This app has been locked for your protection.

This problem can occur with virtually any application on your computer., and users were shocked to find that they just can't run some of the apps that used to work normally, usually after an update. Even if the application you are trying to open is not malicious at all, you may get this error without further explanation.

There are several methods that can be used to deal with this error message, so be sure to try them all before giving up. Good luck!

Solution 1: use the hidden administrator account to run or install the app

You will need elevated administrator access to run or install the application properly. This account can be easily enabled by following the instructions below. When you successfully access this account, may modify, run or install the app and get back to your regular account in the blink of an eye.

1. On the login screen, click the power icon and hold the Shift key while clicking restart. This is a great shortcut to access the recovery menu without having to insert the recovery DVD.

2. Instead, or when restarting, a blue screen will appear with various options. Choose Troubleshoot >> Advanced Options >> Command Prompt and have your computer open Command Prompt with administrative permissions.

1. Copy and paste the following command in the command prompt and then click Enter. You should be able to see the message “The command completed successfully” soon.

 internet user manager / active:and

1. Access this administrator account by restarting your computer and choosing this hidden administrator account. Wait a couple of minutes before everything is ready.

2. This will allow you to run or install the application that is causing you problems while logged in to this account.

3. Once you are done with the hidden admin account, you can disable it again by opening an administrative command prompt and typing the following command:

internet user manager / active:no

Solution 2: use command prompt

This command, which can be run at command prompt, it can help you to use admin privileges to try to run the app without having to enable the hidden admin account. However, this method sometimes just doesn't work properly and that is why we have given the first method a head start.

1. I searched “Symbol of the system” in the start menu or by tapping the search button next to it. Right-click on the first option that appears as a search result and select the option “Execute as an administrator”. You can also use the Windows key combination + R and write “cmd” in the Run dialog. Click OK to run.

1. Copy and paste the command below and make sure to hit the Enter key on your keyboard after doing so. Also make sure you use the correct path to the file, including your name. X is also the placeholder letter; You must enter the letter corresponding to the letter of the drive where the file is located.

"C:N-carpeta1N-carpeta2N- PROBLEMA_APP.exe"

1. You should see the message Operation completed successfully. Otherwise, check if you have entered the file location correctly. If so, try checking other solutions below.

Solution 3: MMC.exe causing the error

If mmc.ece is the one causing the error with security prevention when you click Install or Check for updates in the Settings app, a workable answer would be to simply reset the Windows Update components that are closely related to the mmc application. exe. This can be a long process, but otherwise you will not be able to run anything related to mmc.exe without having the problem.

Since you are editing the registry, We recommend that you read this article to back up your registry and avoid problems later.

1. Let's proceed with the solution by closing the following services that are the main services related to the Windows update process: background smart transfer, Windows upgrade and cryptographic services. Disabling them before you begin is very important if you want the rest of the steps to be done without errors.

2. I searched “Symbol of the system” in the start menu or by tapping the search button next to it. Right-click on the first option that appears as a search result and select the option “Execute as an administrator”. Copy and paste the command below and make sure to hit the Enter key on your keyboard after doing so.

net stop bits
net stop wuauserv
net stop appidsvc
net stop cryptsvc

1. After that, you will have to delete some files that need to be removed if you want to proceed with the update components reset. This is also done through the command prompt with administrative privileges.

Of "%ALLUSERSPROFILE% N-Application DataN-MicrosoftNNetworkN-DownloaderNqmgr * .dat"

1. Rename the SoftwareDistribution and catroot2 folders. To do this, at an administrative command prompt, copy paste the following two commands and click Enter after copying each one.

Ren %systemroot%N-SoftwareDistribución de SoftwareDistribución de Software.bak
Ren %systemroot%Nsystem32Ncatroot2 catroot2.bak

1. The following commands will help us to reset BITS (Background intelligence transfer service) y wuauserv (Windows update service) to your default security descriptors. Make sure not to modify the commands below to improve it if you simply copy them due to their complexity.

exe sdset bits D:(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;HIS)(A;;CCDCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRSDRCWDWO;;;BA)(A;;CCLCSWLOCRRC;;;AT)(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;COULD)
exe sdset wuauserv D:(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;HIS)(A;;CCDCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRSDRCWDWO;;;BA)(A;;CCLCSWLOCRRC;;;AT)(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;COULD ) 

1. Let's navigate back to the System32 folder to move to the final part of this method.

cd /d %windir%system32

1. How we have completely restored the BITS service, we will have to re-register all the necessary files for the service to work and run smoothly. However, each of the files requires a new command to be re-registered, so the process may take longer than you are used to. Copy the commands one by one and make sure not to leave any of them. You can find the full list by following this link.

2. The next thing we will do is restart Winsock by copying and pasting the following command in the administrative command:

netsh winsock reset

1. If you are using Windows 7, 8, 8.1 O 10, at a command prompt, copy the following command into the command prompt window and hit the Enter key:

netsh winhttp reset proxy

1. If all the previous steps were easy, now you can restart the services you closed in the first step using the commands below.

net start bits
net start wuauserv
net start appidsvc
net start cryptsvc

1. Restart your computer after following all the steps listed. Hopefully, you will now be able to continue with Windows Update without receiving the error “This app has been locked for your protection”.

Solution 4: swipe apps on SmartScreen

This can be done through the command prompt, as you can operate how the message will appear and what options will be presented to users trying to run the problematic application. Sometimes, this error is caused by certificate conflicts and Windows does not want to let it pass.

However, if you really want to run the app and if you trust the developer, you can follow the instructions below to be able to run the application. The process is different for Windows users 10 and for older versions of Windows operating system.

Old versions of Windows:

1. Open the Control Panel by searching for it in the Start menu or by clicking the search button that appears next to it. You can also use the Windows key combination + R to open the Run dialog. Scribe “control Panel” in the box and click OK.

1. Once the Control Panel opens, change the View By option to Category and click System and Security. Once this section opens, locate the Action Center subsection at the top of the window and click on it.

2. Find the Windows SmartScreen option by scrolling through the window. Click the Change Settings option. Please note that you will need to have administrator permissions to be able to do this.

1. You will see three options: Require administrator approval, Give a warning and Shut down Windows SmartScreen. You can choose the second or third option, since both should eliminate the error, but it is better to set the option button on the second one to get a warning about other possibly suspicious apps.

2. Check if the problem has disappeared after confirming the changes and restarting the computer.

Windows users 10:

1. Right-click on the shield icon on the taskbar and click Open. This is to open the Windows Defender Security Center on your computer.

2. When the Windows Defender Security Center opens, locate the navigation menu on the right to locate SmartScreen. You will have to click on the browser icon which should be above the computer icon and below the radio tower icon.

   

3. In the Verify apps and files section, change the radio button from Block to Warn and see if the problem is gone.