Mmc.exe blocked

Mmc.exe blocked

Mmc.exe blocked is a Windows 10 error that prevents users from running the Microsoft Management Console. Usually, the issue with mmc.exe being blocked is due to a lack of Admin permissions, but it could also be attributed to malware.

This error message is one of those software problems that can have many different causes, and it is often difficult to determine what is the exact reason for its appearance. In the general case, what causes the mmc.exe blocked message to appear is the fact that the Windows account that you are using at the moment doesn’t have the rank of an Admin account. Only Admins accounts can open the Microsoft Management Console app (mmc.exe) and so if the one you are logged in with right now doesn’t have Admin privileges, then it makes sense if you get the error message when trying to open mmc.exe.

In some cases, this is perfectly normal – for instance, if you are on a company computer that belongs to the firm you work for, then it is to be expected that the Windows account you are given access to doesn’t have Admin privileges and is therefore not allowed to access the Microsoft Management Console. In such cases, if you need to access this app, you should talk to whoever manages the computers at the company.

However, if we are talking about your home computer, then there shouldn’t be a reason for you to not have Admin privileges on the machine. In such a situation, it is best to further investigate the problem to find its root and fix it. In most instances, the issue shouldn’t be anything significant, but it’s still not excluded that the appearance of this error may be a possible sign of a malware attack.

Mmc.exe error

The mmc.exe error is most commonly caused due to the user’s profile lacking the necessary Admin permissions to access the Microsoft Management Console. In certain cases, however, the appearance of the mmc.exe error may indicate the presence of malware in the system.

It is no secret that some malware programs (Trojan Horses, for example) are capable of secretly infiltrating the system and even creating their own secret Microsoft/Windows accounts that they can use to manipulate the system and make changes in its settings without the user’s knowledge or approval. It is, therefore, not excluded that such a threat may have infiltrated your machine, gained Admin privileges in it, and then altered the status of the Windows account that you normally use so that it doesn’t have the full set of Admin rights that it should normally have.

We do not mean to scare you or cause you to panic, so know that if there are no other suspicious symptoms on your computer, the cause of the mmc.exe error is probably something else (such as a user profile that hasn’t been properly set up) and not malware. However, you should still be aware of all possibilities and be ready to tackle each of them.

Mmc.exe blocked on Windows 10

The “mmc.exe blocked on Windows 10” problem is when the user isn’t allowed to start the Microsoft Management Console app. In most cases, elevating one’s Windows 10 account to have admin privileges should fix the  “mmc.exe blocked on Windows 10” issue.

It seems that Windows 10 computers experience this problem more frequently than Windows 7 ones. However, the Microsoft Management Console is an app that has been around ever since Windows 2000, so it’s perfectly possible to encounter it in other versions of Windows and not only its latest one.

The good news is that fixing this problem is pretty much identical between the different versions of Windows, and we will guide you through the troubleshooting steps so that you could take care of this error message without the need to bring your PC to a specialist. We’ve prepared for you several different fixing methods so that the chances of successfully dealing with this annoying issue are maximized.

This app has been blocked for your protection

“This app has been blocked for your protection” is an error that appears when the user is prohibited from running a certain app. The “This app has been blocked for your protection” could be due to lacking Admin privileges or because of a malware infection.

It is possible that a similar error message appears when you try to start another app or program that requires Admin permissions and not only the Microsoft Management Console. Users also often complain that they get the “This app has been blocked for your protection.” message when they attempt to install new software on their computer. Installing new programs typically requires Admin permissions, so it is expected to be prohibited from doing that if the account you are using at the moment doesn’t have the Admin rank. This issue is basically the same as the mmc.exe error one and so the way to fix it should be identical. As we said, in the lines below we’ve prepared a detailed guide with several methods that show how you could tackle this type of issue.

MMC.EXE blocked fix

To fix the mmc.exe error, you must enter the Registry Editor and make a change to a specific item in it.

1. Type regedit in the Start Menu, hit Enter, and click on Yes.
2. Go to the following Registry Editor directory by expanding the folders in the left panel:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System.
   
3. Double-click on the EnableLUA item in the right panel.
4. Change its value data from 1 to 0 and click on OK, and restart the computer to fix the mmc.exe error.
   
   

If you are now able to run the mmc.exe app after you’ve completed the previous steps, try going back to the same item in the Registry and changing its value back to 1. After that, restart the computer again and see if the problem has returned. If the error doesn’t show up, leave things the way they are. If you see the “MMC.EXE This app has been blocked for your protection” message again, then you must repeat the steps from above and leave the item value at 0.

In case the steps we’ve shown you thus far didn’t help you resolve the problem, try the alternative fix methods we’ve included below.

Use Administrator Privileges to resolve the issue

1. Type cmd in the search field of the Start Menu and right-click on the cmd.exe icon.
   
   
2. Select the Run as Administrator option from the context menu.
3. Type the following command in the command line (Command Prompt) window and hit Enter: net user administrator /active: yes.
   
   
4. When the command executes, close the Command Prompts window.
   • If you were trying to install a certain program and that’s when the error message appeared on your screen, you should be able to freely install that program now so go ahead and do that. If the error prevents you from opening mmc.exe or another app, proceed with the remaining steps.
   • After you complete the guide, and the problem is solved, open the Command Prompt again and execute this command: net user administrator /active: no.
5. Press the Windows key and R key and type services.msc in the search box.
   
   
6. Click on OK and then find an item labeled Cryptographic Services in the window that shows up.
7. Right-click on the Cryptographic Services item and go to its Properties.
8. Access the Log on tab and see what the current setting for “Log on as” is. It should be set to This account: Network Service – if it isn’t, select the This account option, click on Browse.
   
   
9. In the next window, type network in the “Enter the object name” field, click on Check Names, and then click on OK.
   
   
10. Delete the dots from the Password and Confirm password fields and click on OK to save the changes and exit the Cryptographic Services Properties.
    
    
11. Restart the computer, log-in with your regular account, and try to run the app that gave you the error. If the problem is fixed, there’s no need to do anything else. If the error shows up again, try the next method that we’ve prepared.

Repair damaged system files

1. Restart the system and sign-in with an Admin account.
2. Open the Command Prompt again (Run as Administrator) and type the following command in it: Dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /Restorehealth.
   
   
3. Press Enter to execute the command and patiently wait for it to finish.
4. Once the command completes, type in the command line this next command and hit Enter to launch it: sfc /scannow.
   
   
5. Once this command finishes, exit the Command Prompt, restart the machine, and log in with your regular account to see if the problem has been solved.

Check your computer for malware

Though in many cases the “MMC.EXE This app has been blocked for your protection” appears because of a system bug that can be resolved manually as we showed you, in some instances, the cause of this error message may be more troubling. It is possible that what causes this error to appear on your screen is actually a malicious program that has secretly entered your system and is now making changes in the system. A by-product of such changes could be errors like the “This app has been blocked for your protection” one. Therefore, if none of the previous methods we’ve shown you has worked out for you, then you should consider this possibility and take the necessary precautions. Our advice in such cases would be to scan your system with a trusted and reliable security program that can detect and eliminate any detected threats. You could find one such tool liked on this page – it is tested against a wide variety of malware and unwanted software including Trojans, Spyware, Adware, Browser Hijackers, and more, and it can not only clean your system from any potentially malicious software that it may find, but it could also keep the computer protected while you are browsing the Internet and downloading new programs and files in the future.

Final Notes

We hope that our instructions and/or the removal tool from this guide have helped you take care of the unpleasant mmc.exe error message. In case you didn’t understand any of the steps and need additional help with their completion or if you have any other questions regarding this error and the ways to troubleshoot it, feel free to share your thoughts and post your queries with our team by writing us a comment in the comments section below.