3 Easy Ways To Disable Windows Defender Antivirus Protection

This method turns off Microsoft Defender’s real-time antimalware protection temporarily, which can be helpful if you need to install trusted software that Defender improperly flags as harmful. Defender will turn back on automatically after you restart your PC.

Click the blue “On” switch {“smallUrl”:“https://www. wikihow. com/images/0/0a/Windows10switchon. png”,“bigUrl”:"/images/thumb/0/0a/Windows10switchon. png/57px-Windows10switchon. png",“smallWidth”:460,“smallHeight”:218,“bigWidth”:57,“bigHeight”:27,“licensing”:"<div class="mw-parser-output">

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\n</p></div>"} below the “Real-time protection” heading. Click Yes when prompted. This will turn off the real-time scanning feature of Microsoft Defender. You can also disable Microsoft Defender’s cloud-based protection by clicking the blue “On” switch below the “Cloud-delivered protection” heading and then clicking Yes when prompted. Microsoft Defender will turn itself back on the next time you restart your computer.

For more general info, check out our guide on protecting your computer with antivirus software.

For example, Bitdefender Antivirus Free for Windows is available through the FOR HOME tab on their website. The button says FREE DOWNLOAD FOR WINDOWS. Make sure your computer meets the minimum specifications for the software.

For additional computer safety, make sure to password protect your Windows PC.

Open the Windows Security app. Click Virus & threat protection. Click Manage settings. Switch Tamper Protection to “Off”.

Computer Configuration Administrative Templates Windows Components Microsoft Defender Antivirus In the policy list, look for “Turn off Microsoft Defender Antivirus”.

Change the “Turn off Microsoft Defender Antivirus” to Not Configured in the Group Policy Editor to turn Microsoft Defender back on.