How to Permanently Disable Windows Defender on Window 11/10

If you are confused about how to permanently disable Windows Defender, learn three ways to do it. Follow the guide to learn the detailed steps along with a tool to keep your data and system safe from all kinds of threats and emergencies.

Highlights

• Windows has an inbuilt antivirus called Windows Defender to protect your computer from external threats.
• Is Windows Defender any good? Is it enough to protect your data on your computer? In fact, many Windows users want to know how to permanently disable Windows Defender.
• Windows Defender is by no means your sole solution to protect your data. You'd better add a layer of protection to your computer via free backup software like EaseUS Todo Backup.

3 Ways to Disable Windows Defender Permanently

Microsoft does not provide an option to delete or uninstall the Defender. If you disable it normally, the system turns it back on as a fail-safe method. Anyhow, you must do more now to disable the Microsoft Defender. Let us see how to do it in 3 ways.

1. Way 1. Using Group Policy Editor
2. Way 2. Using Registry Editor
3. Way 3. Using CMD

Before making any changes to the Windows Defender or its files, we must disable Tamper Protection first. Tamper Protection is a Windows setting to restrict other apps from making any changes to Microsoft Defender.

Navigate to Settings > Windows Security >  Virus and Threat Protection > Virus and threat protection settings > Manage settings > Disable Tamper Protection.

Way 1. Using Group Policy Editor

Group Policy Editor is a tool to change and customize Windows OS settings. As we cannot uninstall Windows Defender, we can tweak some changes in Group Policy Editor to disable it. See the instructions below:

Step 1. Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog box. Type gpedit.msc and click Enter.

Step 2. Open the Local Group Policy Editor and click on the Computer Configuration option on the landing page. 

Step 3. Navigate to the following path: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Microsoft Defender Antivirus.

Step 4. Double-click on Turn off Microsoft Defender Antivirus to open it.

Step 5. Select the Enabled option from the options to disable Microsoft Defender permanently.

Step 6. Click Apply, and OK. Restart the computer to see the changes.

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Way 2. Using Registry Editor

If you have Windows 11 Home, you may be unable to access Group Policy Editor. But you can tweak some changes in the Registry to disable Microsoft Defender on Windows. 

Note: Registry Editor contains important files to run your Windows OS and its functions smoothly. So, make a backup on Registry and create a system restore point in case of any emergencies.

Follow these steps to disable Microsoft Defender:

Step 1. Press Windows + S, and type Regedit. You will see the Registry Editor app and click on Run as administrator.

Step 2. In the Regedit window, paste the below path in the address bar:

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Microsoft Defender

Step 3. Right-click on empty space and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.

Step 4. Click on the new DWORD (32-bit) Value and name it as DisableAntivirus.

Step 5. Double-click on DisableAntivirus value, change the Value data to 1 and select the Base as Hexadecimal.

Step 6. Click OK, and close the Registry Editor. Restart the PC to apply changes.

After restarting, open the Windows Security and navigate to Virus and Threat Protection settings. You will see a "No active antivirus provider. Your device is vulnerable". Confirm the action.

Way 3. Using CMD

The Command Prompt can also be handy to disable the Defender Antivirus. You have to paste a registry modification command, and it will remove the antivirus from your device. Here are the steps:

Step 1. Search for Command Prompt and open it as an Administrator.

Step 2. Enter the command below and press Enter to execute it:

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Microsoft Defender" /v DisableAntiSpyware /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Step 3. If the operation is successful, you will see a "The operation completed successfully." message.

Step 4. Close the CMD and restart your system.

Pro Tip: Always Backup Your PC for Data Security

Even with the advanced antivirus programs, your device is still vulnerable to external threats. And one should always keep a backup of your data in case of emergencies. Be it a security threat, a failing device or hard drive, or physical damage, there is always a risk of losing data. So, reliable backup software - EaseUS Todo Backup - ensures your data is safe and secure against all the odds.

EaseUS Todo Backup is the best backup tool to make a copy of your entire system against all emergencies. It can help you back up your files, disks, and computer apps and create a system image on a USB. With advanced backup, cloning, and restoration options, this software is a complete backup and restoration solution for personal and business use.

Other Features of EaseUS Todo Backup:

• Install Windows on a new PC without an operating system
• Create full, incremental, differential, scheduled, and auto backups
• Create a sector-by-sector backup and compress backups
• Offer 250G free Cloud and a Security Zone to keep data safe
• Image a hard drive and create an image of an SD card

To add an extra layer of protection, you can safeguard data in the security zone. Download the tool now, and make a backup of your computer.

Step 1. Launch EaseUS Todo Backup on your computer, and click Create Backup on the home screen and then hit the big question mark to select backup contents.

Step 2. To back up your Windows operating system, click "OS" to begin the backup task.

Step 3. Your Windows operating system information and all system related files and partitions will be automatically selected so you don't need to do any manual selection at this step. Next, you'll need to choose a location to save the system image backup by clicking the illustrated area.

Step 4. The backup location can be another local drive on your computer, an external hard drive, network, cloud or NAS. Generally, we recommend you use an external physical drive or cloud to preserve the system backup files. 

Step 5. Customiztion settings like enabling an automatic backup schedule in daily, weekly, monthly, or upon an event, and making a differential and incremental backup are available in the Options button if you're interested. Click "Backup Now", and the Windows system backup process will begin. The completed backup task will display on the left side in a card style.

Why Do You Turn Off Windows Defender on Windows 10/11

The Defender is an excellent antivirus in the Windows ecosystem to tackle malware, viruses, and external threats while using your system online or offline. You can keep your system safe without spending a dime on other third-party apps. But why do you turn off/disable Windows Defender on Windows?

Here are some of the reasons why one wants to disable Windows Defender on Windows:

• When you want to install a third-party antivirus app, like TotalAV, it may be hard to coexist with the Defender.
• If the Defender blocks or flags a legitimate website or app as a threat.
• Windows Defender may conflict with some important system settings as it may be considered a threat.
• Finally, If you do not like Windows antivirus.

To Wrap Things Up

While Microsoft Defender is built into Windows and tough to disable, we can still find ways. Learn how to permanently disable Windows Defender using the 3 methods in this article. Along with antivirus, the best way to protect your data from various external emergencies is to create a backup with a reliable backup tool, like EaseUS Todo Backup. Download EaseUS Todo Backup and quickly make a backup of your system.

How to Permanently Disable Windows Defender FAQs 

Here are some of the most frequent FAQs asked about how to permanently disable Windows Defender. I hope you find these queries helpful. 

1. Why can't I turn off Windows Defender?

Microsoft believes that the system can be exposed to threats if you turn off Windows Defender. So, it makes the Defender turn on after some time as a fail-safe method.

2. How can I disable Windows Defender Antivirus temporarily?

• Open Settings and go to Windows Security.
• Navigate to Virus & Threat Protection > Virus & threat protection settings > Manage Settings.
• Turn off Real-Time protection.

3. Is it OK if I turn off Windows Defender?

Yes, only if you have any other antivirus program installed on your device. If you disable Windows Defender without any antivirus programs, your device will be vulnerable to viruses, ransomware, and malware.

4. How do I turn my Windows Defender back on?

Open Settings and navigate to Windows Security > Virus & Threat Protection > Virus & Threat Protection Settings> Manage Settings. Turn on the Real Time protection toggle.