Facet
Installing Facet

“Windows protected your PC”? Here's what that means.

The first time you run Facet, Windows may show a blue Microsoft Defender SmartScreen box, or your browser may flag the download. Facet is safe - this is Windows being cautious about a new app, not a sign that anything is wrong. Here's the honest explanation, and exactly how to proceed.

Why it happens

Reputation, not malware.

SmartScreen tracks how often an app has been downloaded and run across the whole Windows ecosystem. An application only stops triggering the warning once it has built up enough of that reputation. Facet is new and made by an independent UK developer, so it simply hasn't been seen by enough machines yet. Every download helps that reputation build.

The warning is about being unrecognised, not about being harmful. SmartScreen has not detected anything in Facet - it has nothing to compare it against yet. As more people install it, the warning fades on its own.

What Facet does not do: it has no telemetry, makes no background network calls except a quiet licence re-check, keeps your data in a single plain file on your own machine, and never phones home with your content. If it isn't for you, there's a 30-day refund.

Installer (MSI)

If you downloaded the installer.

  1. Double-click Facet-Setup.msi as usual.
  2. If a blue “Windows protected your PC” box appears, click the small More info link in it.
  3. A Run anyway button appears - click it, and the installer continues normally.

If your browser warned during download instead, choose Keep / Keep anyway when it asks.

Portable (ZIP)

If you downloaded the portable build.

  1. Before unzipping, right-click Facet-Portable.zip → Properties.
  2. If you see an Unblock checkbox at the bottom, tick it and click OK. (This clears the “downloaded from the internet” mark from everything inside.)
  3. Unzip to any folder and run Facet.exe. If SmartScreen still appears, use More info → Run anyway as above.

The portable build is the same binary as the installer - nothing is written outside its folder, and it needs no administrator rights.

The longer-term fix

Code signing is on the way.

A code-signing certificate is what lets Windows show a verified publisher name and skip this warning sooner. As an independent developer I'm working through that process; until it's in place and has built reputation, the steps above are the way in. Thanks for bearing with a small, independently-built app.

Still unsure, or the steps didn't work? Email sales@getfacet.co.uk and I'll help.