Windows 10: Defender needs an app to run.

I have an elderly neighbour with a 2 week old Lenovo laptop. Worked fine with Windows 10 S mode. She accepted the update to Windows 11 S mode and now the Defender updates fail and I can't access the security settings as it says Defender needs an app to run. There are numerous fixes by the looks of it but none that can be done with S mode that I can see. She really doesn't want to lose the peace of mind that S mode offers so is there a way to fix?Why haven't Microsoft released a fix/patch considering it looks like this has been an ongoing issue for a year or more?

:)

 

Installing Apps on Windows 10 Has Windows Defender Finding Malware

Hi Tommy,

Welcome to the Microsoft Community.

• 
  Is this issue specific to third party apps?
  

I would suggest you to open Windows defender and add exclusions and check if it helps. Follow the steps to add exclusions in windows Defender.

• 
  Type Windows defender settings in the search bar and press enter
  
• 
  Under Exclusions click on Add Exclusion
  

Hope this information helps. Reply to the post with an updated status of the issue so that we can assist you further.

 

Microsoft Jigsaw and Solitaire apps will not load and run

Hello,

Thank you for posting your query in Microsoft Community.

As you are facing issues with Windows store download and Windows updates too, I suggest you to follow the below steps and check if it helps:

Step 1: Try clearing the Store Cache:

• Press the Windows key + R keys.
• In the Run window, type
  WSReset.exe and click “Ok”.

Step 2: Also I would suggest you to run
Windows Store Troubleshooter and check if it helps:

1. Type Troubleshooter in the
search bar and click on it from the list.

2. Click on view all and select
Windows Store Apps and click next.

3. Follow the onscreen instruction.

Step 3: Run Windows Update Troubleshooter

I suggest you to run the Windows Update Troubleshooter. Follow these steps to run Windows Updatetroubleshooter:

• PressWindows key + W and type troubleshooting.
• Select Troubleshooting.
• Select View all on the top left corner.
• ClickWindows Update troubleshooter.
• Follow the on-screen instructions to run the troubleshooter.
• Check if issue persists.

Step 4:

I suggest you to check if the services responsible for Windows update is running. Refer to these steps:

• Press Windows key +R, type “services.msc”
• Locate the BITS, Cryptographic, MSI Installer and the
  Windows Update Services and check if it is running.
• If not, right click on the service and click start to start the service.

Hope this will fix the issue, if not let us know with the updated status and we will be happy to assist you further.

Thank You.

 

Windows Defender Blocking Installations of Downloaded Apps

Hi Craig,

There's a possibility that the SmartScreen option is on that's why you're unable to install downloaded apps. Let's try to turn it off and see if it helps. See the steps below:

• Open Windows Defender Security Center from your Start menu, desktop, or taskbar.
• Click on the App and browser control button on the left side of the window.
• Click on Off in the Check apps and files section.

Let us know if the suggestion helps you out.