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Windows 11 Smart App Control blocked everything LITERALLY

Abdallah Raafat 20 Reputation points
2026-03-08T02:14:23.25+00:00

Hello everyone, I was messing around with Windows 11 Smart App Control trying to temporarily disable it. I edited the registry key:

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CI\Policy\VerifiedAndReputablePolicyState

and set it to 0 (to make SAC appear off in the GUI). Then I restarted my computer, but Smart App Control now is literally blocking all my apps, including PowerShell, cmd, regedit, Chrome, VS Code, ...etc. everything except Edge, Explorer, Camera, calc.exe, and other similar applications.

Is there any way I can fix this?

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Security and privacy
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  1. Q&A Assist
    2026-03-08T02:14:35.84+00:00
    AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more

    Smart App Control is built on App Control for Business and can be forced into modes via the registry. Changing VerifiedAndReputablePolicyState directly can leave the system in an inconsistent state where nearly all unsigned or untrusted apps are blocked.

    To recover, Smart App Control must be reset to a valid mode and the App Control policies refreshed. The supported way (and the one Microsoft emphasizes) is effectively to reset or reinstall Windows so Smart App Control is reinitialized correctly:

    1. Use the built‑in reset option so Windows can rebuild Smart App Control and its policies:
      • Select Start and type Reset this PC.
      • Open Reset this PC → in Recovery choose Reset this PC.
      • Choose Keep my files so personal files are preserved while apps and settings (including Smart App Control configuration) are removed and rebuilt.
      • Complete the reset and let Windows finish setup.
      After reset, Smart App Control will start again in evaluation mode on a clean install and then decide whether to turn itself On or Off. This also clears the broken registry configuration.
    2. If the system is enterprise‑managed and Smart App Control was modified via policy, the organization can centrally set VerifiedAndReputablePolicyState back to a supported value and then run CiTool.exe -r to refresh policies, but this is documented as an admin/testing scenario and once Smart App Control is turned off it cannot be turned back on without a reset or reinstall.

    Because Smart App Control is only fully supported on clean installs and cannot be reliably re‑enabled after being turned off or corrupted, using Reset this PC (Keep my files) is the supported remediation when it begins blocking everything after manual registry edits.

    References:

    1 person found this answer helpful.

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