How To Disable Antivirus Windows 11? Windows Defender is a free, built-in antivirus program that provides dependable protection. There are, however, some disadvantages to using it. It consumes a lot of resources and will continue to run in the background even after you turn it off unless you disable it permanently.
If you don’t need it, there are several ways to permanently disable it. Continue reading for three ways to permanently disable Windows Defender.
Video: How to Disable Microsoft Defender Antivirus in Windows 11
HOW DO I TURN OFF WINDOWS DEFENDER IN WINDOWS 11?
Microsoft has not made it simple or quick to permanently disable Defender.
How To Disable Antivirus Windows 11
If you turn it off in the Virus & threat protection settings, it will automatically revert to On after a short period of time. Fortunately, there are several ways to ensure the setting remains turned off, which we’ll go over now.
Using Group Policy Settings, disable Microsoft Defender.
The first method is to use the Group Policy security tool to disable Defender. To do so, follow these steps:
- Select Start, then Settings.
- Select Privacy & security, then Windows Security, and finally Virus & threat protection.
- Click Manage settings under Virus & threat protection settings.
- Scroll down to Tamper Protection and turn the slider to Off.
- Select Yes to confirm that you want to give this app permission to make changes to your device.
- A message will appear in the Tamper Protection section stating that your device may be vulnerable. To close the window, click the x in the upper right corner.
- Press the search icon in the taskbar to search for Edit group policy, then click the result to launch the Group Policy editor.
- Find Computer Configuration in the app’s window’s left pane and select Administrative Templates, then Windows Components.
- Scroll all the way down to Microsoft Defender Antivirus.
- In the right pane, look for the setting Turn off Microsoft Defender Antivirus.
- Right-click it and select Edit.
- Check the Enabled box in the popup window, then Apply and OK.
- Next, locate and right-click the setting Allow antimalware service to run always. Then click Edit.
- Check the Disabled box this time, then click Apply and OK.
- Now, locate the Real-time Protection folder and double-click it to open it for windows update.
- Right-click the Turn off real-time protection setting and select Edit.
- Check the Enabled box, then click Apply and OK.
You’ve finished configuring the group policy. After you’ve disabled Defender, you’ll need to use a Task Scheduler to stop certain services from running and avoid errors. To accomplish this:
- Enter a search for the Task Scheduler app, then open it.
- Expand the Task Scheduler Library folder in the left pane.
- Expand Microsoft, Windows, then Windows Defender.
- Right-click and Disable the following four tasks:
To update the computer and user policies:
- Open the Command Prompt as admin.
- Run the following command:
- gpupdate/force
Windows Defender has been disabled and will not start up with Windows.
Disable Windows Defender by Modifying the Registry
Another way to disable Defender protection is to change the registry. To prevent the Defender settings from being changed, this method, like the Group Policy option, requires the “Tamper Protection” setting to be disabled. To do so, follow these steps:
- Select Start, then Settings.
- Select Privacy and security, Windows Security, and then Virus and threat protection.
- Click on Manage settings under Virus & threat protection settings.
- Scroll down to Tamper Protection and toggle the slider to Off.
- Select Yes to accept the changes.
- To close the window, click the x in the upper right corner.
Before editing the registry, complete the following steps:
- Right-click on the Start menu and select Properties.
- Select Run, then type regedit into the text field and press Enter.
- Enter the following path in the address field of the Registry Editor: HKEY LOCAL MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows Defender
To change or add a value to this folder, you must first change the owner. The owner is set to System by default. To change the owner of a folder, follow these steps:
- Permissions can be accessed by right-clicking on the Windows Defender folder.
- In the Permissions for Windows Defender window, select Advanced.
- Click Change in the Owner field.
- Click Advanced in the Advanced Security Settings for the Windows Defender window.
- Select the admin account or the admin’s group, then click Find Now.
- To confirm the changes, click OK twice.
- Select the Replace owner on sub containers and objects checkbox.
- Select the Replace all child object permission entries with inheritable permission entries from this object checkbox.
- Click Apply, then Yes in the Windows Security warning popup.
- To close the advanced open windows security settings window, click OK once more.
- Navigate to the Permissions for Windows Defender window, then to the section Permissions for Everyone.
- To give users complete control, check the Allow box next to the Full Control option.
- To confirm the change, click Apply and OK.
Finally, to edit the registry:
- Continuing from the Windows Defender branch in the Registry Editor, create three DWORD (32-bit) values. To do this, right-click any white space within the right pane, and select New, then the DWORD (32-bit) Value option. Name the new values as follows:
- Right-click each value, select Modify, then change the Value data field to 1, then OK.
- Now close the Registry Editor and restart your computer.
Once your computer restarts, the Windows Defender will be disabled.
Disable Windows Defender Using Autoruns
You can also permanently disable Windows Defender using the Autoruns for Windows utility tool. Here’s how:
- Install the most recent version of Autoruns for Windows.
- To Extract All, open the downloaded file and right-click on the Autoruns folder. Consider saving the folder to your desktop for convenient access.
You must now disable permanent protection and boot into safe mode:
- Select Settings from the taskbar by pressing the Windows icon.
- Select Privacy & security, then Windows Security, and finally Virus & threat protection.
- Select Manage settings from the Virus & threat protection section.
- Deactivate the Real-time Protection and Tamper Protection sliders.
- Next, to boot your computer into Safe Mode, search for and open the System Configuration app for real time protection.
- Select the Boot tab in System Configuration.
- Check the Safe boot box under Boot options, and the Minimal option will be set automatically.
- Apply, OK, and then Restart.
- To begin, open the Autoruns folder on your desktop, double-click the Autoruns64.ex file, and then press the Run button.
- A window titled Autoruns License Agreement will appear. If you accept the terms, click Agree to proceed.
- Select the Services tab in the Autoruns window.
- Windows services are hidden by default. To make them visible, go to the main menu and select Options, then uncheck the Hide Windows Entries box.
- Uncheck the WinDefend box in the list of Windows Defender services. This will disable Windows Defender’s automatic startup every time the computer reboots.
- Close Autoruns and restart your computer in normal mode.
To return your computer to normal mode, follow these steps:
- Select System Configuration from the search bar in the taskbar.
- Select the option for Normal startup.
- Click Apply, then OK, and then Restart.
After restarting your computer, open Task Manager and check to see if the Windows Defender service is running:
- To check the status of virus and threat protection, go to Settings. Go to Privacy & security, Windows Security, Virus & threat protection, and then Home to get there.
- Check that the status of virus and threat protection is set to Unknown.
Avoid clicking on the Defender tile while it is updating its information or showing the “Unknown” status. If you click it during that time, Defender will be reactivated.
CONCLUSION
By default, the free antivirus software Windows Defender is set to remain active even after being turned off via Virus & threat protection. To permanently disable Windows Defender, you must perform a “hard” deactivation.
This can be accomplished by updating the policy, changing the registry, or disabling it with the “Autoruns for Windows” utility tool. Any of these three methods guarantees that Defender will not reactivate at any time.
Which antivirus software do you prefer? Have you discovered an alternative to Windows Defender, and if so, why do you believe it is superior? Please leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
References:
https://www.groovypost.com/howto/enable-or-disable-windows-security-in-windows-11/
FAQs
Is antivirus included in Windows 11?
Windows 10 and 11 come with Windows Security, which includes the most recent antivirus protection. From the moment you boot up Windows, your device will be actively protected. Windows Security is constantly scanning for malware, viruses, and security threats.
Where can I find Windows Defender 11?
To open the Control Panel, press Windows + R, type control panel, and press Enter. To open the Windows Defender Firewall settings, go to System and Security and then click Windows Defender Firewall.
Should I uninstall McAfee from Windows 11?
As a result, you can safely remove McAfee from your system because Windows Defender is now completely reliable. That, and if you intend to use another antivirus, uninstalling McAfee is acceptable. In today’s world, where you are constantly connected to the internet, leaving your system unprotected is not recommended.
Is McAfee included with Windows 11?
A quick and simple step-by-step guide to completely uninstall McAfee from your Windows 11 PC. When you buy a new Windows device from a manufacturer other than Microsoft, it comes pre-installed with McAfee antivirus.
