How to unblock a program in Bitdefender
Bitdefenderis – in our experience at least – one of the most well-behaved antivirus apps out there. Not only does if offer fantastic protection, but it also does its job quietly in the background and you shouldn’t ever really notice it.
Sometimes, though, it will block programs which are safe. It’s part of the ransomware protection which watches for apps which try to change files in your protected folders.
This doesn’t happen often, but if you know the app is safe to use you can unblock it by telling Bitdefender not to prevent it running.
How do I stop Bitdefender blocking my apps?
Open up the Bitdefender app itself. You might have a shortcut on your Windows desktop, or you can launch it from the Start menu.
When it opens you’ll see the Dashboard (above). Click on Protection (left-hand side) and you’ll see the Safe Files component on the right.
Click on Application Access to see the list of programs which have been blocked.
It’s a simple case of using the toggle switch to tell Bitdefender that you want to allow it to make changes to your protected folders.
You can also change which folders are protected by clicking the Protected Folders option above Application Access.
If the program isn’t in the list, you can click ‘Add a new application to the list’ and then browse to where that program’s executable is located. It isn’t as simple as choosing from a list of installed apps: you’ll have to navigate to either the Program Files folder or the Program Files (x86) folder and look through the list of sub-folders until you find the right one.
The actual .exe file should be in that folder, but if there are multiple .exe files you might have to add them all or work out which one actually launches the app. To add them to the list, click on a .exe file and then click the blue OK button.
The app will be granted permission to change files in your protected folders.
How can I stop Bitdefender blocking online apps?
If Bitdefender is blocking an online app, there’s probably a good reason for it. But if you are sure that it’s safe to run you can add the website to a whilelist of exceptions that Bitdefender won’t scan.
To do this, from the Protection section of Bitdefender look for ONLINE THREAT PREVENTION. Click Manage Exceptions and then click Add an exception.
Copy and paste the URL of the website into the field at the top, ensure that the Online Threat Prevention toggle is turned on and then click the blue ADD EXCEPTION button at the bottom.
Your online app or website should load normally now.
You might also like to knowhow to stop Safepay notifications popping upwhen Bitdefender detects you’re on a banking website.
Author: Jim Martin, Executive Editor, Tech Advisor
Jim has been testing and reviewing products for over 20 years. His main beats include VPN services and antivirus. He also covers smart home tech, mesh Wi-Fi and electric bikes.
