Windows 10: Turn On or Off Windows Defender in Windows 10

How to: Turn On or Off Windows Defender Antivirus in Windows 10

How to Turn On or Off Windows Defender Antivirus in Windows 10


Windows Security is built-in to Windows 10 and includes an antirvirus program called Windows Defender Antivirus.

Windows Defender Antivirus helps protect your PC against malware (malicious software) like viruses, spyware, and other potentially unwanted software. Malware can infect your PC without your knowledge: it might install itself from an email message, when you connect to the Internet, or when you install certain apps using a USB flash drive, CD, DVD, or other removable media. Some malware can also be programmed to run at unexpected times, not only when it's installed.

Windows Defender is included with Windows and helps keep malware from infecting your PC in two ways:

• Providing real-time protection. Windows Defender notifies you when malware tries to install itself or run on your PC. It also notifies you when apps try to change important settings.
• Providing anytime scanning options. Windows Defender automatically scans your PC for installed malware on a regular basis, but you can also start a scan whenever you want. Windows Defender automatically removes (or temporarily quarantines) anything that's detected during a scan.

In Windows 10 you can turn off Windows Defender real-time protection, but it will only be temporary. Windows will automatically turn real-time protection back on if it's off for a while.

Improvements in Windows Defender

For Windows 10, Microsoft has revamped Windows Defender and combined it with Microsoft System Center Endpoint Protection. Unlike with Microsoft System Center 2012 R2, there will be no System Center Endpoint Protection client to deploy to Windows 10 machines because Windows Defender is built into the operating system and enabled by default.

In addition to simplified deployment, Windows Defender contains several improvements. The most important improvements to Windows Defender are:

• Early Launch Antimalware (ELAM) compatible. After Secure Boot has verified that the loading operating system is trusted, ELAM can start a registered and signed antimalware application before any other operating system components. Windows Defender is compatible with ELAM.
• Local context for detections and centralized sensory data. Unlike most antimalware software and previous versions of Windows Defender, Windows Defender in Windows 10 reports additional information about the context of discovered threats. This information includes the source of the content that contains the threat as well as the historical movement of the malware throughout the system. When collection is complete, Windows Defender reports this information (when users elect to enable cloud-based protection) and uses it to mitigate threats more quickly.
• User Account Control (UAC) integration. Windows Defender is now closely integrated with the UAC mechanism in Windows 10. Whenever a UAC request is made, Windows Defender automatically scans the threat before prompting the user, which helps prevent users from providing elevated privileges to malware.
• Simplified management. In Windows 10, you can manage Windows Defender much more easily than ever before. Manage settings through Group Policy, Intune, or Configuration Manager.

See also:

• Windows Defender Antivirus | Microsoft Windows
• Next-generation protection in Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016 } Microsoft Docs
• Mitigate threats by using Windows 10 security features | Microsoft Docs

This tutorial will show you how to completely turn on or off Windows Defender Antivirus for all users in Windows 10.

You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to turn on or off Windows Defender Antivirus.


When you install some 3rd party antivirus (AV) programs, they may automatically turn off Windows Defender. In this case you may not be able to turn on Windows Defender again until the 3rd party AV program has been disabled (turned off) or completely uninstalled.

Uninstallers (removal tools) for common Windows antivirus software - ESET Knowledgebase
How to uninstall or reinstall supported McAfee products using the Consumer Products Removal tool (MCPR)
Download and run the Norton Removal Tool to uninstall your Norton product

If you have a 3rd party AV program installed and disable Windows Defender Antivirus, this will also disable periodic scanning.

If you have Windows 10 Tamper Protection to be able to disable Windows Defender Antivirus.



CONTENTS:

• Option One: To Turn On or Off Windows Defender Antivirus using Group Policy
• Option Two: To Turn On or Off Windows Defender Antivirus using a REG file

EXAMPLE: Windows Defender Turned Off














OPTION ONE [/i] To Turn On or Off Windows Defender Antivirus using Group Policy
The Local Group Policy Editor is only available in the Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions.

All editions can use Option Two below.


1 Open the Local Group Policy Editor.

2 In the left pane of Local Group Policy Editor, navigate to the location below. (see screenshot below)
Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Defender Antivirus




3 In the right pane of Windows Defender Antivirus in Local Group Policy Editor, double click/tap on the Turn off Windows Defender Antivirus policy to edit it. (see screenshot above)

4 Do step 5 (on) or step 6 (off) below for what you would like to do.


5. To Turn On Windows Defender Antivirus
A) Select (dot) Not Configured or Disabled, click/tap on OK, and go to step 7 below. (see screenshot below)

Not Configured is the default setting.


6. To Turn Off Windows Defender Antivirus
A) Select (dot) Enabled, click/tap on OK, and go to step 7 below. (see screenshot below)




7 When finished, you can close the Local Group Policy Editor if you like.

8 If you are turning on Windows Defender, then open Windows Defender Security Center, and click/tap on Restart now. (screenshots below)



9 If you like, you may also want to hide or show the Windows Defender notification icon.





OPTION TWO [/i] To Turn On or Off Windows Defender Antivirus using a REG file
The downloadable .reg files below will add and modify the DWORD value in the registry key below.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender

DisableAntiSpyware DWORD

(delete) or 0 = On
1 = Off


1 Do step 2 (on) or step 3 (off) below for what you would like to do.


2. To Turn On Windows Defender Antivirus
This is the default setting.

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

Turn_On_Windows_Defender_Antivirus.reg

Download

3. To Turn Off Windows Defender Antivirus
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

Turn_Off_Windows_Defender_Antivirus.reg

Download
4 Save the .reg file to your desktop.

5 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

6 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

7 If you are turning off Windows Defender Antivirus, sign out and sign in to apply.

8 If you like, you may also want to hide or show the Windows Defender notification icon.

9 If you like, you can now delete the downloaded .reg file.

That's it,
Shawn


Related Tutorials

• How to Create a Windows Defender Antivirus Shortcut in Windows 10
• How to Turn On or Off Windows Defender Real-time Protection in Windows 10
• How to Turn On or Off Windows 10 Limited Periodic Scanning with Windows Defender
• How to Enable or Disable Windows Defender Block at First Sight in Windows 10
• How to Add or Remove Exclusions for Windows Defender in Windows 10
• How to Create a Windows Defender Settings shortcut in Windows 10
• How to Add or Remove Windows Defender context menu in Windows 10
• How to Hide or Show Windows Defender Notification Area Icon in Windows 10
• How to Add or Remove 'Scan with Windows Defender' Context Menu in Windows 10
• How to Turn On or Off Windows Defender Enhanced Notifications in Windows 10
• How to Enable or Disable Credential Guard in Windows 10
• How to Enable or Disable Device Guard in Windows 10
• How to Enable or Disable Scan Archive Files by Windows Defender in Windows 10
• Enable or Disable Scan Mapped Network Drives with Windows Defender in Windows 10
• Enable or Disable Scan Removable Drives during Windows Defender Full Scan in Windows 10
• How to Manually Scan Files, Folders, and Drives with Windows Defender in Windows 10
• How to Schedule a Scan in Windows Defender Antivirus in Windows 10
• How to Specify Scheduled Scan Type for Windows Defender Antivirus in Windows 10
• How to Enable or Disable Windows Defender Exploit Guard Controlled Folder Access in Windows 10
• How to Add Windows Defender Antivirus to Control Panel in Windows 10
• Hide or Show Virus and Threat Protection in Windows Defender Security Center in Windows 10
• How to Turn On or Off Windows Defender Block Suspicious Behaviors in Windows 10
• How to Update Security Intelligence Definition Version for Windows Defender Antivirus in Windows 10
• How to Find Windows Defender Antivirus Version in Windows 10
• How to Change Windows Defender Antivirus Maximum CPU Usage for a Scan in Windows 10

:)

 

How to permanently stop Windows Defender in Windows 10

I'm not on Windows 10, so I'm not sure BUT:

I think that what you did is to turn off Windows Defender real-time protection temporarily. When it's off for a while, Windows will turn it back on automatically.

See:
https://www.windowsphoneinfo.com/threads/turn-on-or-off-windows-defender-real-time-protection-in-windows-10.6805/

For turning off WD permanently try:
https://www.windowsphoneinfo.com/threads/turn-on-or-off-windows-defender-in-windows-10.6895/

Do remember that with WD turned off, you need to install some other anti-virus product...

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

J

 

Windows Defender not shutting off so my third party AV can work properly!

You might want to try using the reg file in Option 2 here:
Windows Defender - Turn On or Off in Windows 10

to turn Windows Defender off...

 

Hello Robbie, and welcome to Ten Forums.

If you have any 3rd party AV program installed, that may often times disable Windows Defender. Do you know if you have one installed?

 

Thanks for replying Shawn,
I did have Norton Security on it but removed it after the 10 upgrade. I also used the Norton Removal Tool as well. Strictly using Windows Defender/Firewall now. I have notifications area set to show Defender in the lower right by the clock when logging in but it doesn't show after logging in unless I click on the Defender icon in the task bar to the right. Thanks for your help and explanations. -Robbie

 

As long as you have Windows Defender turned on and real-time protection enabled, you're good to go. *Smile

 

I also followed the steps ('Disabled' the Turn off Windows Defender) but it seems that Windows Defender doesn't seem to stay on. If I restart or turn on the laptop, the Windows Defender icon is no longer displayed on the system tray (I set this to always show) and I get a notification right above the system tray (coming from the bottom right side) within minutes after starting Windows that I need to turn on virus protection (or something similar as it shows for a split second with a sound alert) <- this also doesn't show up in Action Center and says no new notifications which annoys me as I want to see what exactly Windows wants.

If I go to Update & Security -> Windows Defender -> it says Real-time protection is On but still nothing in the system tray. If I scroll down and click "Use Windows Defender" then it shows up in the system tray and stays there until the next restart. Is it really turned on if I get Windows notifications telling me to turn it on (or say I need virus protection)?

 

The Windows Defender icon in the notification area is not a reliable method to tell if WD is running or not.

Instead, if WD shows that it and real-time protection is turned on, then WD is running in the background. *Smile

 

Thanks for your help Brink, I was able to get a screen shot. I had the Windows Defender settings window open plus Security and Maintenance from Control Panel window open just before the notification showed up from the right side. It seems to suggest otherwise?





EDIT: Just to be clear I caught this screenshot the 'moment' the bottom-right notification appeared. Once the notification disappears, it then refreshes Security and Maintenance and changes to saying Windows Defender is ON instead of OFF as shown. Sorry I didn't realize this sooner as I was looking for help quickly instead of being patient.

 

Initial D,

I was referring to that just because the WD icon doesn't show in the taskbar notification area, it doesn't mean that it's not running. That's all.

Do you have a 3rd party AV program installed? If so, then you can click/tap on the "turn off messages about....." links to stop them.

If you don't, what happens when you click on the "Turn on now" buttons?

 

Thanks Shawn,
I just came back online and noticed that another post was made. Initial D's post (#5) is exactly what was going through. However, I just checked my Control Panel>Security and Maintenance (post #7) and it all shows everything is OK/On as it should be. Other than that thanks for the help and info. You among others do a great job here on the forums and I keep forgetting to hit that 'reputation' button! Have a great weekend! *Smile

 

You're most welcome Robbie. Glad we could help. *Smile

 

I don't have a 3rd party AV installed.

Ok, so I tried restarting again. What I learned is that the notification pops up with a sound after about one-two minutes from Windows startup, disappears suddenly, and then shows that Windows Defender is ON under Security and Maintenance.

So, I tried disabling the messages in Security and Maintenance for both Spyware and Virus Protection and waited. It seems at least on my laptop that it does this check one-two minutes after each Windows startup and it will always show that annoying notification with sound if you don't disable it like you mentioned. I disabled it and the notification hasn't showed up since. *Smile

I'm still annoyed that even though I turned on Windows Defender User Interface under System -> Notifications & actions -> Select which icons appear on the taskbar it still doesn't show up (Win7 doesn't have this problem with its MSE icon), but at least it's running. Thanks for all your help Brink! *Biggrin

 

You're welcome Initial D. *Smile

 

I registered just to Thank You Brink.

Really excellent work I have Windows 10 (home version) and Method Two was right on target.

Now if you could fix my stupid mail app, some things work on my Admin account that do not work on my user account. I do not have a clue. I mean I can not even thing of a way to frame a question about it. *Eek