How to Permanently Disable Microsoft Defender on Windows 11
Keep it as a last resort option.
Quick Links
- When Should You Permanently Disable Microsoft Defender Antivirus
- Turn Off Real-Time Protection and Tamper Protection in the Windows Security App
- Disable Microsoft Defender Using the Registry Editor
- Disable Microsoft Defender Using the Local Group Policy Editor
- How to Check the State of Microsoft Defender on Windows 11
Key Takeaways
- If you want to permanently disable Microsoft Defender on Windows 11, youโll first need to disable Real-time protection and Tamper protection in the Windows Security app.
- Windows Home users can use the Registry Editor to turn off Microsoft Defender. Windows Pro users have the option to do it through either the Registry Editor or the Local Group Policy Editor.
- You can determine whether Microsoft Defender is currently disabled by running the “Get-MpComputerStatus | select AMRunningMode” command in Windows PowerShell.
Windows built-in security app, Microsoft Defender, protects your computer from malicious agents and viruses. However, there may be situations when you want to disable it, such as when testing a third-party security app. We’ll show you how to permanently disable Microsoft Defender on Windows 11.
When Should You Permanently Disable Microsoft Defender Antivirus
Microsoft Defender Antivirus provides various protection features, including real-time protection, cloud-delivered protection, network protection, and more. When you disable Microsoft Defender, you lose access to all these protections, leaving your computer at risk.
Generally, you should avoid disabling Microsoft Defender Antivirus. However, if the need arisesโfor example, when you need to install an application that Defender is blockingโyou can temporarily turn it off. To do so, turn off Real-time protection in the Windows Security app, install the application, and then re-enable Real-time protection.
Additionally, if you intend to permanently disable Defender Antivirus to install a third-party security application, you must reconsider your choice. This is because when you install a compatible non-Microsoft antivirus program, Microsoft Defender antivirus will automatically disable itself. Compatible non-Microsoft antivirus programs are those that do not cause any issues when installed alongside Windows Defender.
Luckily, there are numerous antivirus programs that are compatible with Microsoft. To verify compatibility, you should check the antivirus programโs user manual or inquire with the seller.
However, if you wish to install a security program that is not compatible with Microsoft, you will need to disable Microsoft Defender Antivirus permanently.
Now that you know when you should and should not permanently disable Microsoft Defender, letโs check out how you can permanently disable Microsoft Defender on Windows 11.
Turn Off Real-Time Protection and Tamper Protection in the Windows Security App
Unlike temporarily disabling Microsoft Defender Antivirus, permanently disabling it isnโt straightforward. First, youโll need to disable Real-time and Tamper Protection in the Windows Security app.
Disabling Real-time protection ensures that Microsoft Defender wonโt scan any files on your computer. And disabling Tamper Protection allows you to make changes to the Microsoft Defender antivirus settings on your computer, which otherwise wouldnโt be possible. To turn off these settings, open the Start menu, type Windows Security in the search bar, and hit Enter.
Choose “Virus & Threat Protection” from the left sidebar, then click “Manage Settings” on the right.
Turn off the โReal-Time Protectionโ toggle. If UAC pops up, click โYesโ to confirm your decision.
Next, disable the โTamper Protectionโ toggle. Click โYesโ when the UAC prompt appears.
Once youโve adjusted these settings in the Windows Security app, youโre all set to disable Microsoft Defender Antivirus on Windows 11 permanently.
Disable Microsoft Defender Using the Registry Editor
If you have Windows 11 Home installed on your computer, you can use the Registry Editor to disable Microsoft Defender permanently.
Editing the registry is risky, as one wrong move can make your system unstable. As a precautionary measure, be sure to
back up the registry
and
create a restore point
. This way, you can
restore your computer
to a working state in case something goes wrong.
Open the Start menu, type Registry Editor in the search bar, and hit Enter. Then, in the Registry Editor, navigate to the following path:
ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindows Defender
Right-click the โWindows Defenderโ key in the left sidebar, hover over โNew,โ and choose โDWORD (32-bit) Valueโ.
Name the value โDisableAntiSpyware.โ Then, double-click the โDisableAntiSpywareโ value, type 1 in the โValue Dataโ field, and click โOK.โ
After that, restart your computer for the changes to take effect. Upon restart, youโll see that Microsoft Defender has been permanently disabled on your computer.
To reenable Microsoft Defender Antivirus, type 0 in the โValue Dataโ field of the โDisableAntiSpywareโ value and click โOK.โ Afterward, youโll need to enable โReal-time Protectionโ and โTamper Protectionโ in the Windows Security app, too.
Disable Microsoft Defender Using the Local Group Policy Editor
If you are a Windows 11 Pro user, you have an additional option to permanently disable Microsoft Defender. While you can use the Registry Editor for this process, as a Pro user, you also have the option to use Local Group Policy Editor.
Press Win+R to open the Run tool. Then, type gpedit.msc in the search field and click โOK.โ
In the Local Group Policy Editor window, navigate to the following location:
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Microsoft Defender Antivirus
Double-click the โTurn Off Microsoft Defender Antivirusโ policy.
In the Edit window, choose โEnabled.โ Then, click โApplyโ and โOKโ to save the changes.
Thatโs it! Restart your computer, and youโll see that Microsoft Defender is disabled.
If you want to enable Microsoft Defender in the future, set the โTurn Off Microsoft Defender Antivirusโ policy to โDisable.โ After that, turn on the โReal-time Protectionโ and โTamper Protectionโ toggles in the Windows Security app.”
How to Check the State of Microsoft Defender on Windows 11
Once youโve disabled Microsoft Defender using the above method, you must check its state to confirm if it has actually been disabled. To do this, open the Start menu, type PowerShell in the search bar, and press Enter. Then, in the PowerShell window, type the following command and hit Enter:
Get-MpComputerStatus | select AMRunningMode
If you get โNot Runningโ as the result, then it confirms that you have disabled Microsoft Defender.
However, if you get โNormalโ as the result, it means Microsoft Defender is still running on your computer. In this case, double-check that you followed the steps correctly.
Microsoft opted for the longer process to permanently disable Microsoft Defender instead of providing a one-click button to ensure computer safety. Even though it might be tempting, you really should disable it unless you absolutely need to.
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