How to Bulk Unblock Multiple Files via PowerShell? Resolved!

Batch unlocking Windows files: Use PowerShell command

Files downloaded from the Internet are sometimes blocked by Windows security mechanisms. This article will explain how to use the PowerShell command to unlock multiple files in batches.

How to determine whether the file is blocked?

Why does Windows block files? Typically, files downloaded from the Internet and saved to a computer are blocked as untrusted files before gaining Windows trust.

This is to protect the system from security. Windows needs to carefully identify potential threats, especially for files downloaded from the Internet. For example, malware may disguise itself as a JPEG image file and unknowingly initiate malicious activities, resulting in system crashes, data loss, privacy leakage, etc.

To check the file status, right-click the file and select Properties. In the General tab, you will see a security warning message:

This file comes from another computer and may have been blocked to help protect this computer.

If you only want to unlock a single file, you can check the Unblock option and click Apply > OK. If you want to batch unlock multiple files, you can use PowerShell.

How to batch unlock multiple files using PowerShell?

PowerShell provides a command to unlock files downloaded from the Internet. Here are the detailed steps:

Step 1: Find the directory path that contains the blocked file. You can copy the path from the address bar of File Explorer, or right-click the file and select Copy as Path.

Step 2: Enter "PowerShell" in the search bar, and then select "Run as administrator" under "Windows PowerShell".

Step 3: Enter the following command and press Enter. Please<path></path> Replace with the actual path to the directory containing the blocked file.

dir<path> | Unblock-File</path>

For example, to unlock all files with "PowerShell" in the C:\Downloads directory, execute the following command:

dir C:\\Downloads\\\*PowerShell\* | Unblock-File

If you execute the command dir [path] | unblock-file -confirm , you will be prompted to confirm the file you want to unlock. You can enter "Y" to confirm, or "N" to "No" to reject. If you have checked and confirmed that there are no harmful files that need to be deleted, you can enter "A" to confirm all files.

Suggestions: Back up data regularly

Blocked files are not trusted by Windows for some reason, which means that there may be security issues with these files. If you insist on unlocking them, we recommend that you back up important data in advance to prevent data loss.

MiniTool ShadowMaker can better complete data backup work. It has been deeply rooted in this field for many years, allowing users to back up files, folders, partitions, disks and systems. With a prepared system backup, you can quickly recover if needed.

To save you time and resources, the tool prepares backup plans and plans – full backups, incremental backups, and differential backups. If you want to try more features such as media builder, cloning disk, sync, etc., download and install the program for a 30-day free trial.

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Summarize:

This article describes how to use PowerShell to batch unlock multiple files. You can follow the steps to resolve your problem.

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