How to turn off Windows Defender on Windows 10 PC

by Harry Williams Manager

The Windows Defender is a type of antivirus and antimalware protection suite that comes pre-installed feature in Microsoft Windows 10. Though it is a decent and useful tool that protects your Windows computer from the malware and virus. But if for any reason you want to stop it, either for installing another antivirus program, then you can disable it.

Here are some ways to disable the Windows Defender temporarily and permanently on Windows 10 PC.

Shortcut to disable Windows Defender:

1. Go to ‘Update & Security’ in the Settings.

2. Under ‘Windows Security,’ open ‘Virus & threat protection.’

3. Under ‘Virus & threat protection,’ click ‘Virus and threat protection settings.’

4. Turn off the ‘Real-time Protection’ switch.

Turning off Windows Defender from the Security Center app:

This is the simple way to turn off the Windows Defender, but this will turn off the feature temporarily. Here is how to turn off the Windows Defender antivirus and antimalware suite temporarily.

1. Open ‘Start menu.’

2. Open ‘Settings’.

3. Click the ‘Update and Security’ at the bottom.

4. Click ‘Windows Security’ on the left column.

5. Click the ‘Virus and threat protection’ under “Protection areas.”

6. Open ‘Virus and threat protection settings.’

7. Click and turn off the toggle switch for Real-time protection.

That’s it! Windows Defender will disable for temporarily.

Turning off Windows Defender from Local Group Policy:

If you’ve Windows 10 Pro, Education, or Enterprise, then you can disable the Windows Defender antivirus suite by using the Local Group Policy Editor. Disabling Windows Defender from here will disable it permanently. Use the below steps, if you want to disable the feature permanently.

1. Press the ‘Windows + R’ button to launch run command.

2. Enter “gpedit.msc” in the run command field.

3. And click the ‘OK’ button.

4. Now, locate the “Windows Defender Antivirus.” Use the given path:

Open ‘Computer Configuration’ > open ‘Administrative Templates’ > then ‘Windows Components’ > and then ‘ Windows Defender Antivirus’.

5. Click twice on the ‘Turn off Windows Defender Antivirus’ on the right side window.

6. Click ‘Enabled’ near the top-left corner of the window.

7. Click the ‘Apply’ button.

8. Then click ‘OK.’

After completing the steps, restart your PC to apply changes.

Turning off Windows Defender from Registry:

If you’re using Windows 10 Home and don’t have Local Group Policy Editor but want to disable Windows Defender antivirus permanently on your PC, then this is another solution to turn off it in your PC.

Note: Any mistake in the Registry will danger for your system. A minor error may cause significant damage to your system. So be careful while editing the registry, you can create a backup of your system before starting the process.

1. Press the ‘Windows + R’ button to launch run command.

2. Enter “regedit” in the run command field.

3. And click the ‘OK’ button.

4. Click ‘Yes’ on the pop-up window.

5. Now, locate the “Windows Defender.”

6. Right-click on the empty space.

7. Go to ‘New’ and select ‘DWORD (32-bit).

8. Enter ‘DisableAntiSypware’ and hit ‘Enter.’

9. Click twice on the ‘ DisableAntiSypware’ key.

10. Enter ‘1’ in the value data field.

11. And click ‘OK.’

That’s it! After completing successfully, restart your PC.

Nelson King is a creative person who has been writing blogs and articles about cyber security. He writes about the latest updates regarding McAfee.com/activate and how it can improve the work experience of users. His articles have been published in many popular e-magazines, blogs and websites.

Source: http://how-to-activate.uk/how-to-turn-off-windows-defender-on-windows-10-pc/