The access to files and communication between devices and computer processes on Windows systems has been based for decades the network protocol SMB (Server Message Block). This is why current editions of the operating system, such as Windows 10, still support SMBv1 , the first version of this standard. However, gaps in the security of this version of the protocol have recently been discovered , so it has been classified as obsolete and it is recommended to do without it. Here's how to turn off support for some variants of SMB in Windows 10 and how to turn it back on as needed..
Today when installing Windows 10, SMBv1 is no longer installed by default. However, if you have enabled the protocol manually (or through external software ) or have upgraded from a previous edition of Windows, we recommend disabling support for the outdated version of the protocol . You can do this from the Control Panel, PowerShell, or the Windows registry. The following instructions illustrate step by step the various procedures to deactivate and reactivate the protocol.
If you want to enable or disable SMB or CIFS support in Windows without using PowerShell, you can do so through the operating system software management ..
Step 1: go to? Programs and Features?
Go first to the "Programs and Features" section, where you can manage installed software and protocols like SMBv1 on Microsoft systems. To do this, open the Start menu (Windows icon) and go to the Control Panel . There you will find the button? Programs and Features ?:
Step 2: open the Windows features menu
In the menu on the left, click? Enable or disable Windows features ? to open the protocol management menu:
Step 3: disable SMB 1.0 / CIFS file sharing support
Find the entry for Windows 10 SMB support and uncheck the box. As a result, the three secondary functions will be disabled, namely an SMB client, an SMB server, and an automatic delete function . This last option allows SMBv1 to be automatically disabled if the old version of the protocol is not used, something that is no longer necessary in this case.
Step 4: commit the changes and restart the device
Finally, click? Accept ? to disable SMB1 in Windows 10. This may take some time, during which you should not close the window. Once the process is complete, you will be asked to reboot the system. For this, click on? Restart now ?:
If you want to activate SMBv1 later , you can also follow our instructions. Instead of unchecking the option? Support SMB 1.0 / CIFS file sharing? in the third step, leave it checked. However, activation is only recommended in absolutely exceptional cases..
In Windows 10, you can also use command-based PowerShell to manage protocols like Server Message Block. As with the Control Panel, you must have administrator privileges to perform this operation, otherwise Windows will not allow you to access the options.
Step 1: start PowerShell as administrator
In the first step, open PowerShell with administrator rights. You can do it in three different ways: You can see if the Windows PowerShell (Administrator) menu is available in your Windows 10 installation in the quick menu (by right-clicking the Windows icon). Click this option to start this handy setup interface. You can also type PowerShell in Windows search, right-click to select the result, and then select? Run as administrator ?:
Step 2: check the current status of SMB1 in Windows 10
After starting PowerShell, first check if your Windows installation currently supports communication with the old version of the protocol. To do this, type the following command and confirm it with? Enter ?:
Get-SmbServerConfiguration | Format-List EnableSMB1Protocol
Before long, you will get one of two possible output values: if PowerShell shows False for EnableSMB1Protocol , SMBv1 is disabled. If it appears True , it is enabled.
Step 3: enable or disable SMBv1
If your system still supports the old version of SMB, you should disable it. The command to do it is the following:
Set-SmbServerConfiguration -EnableSMB1Protocol 0
PowerShell will ask you if you really want to do this. Confirm the dialogue by pressing? Yes ? and? Intro ?:
Then restart Windows 10 for the system to accept the changes.
To enable the deprecated version of the protocol in the PowerShell variant, add the value 1 to the Set-SmbServerConfiguration -EnableSMB1Protocol command .
The third option to adjust SMB1 support in Windows 10 is through the system registry database, better known as the Windows registry. It is possible to edit the entry for the communication protocol with the standard Regedit editor. As in the previous two cases, you will need administrator rights to do this.
Step 1: start Windows 10 registry as administrator
The easiest way to open the Windows 10 registry editor as an administrator is by searching for Windows. Start the service, for example, through the input? Search ? in the quick menu (right-click the Windows icon) and type the term regedit . Select the result with the right mouse button and then click? Run as administrator ?:
Step 2: access the registry key
Once the editor is open, the next step is to access the appropriate registry key. To do this, enter the following path in the address bar under the menu bar or click on the folder structure until you reach the appropriate point.
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters
Step 3: change the value of SMB1
Double click on SMB1 in the access key and enter the value 0 to deactivate SMB1 in Windows 10. Then confirm the new value with? Accept ?:
Close the editor and restart Windows 10 to apply the changes to the Server Message Block.
To activate SMB1, enter the value 1 in the field that appears.
