Do not apply the Mark of the Web tag to files copied from insecure sources
This computer policy controls whether File Explorer tags files copied from locations that Windows classifies as insecure.
since 0.9.8.11
Purpose
Show registry keys (1)
HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer\DisableMotWOnInsecurePathCopy
This computer policy controls whether File Explorer tags files copied from locations that Windows classifies as insecure. The Mark of the Web (MotW) records security-zone information indicating that a file originated from an untrusted source.
When the policy is enabled, File Explorer does not add MotW to these copies. When the policy is disabled or not configured, File Explorer applies the tag appropriate to the detected source.
Notes
Security
Without MotW, downstream Windows features and applications lack an important source-of-origin signal. Protections that depend on this signal might therefore not be applied to the affected copies. For example, Microsoft Office uses zone information to block macros by default in files identified as originating from the Internet zone.
This policy does not execute files or active content, and it does not disable Microsoft Defender Antivirus or every Microsoft Defender SmartScreen check. It does, however, weaken security decisions that specifically depend on the presence of MotW.
Notes
This is a computer-scoped setting governing tagging during applicable File Explorer copy operations. It does not determine how individual applications handle files that already carry MotW. Microsoft documents it as an ADMX-backed policy defined by WindowsExplorer.admx.
Microsoft documentation
Microsoft Learn: ADMX_WindowsExplorer Policy CSP
Microsoft Learn: Macros from the Internet are blocked by default in Office