Microsoft Defender, a built-in security program in Windows, guards your computer from viruses and other harmful programs. But there can be times when you want to turn it off, such when you’re testing a third-party security program. We’ll walk you through turning off Microsoft Defender permanently in Windows 11.
Among the many security features offered by Microsoft Defender Antivirus are network security, cloud-delivered security, real-time protection, and more. All of these safeguards are gone when you disable Microsoft Defender, putting your machine at danger.
When Is It Time to Turn Off Microsoft Defender Antivirus Permanently?
In general, you ought to refrain from turning off Microsoft Defender Antivirus. But you can temporarily disable Defender if necessary—for instance, if you need to install a program that Defender is preventing. To accomplish this, launch the Windows Security app, disable real-time protection, and then enable real-time protection again.
Furthermore, you should rethink your decision if you want to install a third-party security program and permanently disable Defender Antivirus. This is because Microsoft Defender antivirus will immediately disable itself when you install an antivirus product that isn’t made by Microsoft. Antivirus software that isn’t made by Microsoft that works well with Windows Defender is considered compatible.
Fortunately, there are lots of Microsoft-compatible antivirus products. You should consult the user manual for the antivirus software or get in touch with the supplier to confirm compatibility.
However, you will need to permanently disable Microsoft Defender Antivirus if you want to install a security product that is incompatible with Microsoft.
Let’s look at how to permanently disable Microsoft Defender on Windows 11 now that you are aware of when it is OK to do so and when it is not.
Turn off the Windows Security App’s tamper and real-time protection.
Disabling Microsoft Defender Antivirus permanently is more difficult than temporarily doing so. The Windows Security app’s Real-time and Tamper Protection must first be disabled.
Microsoft Defender won’t scan any files on your computer if you off real-time protection. Furthermore, you are able to modify the Microsoft Defender antivirus settings on your PC by removing Tamper Protection, which is ordinarily not feasible. Press Enter after typing Windows Security into the search field to disable these settings.
Click “Manage Settings” on the right after selecting “Virus & Threat Protection” from the sidebar on the left.
Disable the toggle for “Real-Time Protection.” Click “Yes” to confirm your choice if UAC appears.
Next, turn off the toggle for “Tamper Protection.” When the UAC prompt displays, click “Yes.”
You can permanently stop Microsoft Defender Antivirus on Windows 11 after making these changes in the Windows Security app.
Turn off Microsoft Defender. How to Utilize the Registry Editor
Microsoft Defender can be permanently disabled using the Registry Editor if Windows 11 Home is installed on your machine.
Launch Registry Editor by typing its name into the search bar and pressing Enter. Next, open the Registry Editor and go to the following directory:
In the left sidebar, right-click the “Windows Defender” key. Hover your cursor over “New,” then select “DWORD (32-bit) Value.”
Designate “DisableAntiSpyware” as the value. Next, click “OK” after double-clicking the “DisableAntiSpyware” value and entering 1 in the “Value Data” field.
Restarting your computer will make the modifications take effect after that. When your computer restarts, you will notice that Microsoft Defender has been turned off permanently.
Enter 0 in the “Value Data” section of the “DisableAntiSpyware” value and click “OK” to reactivate Microsoft Defender Antivirus. The Windows Security program will then want you to enable “Real-time Protection” and “Tamper Protection.”
Turn off Microsoft Defender. Using the Editor for Local Group Policies
You also have the option to turn off Microsoft Defender permanently if you use Windows 11 Pro. As a Pro user, you can utilize the Local Group Policy Editor in addition to the Registry Editor for this operation.
Click the Run tool by pressing Win+R. Next, enter gpedit.msc into the search bar and select “OK.”
Go to the following location in the Local Group Policy Editor window:
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Microsoft Defender AntiVirus
The “Turn Off Microsoft Defender Antivirus” policy should be double-clicked.
In the Edit pane, select “Enabled.” After that, click “Apply” and “OK” to save the modifications.
And that’s it! When you restart your computer, Microsoft Defender will no longer be active.
Set the “Turn Off Microsoft Defender Antivirus” policy to “Disable” if you decide later on to enable Microsoft Defender. Next, enable the Windows Security app’s “Real-time Protection” and “Tamper Protection” toggles.”
Set the “Turn Off Microsoft Defender Antivirus” policy to “Disable” if you decide later on to enable Microsoft Defender. Next, enable the Windows Security app’s “Real-time Protection” and “Tamper Protection” toggles.”
How to Examine Microsoft Defender’s Condition on Windows 11
After disabling Microsoft Defender using the aforementioned technique, you need to make sure it’s truly disabled by checking its status. Open the Start menu, type PowerShell into the search field, and hit Enter to accomplish this. Next, enter the following command in the PowerShell window and press Enter:
It verifies that Microsoft Defender has been turned off if the result is “Not Running.”
On the other hand, if the outcome is “Normal,” your machine is still using Microsoft Defender. In this instance, confirm that you followed the instructions exactly twice.
Instead of offering a one-click button to guarantee PC safety, Microsoft chose to implement a more involved procedure to permanently disable Microsoft Defender. As tempting as it may be, you should really disable it unless absolutely necessary.