
In the interface, click “Start now”, or the software will remain deactivated.Windows Defender is an antivirus program from Microsoft. In the Start Menu, type “ Windows Security” and select the best match entry to open the security suite. There's one extra step after you re-enable Windows Defender to get it running. If you're unsure, you can check what the file does with any text editor. You'll be hit with an “Open File – Security Warning” dialog, to which you should press “Run”. You can double-click the relevant REG file to turn Windows Defender on or off.

If they open as a text file in your browser, right-click the window, instead right-click the link and choose “Save link as…”. We've included both an on and off switch so you can reverse the process at any time. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender So you know the exact changes, it edits the following: If you're running Windows 10 Home, proceed to the registry editing method. The group policy editor is one of the most user-friendly ways to disable Windows Defender, but it's only accessible if you have a Windows 10 Pro or above license. There are numerous ways to turn off antivirus in Windows 10, and we're going to cover two today: Turn on or off Windows Defender via Group Policy

As a result, we're also going to be showing you how to turn on Windows Defender in Windows 10 if it's been disabled for whatever reason. Even if you're very aware of the best practices for staying safe online, zero-day exploits can lead to an infection of your PC with no particular dangerous behavior from yourself. In general, it's highly recommended that you don't run Windows 10 with no malware solution at all.


Still, there are some situations where this doesn't kick in, such as when you install a relatively unknown software. However, you should know that Windows 10 automatically turns off Windows Defender when it detects the install of another anti-virus. These days, it's a very capable solution, but there are still many who want to know how to turn off Windows Defender so they can enable a third-party solution. Windows 10 anti-virus comes bundled with every install of the OS, is enabled by default and even includes a hidden adware blocker.
