How to Turn off Windows Defender in Windows 10 | 3 Simple Ways

Though Microsoft’s Windows defender is a good built-in security guard for windows OS, there are reasons one may want to turn it off. With the installation of Windows OS, it starts automatically to secure your system. But you can turn it off temporarily or disable it permanently. In this article, I am going to show you how to turn off windows defender in some simple ways. Let’s move on to the topic.

Check Windows Defender Is Running or Not?

In Windows 10, you will find an icon of windows defender in the taskbar exactly the same as the picture below.

If many apps are running on your system, then you may not see the icon in the taskbar. Click on the upward direction and then you can see that icon there.
If there is a cross sign on that icon then your defender is turned off and your computer is in danger. If there is no cross sign on that icon, then the defender is running on your system. To be surer, click on that icon and open the defender app. If you cannot find that icon on the taskbar, then search it in your search bar and click on the result. Now you can see an option named ‘Real-time protection’. If real-time protection is on, then your defender is turned on. If real-time protection is off, then your defender is turned off.

Precautions

Are you sure about turning windows defender off? Are you aware of the afterward situations of turning it off? Let’s tell some words about it.

Microsoft has launched its built-in antivirus for its users to ensure better security. I’m not going to discuss whether a defender can protect you fully from virus threats or not, but it can protect you from many basic security threats. So, if you think the defender is doing nothing for you and you want to disable it for no reason, then you are wrong. Turning the defender without installing any third-party antivirus can cause you a serious problem.
If you want to install a better antivirus for your computer, then turning the defender is totally okay. In fact, you should turn it off before installing any other antivirus because the mixed effect of these two can affect your system in a bad way. Sometimes you may need to turn it off just because it’s interfering with your executable apps like Java apps.
So before turning off defender temporarily or permanently, be aware of your security and a  backup antivirus for your better security.

How to Turn off Windows Defender

Method-1: From Windows Defender Settings

 You can follow this method for temporary turning off.

But if you reboot your computer, then windows defender will start again and you have to repeat this process if you want to disable it permanently again. Let’s go to work.

1. At first search Setting in your search bar and click on the result.
2. Click on Update and Security.
3. Click on ‘Windows Defender’ in the left panel. Now you will find several options. Turn the option ‘Real-time Protection’ off.
4. Turn the option ‘Cloud-based Protection’ off.
5. Turn the option ‘Automatic sample submission’ off.
6. Now you are done. Windows Defender has been turned off.

Method-2: Using Registry Editor

This time we will see how we can disable windows defender permanently. Though we are saying it permanently, we can enable it again using the registry editor. I will show that in the last part of this method.

Precautions

If you want to follow this method to get your windows defender turned off permanently, then you have to follow every step carefully. A little mess up can cause your system serious harm. If you are a computer specialist or familiar with registry editor things, then you can continue frankly. But if you are not familiar with those things, then it’s better to back up your pc before approaching.
Nope, it’s not that much difficult as you are thinking! Come and follow my below steps one by one.

1. At first, you have to open the registry editor. Press (windows+R) to open the run prompt and then write Regedit. Click ok Or You can search Regedit in your search bar and click on the first result.
2. Go to this folder HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender 
3. Now check carefully whether there exists a ‘DisableAntiSpyware’ content or not. If it exists, then skip this step and follow from the next step. If it doesn’t exist, then you have to create a key named DisableAntiSpyware. Here’s the process.
4. Right-click on empty space and go to New→ DWORD(32-bit) Value
5. Give Value data DisableAntiSpyware. Click ok.

Now you can see a key named DisableAntiSpyware. Double click on it.

You will see the value data is 0. Change the value data to 1. Click Ok and restart your PC now. You are done! Windows Defender has been turned off permanently.

If you want to re-enable windows defender, follow the above process step by step. Just a little bit change in step 5 as below. You will see the value data is 1. Change the value data to 0. Click Ok and restart your PC now. You are done! Windows Defender has been turned on again.

Method-3: Using Local Group Policy Editor

You can turn off your windows defender permanently by Local Group Policy Editor. But every version of Windows 10 doesn’t support this method. If you are a Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, or Education user, then you can follow this method to get windows defender turned off permanently. You can also re-enable windows defender by this method. Let’s go to work.

1. At first, you have to open the local group policy editor. Press (windows+R) to open the run prompt and then write gpedit.msc. Click ok. Or You can search gpedit.msc in your search bar and click on the first result.

Now,

If you are receiving an error message while trying to open the local group policy editor with this above method, then your version of Windows 10 doesn’t support this method and you cannot use this method anymore to get things done. Follow my above-mentioned method 1 or method 2. If there is no error message, then continue to the next steps.

1.  Go to this folder→Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Defender
2. Now you can see an option named Turn off Windows Defender in the right panel. Double click on it.
3. Click enabled on the left side and then click apply. Restart your PC and you are done.
4. Things should get done already. But if still, windows defender is running on your system, then follow these instructions.
5. Press (Windows+X) button to open the Power users menu and choose ‘Command Prompt(Admin) option.
6. Enter gpupdate /force and click enter.
7. Restart your PC and you will be done.

If you want to re-enable your windows defender, then follow these steps from step 1 – step 4. Just a little bit change in step 4 as described below→→Click ‘Not configured’ on the left side and then click apply. Restart your PC and you are done.

Conclusion

By this time, you should get turned off windows defender things clearly. If any of these methods fail in your computer, then follow the steps carefully from the beginning and check whether you missed anything. After turning off windows defender successfully, don’t forget your security matters as windows defender was giving your system a good security backup!