartScreen process in Task Manager occasionally but don't know what SmartScreen is.