If you cannot download any exe file in Windows 10 or even on Windows 7/8 / 8.1, there may be a problem in your Internet Options, or the Windows Registry needs to be configured correctly.
This error usually occurs when you have disabled downloading of executable files in Internet Options. This can be done manually by any user, or it can also be changed automatically through some software. While there may be many other possibilities, the two are the most popular. We will talk about fixing the error of unable to download a .exe file in Windows 10 using both methods. Let’s start with fixing Internet Options.
Fix unable to download any .exe files using Internet Options
It’s possible that your Internet Options are not correctly, which is why the .exe file loading is creating a problem. Apply the below steps to put Internet Options in an orderly manner.
- Type Internet Options in Start Menu and open the first result you get.
- Go to the Security tab in the Internet Options window, and select Custom Level.
- A new window will open and enable File Download and Font Download.
- Please scroll down below, look for another option called Launching applications and unsafe files, and select the Prompt option.
- Click Apply and OK. Close all open windows.
Fix .exe files that are not opened with the Windows Registry
- Open the Registry Editor window by typing regedit.exe in the Run dialog box. And go to the following item.
“HKEY_CURRENT_USER Software Microsoft Windows CurrentVersion Ploicies Attachments”. - You have to create a new 32-bit DWORD value named ScanWithAntivirus and set it to 1, which disables or disables scanning.
So now, any file you will download, anti-virus software will not scan it, and your download will not be affected anymore.
Add a Registry for the EXE file extension
- Download the following Registry key:
Reset Exe in Windows Registry - Now go to where you saved it, double-click it to add this registry to the Windows Registry.
- A confirmation window will open asking you for a change you will make in Registry Editor. Click Yes, and here you are done.
Hopefully, after applying the fixes, your problem of not downloading or saving any exe file will be solved. But be sure of what you are downloading, and always download it from official websites to avoid downloading viruses, as you could run into any problems if a virus comes with your downloads.