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Welcome to another tutorial! In this article I will show you how to disable Windows Defender. But here are a few things you might need before continuing to read this guide….
If you are already familiar with Windows Defender, click here to access the different methods we have available.
If you have Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise or Education version, this is the best solution for you.
If you are looking for an alternative to Windows Defender, click here.
Rapid jump
What is Windows Defender?
In a few words: Windows Defender is a security program built into Windows 10. It regularly scans the files on your computer, acts as a firewall and has recently added ransom software protection after a large number of these attacks in 2018. Click here to learn more about Windows Defender and whether it is sufficient as a security measure.
Note that Windows Defender automatically shuts down if you are already using a third party antivirus or firewall. So if you decide to use Windows Defender, you need to disable the antivirus program or completely uninstall the page Uninstall a program from Control Panel.
Here you can learn how to uninstall your antivirus program:
- In the Control Panel, search for Uninstall and select Uninstall a program.
- Select an installed antivirus program from the list and click Change or Remove (for me it is ESET Smart Security).
- Follow the uninstallation process, which depends on your antivirus software.
- Reboot the computer so that the antivirus program leaves no trace.
Is it safe to disable Windows Defender?
If no third-party security application is installed on your computer, disabling the latest security line on your computer is DANGEROUS. The importance of Windows Defender even increased after the ransom software attacks that hit the world in 2018, when Microsoft updated the software to fix all the vulnerabilities found.
If you have other security software installed on your computer, you can protect Windows Defender to some extent. Here’s my list of recommended antivirus programs that can replace Windows Defender and even work better than it (this is the one I’ve used so far and with which I’ve had a good experience, I’m sure there are many more):
- ESET Smart Security (Antivirus + Internet Security)
- ESET NOD32 (If you need low price and basic Internet security)
- AVAST Antivirus (the best free antivirus if you are not willing to pay)
- BitDefender Antivirus
- Norton Antivirus
- Kaspersky Anti-Virus
- AVG Antivirus
Here are some ways to disable Windows Defender. Method III applies if you only have a Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise or Education version. If you then have Windows 10 at home, all you have to do is stick to the first two methods.
Windows Defender Downtime
Method I: Disabling in Windows Defender Security Center
This is a typical way to disable Windows Defender … It is quite simple and does not require any special computer skills.
Note that this method is temporary, which means that it shuts down Windows Defender for a short period of time before it is automatically activated. This can be useful and safe, as your computer will not remain unprotected for long if you forget to turn it back on. However, if you want to turn it off completely, just switch to Method II. In the meantime, let’s see how the temporary method works:
- Open the settings in the start menu.
- Select Update and Security.
- In the left pane, select Windows Security and click Open Windows Defender Security Center.
- In the new window that opens, select Virus and Threat Protection in the left pane and then click Virus and Threat Protection Options.
- To turn Windows Defender off completely, disable all three functions:
- Real-time protection
- Cloud protection
- Automatic sample transfer
- In the previous step, you can always deactivate the part that is not needed and leave the other parts.
Here’s how. The following is the permanent method.
Method II: Use the registry editor to disable them
Disabling Windows Defender with this method can take forever, because it is not automatically activated like the previous method. It is therefore strongly recommended to turn it on manually when you have finished specifying the reason for turning it off. Also be very careful with this method, because destroying the registry editor can CRASH your entire system. It is advisable to make a backup of the registry before making any changes to it. So open your eyes, let’s go!
- Press the Windows Logo key + R to start the Run application, then type regedit and click Ok.
- Click Yes to give permission.
- Paste this path into the text box and press Enter to open it: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindows Defender
- By default you won’t find a DWORD called DisableAntiSpyware, so we will have to create one ourselves by right-clicking in an empty space and choosing New > DWORD Value (32 bits).
- Rename it to DisableAntiSpyware and press Enter to save the new name.
- You must now double-click on the newly created DWORD and change its value to 1, and then click OK. Deactivate
- It is now time to restart the computer so that the changes can take effect.
After rebooting, your Windows Defender is completely dead: .
.Again, it is recommended that you enable Windows Defender after you complete your activity while it is turned off. If you want to restore the parameter, follow the same steps and change the value of DWORD to 0 instead of 1 (step 6).
Method III: Switching off in the local group policy editor
As mentioned at the beginning, this method is only suitable for Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise and Education versions. So if you use the Windows 10 Home version, you don’t have this option. Here we go:
- Click the Windows logo + R button to launch the Run application, then type gpedit.msc and click OK.
- Go that way: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Disable Windows Defender and double-click Disable Windows Defender to change the settings.
- Select On, click Apply and then click OK.
- Shut everything down and restart the computer for the changes to take effect.
After rebooting your Windows Defender is dead, as shown in the figure:
Finally, it is always strongly recommended to reactivate it if you only want to temporarily disable Windows Defender for some reason. Just follow the previous steps, but choose Off instead of On in step 3.
We hope you find our best practices for disabling Windows 10 Defender useful. If you experience problems, for example B. that you can’t disable Windows Defender or if you don’t know how to disable it, please let us know in the comment section below.
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