mark of the web motw

Mark of the Web (MOTW) is a Windows security feature that tags files downloaded from the internet or other untrusted sources. When a file has MOTW, Windows can apply additional restrictions, such as blocking macros or disabling certain features. A recent Windows update changed how MOTW interacts with desktop.ini files, causing custom folder icons and localized folder names to stop working if the desktop.ini file is marked as coming from an untrusted source. This change is intentional security hardening, not a bug, and affects many Windows versions. Understanding MOTW is important for troubleshooting unexpected behavior in file properties, folder customization, and security prompts after updates.