Tired of Windows Defender constantly interrupting your workflow with notifications and scans? If you’re certain that your system is protected by other antivirus software or you simply want to disable Defender temporarily, this article will guide you through the process of turning it off. With clear instructions and step-by-step screenshots, you’ll be able to regain control of your PC’s security settings.
Windows Defender, a built-in antivirus software in Windows operating systems, provides real-time protection against malware and other threats. However, it can sometimes interfere with certain programs or slow down your system. While disabling Windows Defender is not recommended as it leaves your computer vulnerable to attacks, there may be scenarios where you need to temporarily turn it off. Whether you’re troubleshooting a software conflict or running a full system scan with another antivirus tool, this article will provide you with the steps to disable Windows Defender.
Before proceeding, it’s important to ensure that you have alternative antivirus software installed and active. Relying solely on Windows Defender to protect your system is crucial, and disabling it without proper protection can expose your computer to security risks. If you’re satisfied with your current antivirus solution, let’s delve into the methods to turn off Windows Defender.
Disable Windows Defender from Settings
To disable Windows Defender through Settings, follow these detailed steps:
1. Access Windows Security Settings
Open the **Settings** app by pressing **Windows key + I**.
Click on **Update & Security** followed by **Windows Security**. Select **Virus & threat protection** from the left-hand pane. Underneath the **Virus & threat protection settings**, click on **Manage settings**.
1.1. Disable Real-Time Protection
Toggle the **Real-time protection** switch to the **Off** position. This will prevent Windows Defender from actively scanning and protecting your system in real-time.
1.2. Disable Cloud-Delivered Protection
Uncheck the box labeled **Turn on cloud-delivered protection**. This will disable Windows Defender’s ability to access the Microsoft cloud for additional threat intelligence and malware definitions.
1.3. Disable Automatic Sample Submission
Untick the **Automatic sample submission** option. This will stop Windows Defender from automatically submitting suspicious files to Microsoft for analysis.
Once all these settings are disabled, Windows Defender will effectively be turned off. However, it’s important to note that disabling Windows Defender significantly weakens your system’s security. It’s recommended to use an alternative antivirus solution or enable Windows Defender when not using other security protection.
Turn Off Windows Defender Using the Registry
To disable Windows Defender via the Registry, follow these steps:
1. Open the Registry Editor
Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialogue. Type “regedit” and click OK to launch the Registry Editor.
2. Navigate to the Windows Defender Key
Navigate to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender
If the “Windows Defender” key is not present, right-click on “Policies” and select “New” > “Key”. Name the new key “Windows Defender”.
3. Create the DisableAntiSpyware DWORD
Right-click on the “Windows Defender” key and select “New” > “DWORD (32-bit) Value”. Name the new DWORD “DisableAntiSpyware”.
4. Set the DisableAntiSpyware DWORD to 1
Double-click the “DisableAntiSpyware” DWORD and change its value data to “1”. Click OK to save the changes.
5. Exit the Registry Editor
Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
Step |
Description |
|---|---|
| 1. | Open the Run dialogue and type “regedit” to open the Registry Editor. |
| 2. | Navigate to the Windows Defender key:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender |
| 3. | Create a DWORD named “DisableAntiSpyware” and set its value to “1”. |
| 4. | Exit the Registry Editor and restart your computer. |
Disable Windows Defender via Group Policy
If you’re comfortable editing the Group Policy settings, you can use this method to disable Windows Defender. It’s a more advanced method, but it gives you more control over the settings.
To disable Windows Defender via Group Policy:
- Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
- Type “gpedit.msc” into the Run dialog box and click OK.
- In the Group Policy Editor window, navigate to the following path:
| Computer Configuration |
|---|
| Administrative Templates |
| Windows Components |
| Windows Defender Antivirus |
- In the right pane, double-click the “Turn off Windows Defender Antivirus” policy.
- Select the “Enabled” radio button and click OK.
- Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
Windows Defender will now be disabled. You can verify this by opening the Windows Security app and checking if the “Virus & threat protection” section says “Disabled”.
Turn Off Windows Defender with PowerShell
You can use PowerShell to disable Windows Defender. Here are the steps:
1. Open PowerShell
Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type “powershell” and press Enter.
2. Disable Windows Defender
Type the following command and press Enter:
Set-MpPreference -DisableRealtimeMonitoring $true
3. Verify that Windows Defender is disabled
Type the following command and press Enter:
Get-MpPreference
The output should show that “DisableRealtimeMonitoring” is set to “True”.
4. Disable Windows Defender Permanently
To permanently disable Windows Defender, you need to make changes to the registry. Before making any changes to the registry, it is important to back up your registry.
NOTE: Editing the registry incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Proceed with caution.
1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type “regedit” and press Enter.
2. Navigate to the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender
3. Right-click on the “Windows Defender” key and select “New” > “DWORD (32-bit) Value”.
4. Name the new value “DisableAntiSpyware”.
5. Double-click on the “DisableAntiSpyware” value and set the “Value data” to “1”.
6. Click “OK” to save your changes.
7. Close the registry editor.
8. Restart your computer.
Windows Defender will now be permanently disabled.
To re-enable Windows Defender:
- Follow steps 1-3 above.
- Right-click on the “DisableAntiSpyware” value and select “Delete”.
- Restart your computer.
Windows Defender will now be re-enabled.
| Method | Steps |
|---|---|
| PowerShell |
|
| Registry Editor |
|
Disable Windows Defender via Command Prompt
To disable Windows Defender using Command Prompt, follow these steps:
1. Open Command Prompt
Click on the Start menu and type “cmd” in the search bar. Right-click on “Command Prompt” and select “Run as administrator.”
2. Stop the Windows Defender Service
Type the following command and press Enter:
net stop windefend
3. Disable the Windows Defender Service
Type the following command and press Enter:
sc config windefend start= disabled
4. Exit Command Prompt
You can now close the Command Prompt window.
5. Restart Your Computer
To ensure the changes take effect, restart your computer.
Note:
The following table lists the options you can use with the sc config windefend command:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| start=auto | Start Windows Defender automatically when the computer starts. |
| start=disabled | Disable Windows Defender and prevent it from starting automatically. |
| start=demand | Start Windows Defender manually only when needed. |
Pause Windows Defender Real-Time Protection
To pause Windows Defender real-time protection, follow these steps:
1. Click on the Windows Start menu and type “Windows Security” in the search bar.
2. Click on the “Windows Security” app.
3. Click on the “Virus & threat protection” tab.
4. Under the “Virus & threat protection settings” section, click on the “Manage settings” link.
5. Under the “Real-time protection” section, turn off the “Real-time protection” toggle switch.
6. In the “Pause protection” window, select how long you want to pause protection for (15 minutes, 1 hour, 4 hours, 24 hours, or until restart). You can also “Pause for a specific time”.
Note: If you pause real-time protection, Windows Defender will not be able to scan for and remove malware from your computer in real time. You should only pause real-time protection if you are absolutely sure that your computer is not infected with malware.
Disable Windows Defender by Editing Local Group Policy
Editing the Local Group Policy provides a way to disable Windows Defender without affecting other system settings. Follow these detailed steps:
Press Windows Key + R
To open the Run dialog box, press the Windows key and the R key simultaneously.
Type “gpedit.msc”
In the Run dialog box, type “gpedit.msc” (without the quotation marks) and press Enter to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
Navigate to “Administrative Templates”
In the left pane of the Local Group Policy Editor, expand “Computer Configuration” and then “Administrative Templates”.
Select “Windows Components”
Under “Administrative Templates”, expand “Windows Components” and then select “Windows Defender Antivirus”.
Double-click “Turn off Windows Defender Antivirus”
In the right pane, double-click the “Turn off Windows Defender Antivirus” policy setting.
Select “Enabled”
In the “Turn off Windows Defender Antivirus” window, select the “Enabled” option from the drop-down menu.
Click “OK”
Click the “OK” button to save the policy change. Windows Defender will now be disabled.
Using the Local Policy Editor
The Local Policy Editor is a Windows utility that allows you to modify system policies, including those related to Windows Defender. Here’s how to use it to disable Windows Defender:
1. Open the Local Policy Editor
Press Windows key + R, type “gpedit.msc”, and hit Enter.
2. Navigate to the Windows Defender Settings
In the Local Policy Editor window, navigate to the following folder: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Defender Antivirus
3. Find the “Turn off Windows Defender Antivirus” Setting
In the right pane, double-click on the “Turn off Windows Defender Antivirus” setting.
4. Enable the Setting
In the “Turn off Windows Defender Antivirus” window, select “Enabled” from the “Policy Setting” dropdown menu.
5. Apply the Changes
Click “OK” to save the changes and close the window.
6. Close the Local Policy Editor
Close the Local Policy Editor window.
7. Restart Your Computer
For the changes to take effect, you need to restart your computer.
8. Verify That Windows Defender Is Disabled
Open the Windows Security Center and check if the “Virus & threat protection” section is grayed out. If it is, Windows Defender is disabled.
| Method | Steps | Estimated Time |
|---|---|---|
| Local Policy Editor | 8 | 5 minutes |
| Group Policy Management | 7 | 5 minutes |
| Registry Editor | 5 | 3 minutes |
| PowerShell | 4 | 2 minutes |
| Task Manager | 3 | 1 minute |
| Command Prompt | 3 | 1 minute |
Using the Group Policy Editor
1. Open the Local Group Policy Editor
Press Windows key + R, type “gpedit.msc”, and press Enter.
2. Navigate to the Windows Defender Settings
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Defender Antivirus
3. Enable the “Turn off Windows Defender Antivirus” policy
Double-click on the “Turn off Windows Defender Antivirus” policy, set it to “Enabled”, and click “OK”.
4. Apply the changes
Click on the “Apply” button to save your changes.
5. Restart your computer
Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
6. Verify that Windows Defender is disabled
Open the Windows Security app and click on “Virus & threat protection”. Windows Defender should now be turned off.
9. Disable Windows Defender for specific file types
You can also disable Windows Defender for specific file types. This can be useful if you have certain files that you don’t want Windows Defender to scan. To do this:
– Open the Group Policy Editor and navigate to the “Windows Defender Exploit Guard” policy.
– Double-click on the “Configure Exploit Guard” policy and set it to “Enabled”.
– Click on the “Settings” button and select the “Exclusions” tab.
– Click on the “Add an exclusion” button and browse to the file type that you want to exclude.
– Click on the “OK” button to save your changes.
| File Type | Exclusion |
|---|---|
| .exe | C:\path\to\file.exe |
| .zip | C:\path\to\folder\*.zip |
Excluding Files and Folders from Windows Defender
Excluding specific files or folders from Windows Defender scans can be useful when working with files that may trigger false positives or when troubleshooting issues with the antivirus software. Follow these steps:
1. Open Windows Defender.
2. Click on “Virus & Threat Protection.”
3. Under “Virus & Threat Protection Settings,” click on “Manage Settings.”
4. Scroll down to the “Exclusions” section.
5. Click on “Add or remove exclusions.”
6. Click on the “Add an exclusion” button.
7. Select “File” or “Folder” from the drop-down menu.
8. Browse to the file or folder you want to exclude.
9. Click on the “Select Folder” or “Select File” button.
10. The file or folder will now be excluded from Windows Defender scans.
Detailed Instructions for Step 10
To exclude a file or folder, you have the following options:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| File | Excludes a specific file from scans. |
| Folder | Excludes all files and subfolders within a specified directory from scans. |
Once you have selected the file or folder to exclude, click on the “Add” button to save the exclusion. You can also use the “Remove” button to delete any existing exclusions.
How To Shut Off Windows Defender
Windows Defender is a built-in antivirus program that helps protect your computer from malware. However, there may be times when you need to turn it off, such as when you’re installing a new antivirus program or troubleshooting a problem.
To turn off Windows Defender, follow these steps:
- Click on the Start menu and type “Windows Security”.
- Click on the “Windows Security” app.
- Click on the “Virus & threat protection” tab.
- Under the “Virus & threat protection settings” section, click on the “Manage settings” link.
- Toggle the “Real-time protection” switch to the “Off” position.
Windows Defender will now be turned off. You can turn it back on by following the same steps and toggling the “Real-time protection” switch to the “On” position.
People Also Ask
How do I disable Windows Defender permanently?
You cannot permanently disable Windows Defender. However, you can turn it off temporarily by following the steps outlined above.
Is it safe to turn off Windows Defender?
It is generally not recommended to turn off Windows Defender, as it helps protect your computer from malware. However, there may be times when you need to turn it off, such as when you’re installing a new antivirus program or troubleshooting a problem.
How do I know if Windows Defender is turned off?
To check if Windows Defender is turned off, follow these steps:
- Click on the Start menu and type “Windows Security”.
- Click on the “Windows Security” app.
- Click on the “Virus & threat protection” tab.
- Under the “Virus & threat protection settings” section, check the status of the “Real-time protection” switch.
If the switch is in the “Off” position, Windows Defender is turned off.
