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Windows Defender is the built-in antivirus software on Windows 10 (Windows 8.1) that helps protect your computer from viruses and other malicious software... But what if you need to disable Windows Defender? This article guides you through enabling or disabling Windows Defender in Windows 10. Let's dive in!
This article provides two methods to enable or disable Windows Defender in Windows 10:
- Enable or Disable Windows Defender in Windows 10 using Local Group Policy
- Enable or Disable Windows Defender in Windows 10 using Registry
Method 1: Enable or Disable Windows Defender in Windows 10 using Local Group Policy
Step 1: Open Local Group Policy Editor
Click on the Search icon next to the Windows 10 Start Menu button, type gpedit.msc, and when the search results appear, select either gpedit.msc or Edit Group Policy.
Alternatively, you can press Windows + R to open the Run dialog, and enter the command gpedit.msc -> OK.
Step 2: Access the Windows Defender folder in Local Group Policy Editor
Upon opening the Local Group Policy Editor, navigate to Windows Defender Antivirus via: Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Windows Defender Antivirus.
Step 3: Disable Windows Defender
Within Windows Defender Antivirus, double-click and select Turn off Windows Defender Antivirus.
A new window will appear, mark Enabled to turn on Disable Windows Defender Antivirus mode -> OK.
Enable Windows Defender: You also open Windows Defender Antivirus as in the above steps, in the Turn off Windows Defender Antivirus window mark Disabled -> OK.
Method 2: Enable or Disable Windows Defender in Windows 10 using Registry
Step 1: Open Registry Editor window
Press Windows + R to open Run and enter regedit -> OK.
Step 2: In the Registry Editor window, navigate to Windows Defender at KEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindows Defender. Then right-click on Windows Defender and select New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value.
Name it DisableAntiSpyware.
Step 3: Disable Windows Defender
Double-click to open DisableAntiSpyware or right-click on it and select Modify.
Set the value in the Value data section to 1 and click OK to save, thus Windows Defender has been disabled.
To enable Windows Defender, set the value in the Value data section to 0 and save it.
Now you know how to disable and enable Windows Defender in Windows 10. Remember, if you don't have other antivirus software installed, it's advisable to enable Windows Defender because while it may not be as powerful as some antivirus programs, it's sufficient to protect your computer. Wishing you success!
