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How to Permanently Disable

Windows Defender in Windows
Trying to get rid of Windows Defender? We show you how.

Crystal Crowder
Updated Apr 8, 2022

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Antivirus
Software
If I Have
Windows
Defender?

Why Not Use the

Default Option?
It may seem a little confusing that
turning off Windows Defender
permanently is trickier than it should
be. After all, there’s an option within
Windows to disable Defender. You
can access it by going to “Start `
Settings ` Privacy & security.”
Select “Windows Security” or
“Windows Defender,” depending on
your version of Windows.

In Windows 10, you’ll see an option to

turn off different options. However, if
you read the description of the
setting, you’ll spot the problem.
Windows Defender will only stay
inactive for a short period of time.
When it detects that it’s been off for
too long, it will automatically turn
itself back on again. This means if
you want Windows Defender to stay
disabled, you’ll have to keep toggling
this option off every time Windows
resets it. What a hassle!

If you’re using Windows 11, the same

settings exist, but you have to go
through a few extra screens. Click on
“Open Windows Security.”

Select “Virus & threat protection.”

Scroll until you see “Virus & threat
protection settings.” Click the
“Manage Settings” link.

Now, toggle the various options to

Off, just like you would in Windows
10. It’s a pain trying to get to the
settings, but once you do, they’ll look
similar to Windows 10.
Also, just as in Windows 10, turning
everything off is just temporary. This
is great if you just need to turn
Windows Defender off for a short
while but doesn’t solve the ultimate
goal of turning off Windows Defender
permanently.

Also read:

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are 6 Fixes

Disabling Windows
Defender
Permanently
Fortunately, there is a way to make it
so that Windows Defender doesn’t
re-enable itself. It’s not very obvious
as to how to do it, but once you learn
the basics, you’ll be able to turn it on
and off without much issue. Just
make sure you do not browse the
Web without a functioning antivirus
active! Make sure you have
something installed beforehand to
make up for Windows Defender being
turned off.

There are two ways you can disable

Windows Defender. The first is via
the registry, and the second is
through the Local Group Policy
window. Typically, the Local Group
Policy way is a little easier to
perform, but you can only use it on
Pro, Enterprise, and Education
editions of Windows 10 and 11.

If you don’t use any of the above

editions, or you’re not sure which one
you’re using, don’t worry! All versions
of Windows 10 and Windows 11 can
turn off Windows Defender using the
registry method. Just follow the
steps below, and you should have
your problem fixed in no time.

Also read:

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Virus from Your
Computer without
Using an Antivirus

Using the Registry

MAvailable for ALL
Users)
First, open the Run command by
pressing Win + R . In the box that
appears, type regedit and click
“OK.”
Note: do make a backup of your
registry before you make any
changes. You can do this by opening
the Registry Editor, then the “File”
menu, and selecting “Export.” Place
the copy in a safe place.

The system registry will open. On the

left navigate to the following folder:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender

You may see a folder after Windows

Defender called “Policy Manager.”
Don’t click on that folder; instead,
keep the Windows Defender one
highlighted as in the following image.

On the right side of the window you

may see a file called
“DisableAntiSpyware.” If you do,
that’s great! If not, we’re going to
have to make our own. To do this,
right-click in the empty space on the
right side of the window, go to “New,”
then “DWORD j32-bit) Value.”

Windows will create an untitled

DWORD file. Right-click the file and
click “Rename,” then call it
“DisableAntiSpyware.” Make sure you
enter the name perfectly!

Right-click the “DisableAntiSpyware”

file and click “Modify … “

To enable the policy that disables

Windows Defender, set the value
data to “1” and click “OK.” This tells
the computer that the policy that
was just created should be enabled,
and Windows will disable Defender
for you. If you ever want to bring
Windows Defender back, just come
back to this file and change the value
to “0.” This disables the policy and
allows Windows Defender to work
again.

The next time you try to load

Windows Defender, you’ll see the
following error message saying it’s
been turned off.

If anything is still running, add the

following DWORD values in the
following folder locations using the
same process as above:

DisableRealtimeMonitoring (Set
the value to 1W

DisableRoutinelyTakingAction (Set
the value to 1W

DisableAntiVirus (Set the value to

1W

DisableSpecialRunningModes (Set
the value to 1W

ServiceKeepAlive (Set value to 0W

You may also need to create three

new folders under Windows
Defender. Simply right-click the
“Windows Defender” folder, select
“New,” and choose “Key.” Add three
new Keys called “Signature Updates,”
“Real-Time Protection,” and “Spynet.”
Next, add the following DWORD
values to the corresponding folders:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender\

ForceUpdateFromMU jSet value to

 0W

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender\

DisableRealtimeMonitoring (Set
value to 1W

DisableOnAccessProtection (Set
value to 1W

DisableBehaviorMonitoring (Set
value to 1W

DisableScanOnRealtimeEnable
jSet value to 1W

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender\

DisableBlockAtFirstSeen (Set
value to 1W

While you’re in the Registry Editor,

check out these useful registry hacks
for a more optimized experience.

Also read:
 How to Use
Windows
Defender from
the Command
Prompt

Using Local Group

Policy
To start, press Win + R to load the
Run box, then type gpedit.msc into
the box and press “OK.”

If you attempt to run it in a different

edition, such as Home, you’ll get the
following error.

This means you cannot use this

method to disable Windows
Defender. In this case, you’ll want to
use the registry method above
instead, which works for every
edition.

When the Local Group Policy window

loads, check under the “Computer
Configuration” section for the
“Administrative Templates” folder.
Open it, then open “Windows
Components ` Windows Defender.”
On the right, you should see a file
called “Turn off Windows Defender.”

Double-click it and click “Enabled” on

the left. This turns on the “Turn off
Windows Defender” policy, which
disables Windows Defender. If you
change your mind in the future, you
can come back here and select
“Disabled” instead.
For some, Windows Defender can be
more of a hindrance than a help.
Even worse, there’s not a
straightforward way to permanently
disable it. By following one of the two
methods above, you can enjoy your
computer without having to
constantly keep disabling Windows
Defender.

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Frequently Asked
Questions
1. Is it safe to
permanently disable
Windows Defender?
Yes. However, you should
immediately turn on another antivirus
program. Windows Defender is
designed to protect you from the
moment you start using Windows,
but you don’t have to use it if you
don’t want to. That’s why it’s a good
idea to leave it running until you’re
ready to install something else.

Even if you’re extremely careful, odds

are that you’ll encounter a virus at
some point. Blocking it is much easier
than trying to remove it. While you
can remove it without antivirus, it’s
not easy.

2. Will Windows
Defender cause my PC
to run slowly?
Unless you’re running a full scan, you
shouldn’t notice any real
interference. In fact, Windows
Defender uses less system resources
than most antivirus apps. If your PC
is running slowly, check Task
Manager to see what’s running and
using the most resources. It could
actually be a sign of a virus infection
that got past Windows Defender or
another antivirus app you have
installed.

3. Will installing
another antivirus app
disable Windows
Defender?
Partially. Windows Defender may still
perform periodic scans and will
receive regular updates. However,
Windows defaults to your chosen
antivirus. For example, when I
installed Malwarebytes, Windows
automatically turned off Real-time
Protection in Windows Defender but
left periodic scans on.

If you want to permanently disable

Windows Defender, you’ll need to go
through the options above.

4. Is it safe to run
Windows Defender
with another antivirus
app?
Yes. The two rarely get in each
other’s way. Just make sure the two
aren’t trying to run scans at the same
time, we or your PC will slow to a
crawl. Think of Windows Defender as
a backup antivirus. But, it’s not going
to hurt anything to disable it and just
use the antivirus you want.

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