Notify antivirus programs when opening attachments
Verified with Windows 11 25H2 — updated on July 30, 2026
Supported on: At least Windows XP Professional with SP2
Path in the GPO console
User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Attachment Manager Description
This policy setting allows you to manage the behavior for notifying registered antivirus programs. If multiple programs are registered, they will all be notified. If the registered antivirus program already performs on-access checks or scans files as they arrive on the computer's email server, additional calls would be redundant. If you enable this policy setting, Windows tells the registered antivirus program to scan the file when a user opens a file attachment. If the antivirus program fails, the attachment is blocked from being opened. If you disable this policy setting, Windows does not call the registered antivirus programs when file attachments are opened. If you do not configure this policy setting, Windows does not call the registered antivirus programs when file attachments are opened.
Registry
HKCU
Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Attachments Value name: ScanWithAntiVirus
Enabled: ScanWithAntiVirus = 3
Disabled: ScanWithAntiVirus = 1
MDM / Intune (CSP)
./User/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/AttachmentManager/NotifyAntivirusPrograms Microsoft Learn documentation Mapping data: Microsoft Learn (CC BY 4.0)
Export Builder
BETAConfigure the state, scope and options, then generate .reg, PowerShell, Intune and SCCM outputs — or add the setting to a multi-setting collection.
These exports write the registry — this is not a managed GPO. ⓘ
.reg file
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
; Exported from gporais.com
; Policy: Notify antivirus programs when opening attachments
; State: Enabled
; Supported on: At least Windows XP Professional with SP2
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Attachments]
"ScanWithAntiVirus"=dword:00000003More formats (PowerShell, Intune, SCCM)
PowerShell
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Notify antivirus programs when opening attachments
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows XP Professional with SP2
# Warning: In SYSTEM context (the Intune default), HKCU targets the SYSTEM profile. Run this script using the logged-on credentials.
$path = 'HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Attachments'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'ScanWithAntiVirus' -Value 3 -Type DWordIntune XML
OMA-URI: ./User/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/AttachmentManager/NotifyAntivirusPrograms
Data type: String
Value:
<enabled/>Intune Remediation
# === Detection script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Notify antivirus programs when opening attachments
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows XP Professional with SP2
# Warning: In SYSTEM context (the Intune default), HKCU targets the SYSTEM profile. Run this script using the logged-on credentials.
function Test-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Name,
[object]$Expected,
[ValidateSet('String', 'DWord', 'MultiString')][string]$Kind = 'String',
[switch]$Absent
)
try {
$item = Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction Stop
} catch {
return $Absent.IsPresent
}
if ($Absent.IsPresent) { return $false }
$actual = $item.$Name
if ($Kind -eq 'DWord') { return ([int64]$actual) -eq ([int64]$Expected) }
if ($Kind -eq 'MultiString') {
$actualValues = @($actual)
$expectedValues = @($Expected)
if ($actualValues.Count -ne $expectedValues.Count) { return $false }
for ($i = 0; $i -lt $expectedValues.Count; $i++) {
if ([string]$actualValues[$i] -ne [string]$expectedValues[$i]) { return $false }
}
return $true
}
return [string]$actual -eq [string]$Expected
}
$checks = @(
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Attachments' -Name 'ScanWithAntiVirus' -Expected 3 -Kind DWord)
)
if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1
# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Notify antivirus programs when opening attachments
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows XP Professional with SP2
# Warning: In SYSTEM context (the Intune default), HKCU targets the SYSTEM profile. Run this script using the logged-on credentials.
$path = 'HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Attachments'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'ScanWithAntiVirus' -Value 3 -Type DWordSCCM scripts
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Notify antivirus programs when opening attachments
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows XP Professional with SP2
# SCCM Configuration Item guidance:
# Create a Configuration Item of type "Setting: Script".
# Discovery script: use the Detection script below.
# Remediation script: use the Remediation script below.
# Compliance rule: the Discovery script output equals 'Compliant'.
# === Detection script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Notify antivirus programs when opening attachments
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows XP Professional with SP2
# Warning: In SYSTEM context (the Intune default), HKCU targets the SYSTEM profile. Run this script using the logged-on credentials.
function Test-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Name,
[object]$Expected,
[ValidateSet('String', 'DWord', 'MultiString')][string]$Kind = 'String',
[switch]$Absent
)
try {
$item = Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction Stop
} catch {
return $Absent.IsPresent
}
if ($Absent.IsPresent) { return $false }
$actual = $item.$Name
if ($Kind -eq 'DWord') { return ([int64]$actual) -eq ([int64]$Expected) }
if ($Kind -eq 'MultiString') {
$actualValues = @($actual)
$expectedValues = @($Expected)
if ($actualValues.Count -ne $expectedValues.Count) { return $false }
for ($i = 0; $i -lt $expectedValues.Count; $i++) {
if ([string]$actualValues[$i] -ne [string]$expectedValues[$i]) { return $false }
}
return $true
}
return [string]$actual -eq [string]$Expected
}
$checks = @(
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Attachments' -Name 'ScanWithAntiVirus' -Expected 3 -Kind DWord)
)
if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1
# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Notify antivirus programs when opening attachments
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows XP Professional with SP2
# Warning: In SYSTEM context (the Intune default), HKCU targets the SYSTEM profile. Run this script using the logged-on credentials.
$path = 'HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Attachments'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'ScanWithAntiVirus' -Value 3 -Type DWordBuilding a multi-setting collection? Add this setting and generate combined .reg / PowerShell / GPO scripts.