Windows – extracting an exe out of a downloaded zip in Windows 10

Securitywindows 10zip

When I try to extract an exe file out of a downloaded zip file, Windows 10 tells me in a popup:

Windows found that this file is potentially harmful.

To help protect your computer, Windows has blocked access to this file.

Popup: Windows Security Warning

I am not sure what the URL of the link is, but clicking on it redirects the browser to:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/products/windows?os=windows-10

(Well more precisely to the German equivalent of that page.)

Given that I trust the source, how can I extract the file anyway?

Best Answer

It depends on what is actually causing that popup. Do you have Windows Defender or some other Anti Virus solution installed? Is it a popup from them? Are you sure you can trust the file? What options does the dialog give you?

One solution might to tell Windows to "Extract All" through the context menu.

Otherwise it might be sufficient to check the file properties and click unblock as the file might just be marked as a "internet file".

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