Windows Defender is a free built-in, comprehensive antivirus tool with reliable protection. However, there are some drawbacks to using it. It is resource-intensive, and it will continue to run in the background after being switched off – unless it has been permanently disabled.
If you have no need for it, there are many ways to disable it permanently. Read on for three methods to deactivate Windows Defender for good.
Microsoft has not made the process to permanently disable Defender quick and easy. If you turn it off in the Virus & threat protection settings, it will revert to On after a short while and without warning.
Luckily, there are various ways to ensure the setting stays off, which we’re about to take you through.
Disable Microsoft Defender Using Group Policy Settings
The first way to disable Defender is by using the Group Policy security tool. To do just that, follow these steps:
- Click on Start, then
Settings.
- Choose Privacy & security, Windows Security, then Virus & threat
protection.
- Under Virus & threat protection settings, click on Manage
settings.
- Scroll down to the Tamper Protection option, and toggle the slider to
Off.
- Choose Yes to confirm the Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?
prompt.
- In the Tamper Protection section, a message will display stating that your device may be vulnerable. Use the x in the top right to close the window.
- From the taskbar,
press the search icon to enter a search for Edit group policy, then click the result to run the Group Policy
editor.
- In the app’s window on the left pane, find Computer Configuration and select the Administrative Templates, then Windows
Components.
- Scroll down to Microsoft Defender Antivirus.
- Look for the setting Turn off Microsoft Defender Antivirus in the right
pane.
- Right-click on it and choose
Edit.
- In the popup window, check the Enabled box, then Apply, and
OK.
- Next, look for the setting Allow antimalware service to remain running always and right-click it. Then press
Edit.
- This time, check the Disabled option, click Apply, then
OK.
- Now look for the folder called Real-time Protection and double-click it to
open.
- Right-click the setting Turn off real-time protection,
then choose
Edit.
- Check the Enabled box, click Apply, then
OK.
Now you have configured the group policy. You’ll need to set up a Task Scheduler to stop certain services from running and avoid errors once Defender has been disabled. To do this:
- Enter a search for the Task Scheduler app, then open
it.
- Expand the Task Scheduler Library folder in the left
pane.
- Expand Microsoft, Windows, then Windows
Defender.
- Right-click
and Disable the following four tasks:
- Windows Defender Cache Maintenance
- Windows Defender Cleanup
- Windows Defender Scheduled Scan
- Windows Defender Verification
To update the computer and user policies:
- Open the Command Prompt as admin.
- Run the following
command:
gpupdate/force
Windows Defender has been disabled and will not start up with Windows.
Disable Windows Defender by Modifying the Registry
Another way to deactivate Defender protection is by modifying the registry. Like the Group Policy option, this method requires the “Tamper Protection” setting to be disabled to stop the Defender settings from being tweaked. Follow these steps to do that:
- Click on Start, then
Settings.
- Click on Privacy & security, Windows Security, then Virus & threat
protection.
- Beneath Virus & threat protection settings, click
on Manage
settings.
- Scroll down to the Tamper Protection option, and switch the slider to
Off.
- Choose Yes to allow the
changes.
- Use the x in the top right to close the window.
Now complete these pre-steps before editing the registry:
- Right-click on the Start
menu.
- Select Run and type regedit in the text field, then hit
Enter.
- In the Registry Editor, enter the following path in
the address
field:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Defender
To edit or add a value to this folder, you’ll need to change the owner first. By default, the owner is System. Follow these steps to change the folder owner:
- Right-click on the Windows Defender folder and choose
Permissions.
- Click on Advanced in the Permissions for Windows Defender
window.
- In the Owner field, click
Change.
- In the Advanced Security Settings for Windows Defender window, click
Advanced.
- Click Find Now, then select the admin account or the admin’s
group.
- Click OK, then OK again to confirm the
changes.
- Check the box next to Replace owner on subcontainers and
objects.
- Check
the box next to Replace all child object permission entries with inheritable permission entries from this
object.
- Click Apply, then in the Windows Security warning popup, click
Yes.
- Click
OK again to close the advanced security settings
window.
- Now, navigate to the Permissions for Windows Defender window under the Permissions for Everyone
section.
- And to grant users complete control by checking Allow beside the Full Control
option.
- Click Apply and OK to confirm the
change.
Finally, to edit the registry:
- Continuing from the Windows Defender branch in the Registry
Editor, create three DWORD [32-bit] values. To do this, right-click any white space within the right pane, and select New, then the DWORD [32-bit] Value
option.
Name the new values as follows:- DisableAntiVirus
- DisableAntiSpyware
- ServiceStartStates
- Right-click each value, select Modify, then change the Value data field to 1, then OK.
- Now close the Registry Editor and restart your computer.
Once your computer restarts, the Windows Defender will be disabled.
Disable Windows Defender Using Autoruns
You can also permanently disable Windows Defender using the Autoruns for Windows utility tool. Here’s how:
- Download the latest version of Autoruns
for
Windows.
- Open the downloaded file and right-click on the Autoruns folder to Extract All. Consider extracting the folder to your desktop for easy
access.
Now you’ll need to disable permanent protection and boot in safe mode:
- Press the
Windows icon from the taskbar, then choose
Settings.
- Choose Privacy & security, Windows Security, then Virus & threat protection.
- Under the Virus & threat protection section, select Manage
settings.
- Press the Real-time Protection and Tamper Protection sliders
to deactivate
them.
- Next, to put your computer in Safe Mode, enter a search to find the System Configuration app, then open it.
- In System Configuration, select the Boot
tab.
- Under Boot options, check the Safe boot box, and the Minimal option will set
automatically.
- Hit Apply, OK, then
Restart.
- Open the Autoruns folder on your desktop, click the Autoruns64.ex file, then Run to start
it.
- An Autoruns
License Agreement window will display. If you agree with the terms, click Agree to
continue.
- In the Autoruns window, choose the
Services
tab.
- By default, Windows services are hidden. To make them visible, click on Options from the main menu, then uncheck the Hide Windows
Entries.
- Go through the list of services for Windows Defender and uncheck the WinDefend box. This will disable the automatic startup for Windows Defender each time the computer
reboots.
- Now close Autoruns, then reboot your computer into normal mode.
To reboot your computer into normal mode:
- Press the Search icon on the taskbar and select System
Configuration.
- Check the Normal startup
option.
- Click Apply, OK, then
Restart.
Once your computer has rebooted, launch Task Manager and check if the Windows Defender service is running:
- Open Settings to see the Virus & threat protection status. To get there, go to Privacy & security, Windows Security, Virus & threat protection, then
Home.
- Verify that the Virus & threat protection status is set to Unknown.
Note: Avoid clicking on the Defender tile as it updates its information or displays the “Unknown” status. If you click on it during that time, Defender will be enabled again.
Time to Stop Defending Windows Defender
The free antivirus software Windows Defender, by default, is set to remain enabled even after being turned off via Virus & threat protection. To stop Windows Defender for good requires a permanent or “hard” deactivation. This can be done by updating the policy, modifying the registry, or disabling it using the “Autoruns for Windows” utility tool. Any of these three methods ensure Defender will not reactivate at will.
What antivirus program do you prefer? Have you found an alternative to Windows Defender, and if so, why do you think it’s better? Share your opinions in the comments section below.
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