Getassist
  • How to
  • Troubleshoot
  • Social
  • Internet
  • General
  • News
  • Top 10
  • Tools
  • Write for us

How to » Microsoft » Windows » How to Turn Off/Disable/Uninstall Windows Defender for Windows 10?

How to Turn Off/Disable/Uninstall Windows Defender for Windows 10?

Posted on January 21, 2020 | by Freddie George

disable windows defender

Windows 10 offers built-in and trusted security protection in the form of windows defender antivirus. The antivirus offers free anti-malware features exclusively designed and developed to keep your device safe from viruses, spyware, ransomware, hackers, and other forms of threats. Most of the time, this tool proves helpful in providing complete protection but there can be certain situations such as if it is stopping you from using a program or slowing down your productivity, you need to turn it off. For that, you need to know how to disable windows defender for your device. 

But before you do that, keep in mind that disabling Windows Defender will make your device vulnerable to several security threats. 

Method-1 Disabling Windows Defender through Security Center

Follow the steps given below to disable windows defender for windows 10 using security center:

  1. Click on the Windows logo button to open the ‘Start’ menu.
  2. Then click on the gear-shaped icon given in the lower left side to go to the ‘Settings’ section.
  3. Next, move to the bottom of the settings menu and select ‘Update and Security’.
  4. On the upper left side of the window, click on ‘Window security’.
  5. Under the heading ‘Protection areas’, click on the option ‘Virus and threat protection’ and doing that will open the Windows Defender window.
  6. Select ‘virus and threat protection settings’ on scrolling further on the page.
  7. To disable Windows Defender, click the blue ‘On’ switch given under the ‘Real-time protection heading and select ‘Yes’ when prompted. It will put the real-time scanning feature of Windows Defender on ‘Off’ mode. You can even try disabling it by clicking the blue ‘On’ switch given under the ‘Cloud-delivered protection’ heading and then select ‘Yes’ when prompted. This process will not permanently disable windows defender windows 10 and the next time you restart your computer, Windows Defender will turn itself on. 

Method-2 Disabling Windows Defender Through Registry

Another method using which you can disable Windows Defender has been explained below:

  1. Click on the Windows logo icon to launch the start menu.
  2. Then open Registry Editor as that will let you make changes to the system’s core features.
  3. Firstly, type ‘regedit’ and then click on the blue regedit icon given at the top of the start menu, select ‘Yes’ when instructed.

  4. Now, you need to go to the Windows Defender folder’s location by expanding the folders one by one as follows:
  5. Double-click the ‘HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE’ folder to expand it.

    Next, expand the ‘SOFTWARE’ folder and then expand the “Policies” folder. Afterwards, expand the ‘Microsoft’ folder and click on the ‘Windows Defender’ folder.

  6. On right-clicking the ‘Windows Defender’ folder a drop-down menu will appear.
  7. Click on ‘New’ given at the top of the drop-down menu and a pop-out menu will appear.
  8. From the pop-out menu, click on the DWORD (32-bit) Value. Doing this will put a blue-and-white file in the ‘Windows Defender’ window.
  9. For the DWORD file name, enter ‘DisableAntiSpyware’ as the file name and press Enter.
  10. Double-click on the ‘DisableAntiSpyware’ DWORD file to open it, a pop-up window will show up.
  11. Enter 1 in the Value Data field to turn on the DWORD value and click ‘Ok’.
  12. Restart your computer from the start menu and when the computer completely restarts, Windows Defender will be disabled.

This is how you can disable windows defender. In case you want to Re-enable Windows Defender you can do it as follows: 

  1. From the Registry Editor, open the Windows Defender folder.
  2. Click on the ‘Windows Defender’ folder and double-click the ‘DisableAntiSpyware’ to open it.
  3. Change the ‘Value data’ to 0, click ‘Ok’, and restart your computer.

How to Uninstall Windows Defender?

It is not recommended to stop the Windows Defender service from starting automatically when you start your PC, and or to completely uninstall Windows Defender.

If you turn off Windows Defender or it gets automatically disabled when you install a third-party app, it doesn’t use so many system resources, so there is no need to stop the service. For Windows 10, you can disable the real-time protection, but keep using Defender for manual scanning as a backup antivirus app. If you are planning to uninstall it, Windows update will restore Windows Defender anyway. Also, Defender takes up very little disk space and there is no need to uninstall it to free up disk space on Windows.

Tweet
Share
Pin1
Share5
6 Shares
  • Type Your Question
  • Recent Post
    • 8 Great SEO Tips to Increase Traffic on Your Website
    • How Do I Optimize My GMB Listing?
    • YouTube Statistics Made Simple: What You Need to Know
    • The Only Guide You Need to Setup a Smartwatch
    • Creating a Multi-OS Installer Flash Drive
    • How to Read Someone’s Text Messages Without Installing Software?
    • In My End is My Beginning: Why TV Streaming Services Love Exploiting Your Nostalgia
    • How to get the best price for iPhone 12 Pro
    • 5 Reasons Why You Should Buy a Fruit Juicer
disable windows defender disable windows defender windows 10 how to disable windows defender how to uninstall windows defender permanently disable windows defender windows 10 turn off windows defender windows defender windows defender security centre
Related Post
  • Legal Ways of Getting Windows 10 for Free or at Discounted Rates
    Legal Ways of Getting Windows 10 for Free or at Discounted Rates
  • Fix Pop-up ads on Windows 10
    How to Fix Pop up Ads on Windows 10?
  • how to update windows 10 8 7
    How to Update Windows 10 for Improved Experience?
  • how to download windows 10 iso disc image
    Download Windows 10 ISO Disc Image from Microsoft Website
  • how to create bootable usb drive
    Create Bootable USB Media Device Using Windows 10 ISO Image
  • realtek hd audio manager download reinstall on windows
    Realtek HD Audio Manager in Windows 10- All about Downloading and Re-installation
  • microsoft support diagnostic tool in windows 7 8 10
    How to Use Microsoft Support Diagnostic Tool in Windows 7/8/10?
  • how to update java on windows
    Update Java on Windows Using These Simple Methods
  • how to activate windows 10
    4 Easy Methods to Activate Windows 10
  • Subscribe to Our Newsletter

    Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

  • Important Links
    • Home
    • Blog
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms Of Use
  • Get in Touch

    Address: Wireless Revolution LLC., 7800 harwin dr houston texas 77036 United States

    Mail Id: info@getassist.net

Disclaimer: The information available on the site is only available for informational purposes at the user’s sole risk. We take no guarantee of the accurateness, value, or completeness of the information and shall not be held responsible or liable for any errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in the information or if any user is solely relied on the information. User is himself responsible for verifying the information as being appropriate for personal use. We don’t claim to be officially related to any brands, products or services mentioned on the website and have no right to them. We only offer support guides and the images, names, media or links used on the website are just for the reference and informational purpose only.
Copyright © 2021 Getassist.net All Rights Reserved.