2025-07-03 - How to Stop “Open File - Security Warning” When Opening Network Shortcuts

How to Stop “Open File - Security Warning” When Opening Network Shortcuts

If you’ve recently started seeing the annoying “Open File - Security Warning” every time you open a movie shortcut stored on a file server, you’re not alone. This is a common problem caused by Windows treating files from network locations as untrusted, especially after recent security updates.

Here’s how I tackled the issue step-by-step, and what worked.

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Why This Happens

• Windows flags files from network shares as potentially unsafe.

• This triggers a security warning every time you open shortcuts or files.

• It can appear suddenly after Windows updates tighten security.

• Running shortcuts from a file server or mapped drive triggers this.

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What I Tried and Why

Unblocking the Shortcut File

• Right-click shortcut > Properties > Unblock checkbox

• This often works for downloaded files but doesn’t help much for network shares.

Moving the Shortcut Locally

• Copying the shortcut to the local PC removes the warning.

• Not practical if you want to keep files centralized on the server.

Adding Server to Trusted Zone via Internet Options

• Tried going to inetcpl.cpl > Security > Local Intranet > Sites > Advanced

• No “Advanced” or “Sites” button visible — likely due to Group Policy restrictions.

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The Solution: Adding the File Server IP to Local Intranet via Registry

Since GUI options were locked down, I edited the registry directly:

1. Open Registry Editor (regedit).

2. Navigate to:

   pgsql
   
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap\Ranges
   

3. Create a new key called Range1.

4. Inside Range1, add a new String Value named :Range and set it to your server’s IP, for example:

   192.168.50.153
   

5. Add a new DWORD (32-bit) Value named file and set it to 1 (leave as Hexadecimal).

6. Close Registry Editor and reboot.

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How to Find Your Server Name or IP for This

• Check your shortcut properties for a UNC path (\\ServerName\Share), or

• If you use a mapped drive (like S:), run net use in Command Prompt to see the real UNC path.

• Use the server name or IP from that UNC path in the registry keys.

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Result

After reboot, the security warning disappeared when opening shortcuts on the network drive.

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Summary

• The warning is Windows protecting you from untrusted network locations.

• GUI options to add trusted sites may be blocked by domain policies.

• Editing the registry is an effective workaround.

• Always back up your registry before making changes.

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Feel free to share this if you’re frustrated by this recent Windows annoyance. I was too until I cracked it.

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