How to turn off Windows Defender permanently [3 Easiest methods]

Windows Defender Security is the most powerful and secure antimalware software that comes inbuilt with every Windows 10 computer. The programs secure your PC from malware, virus attacks, block suspicious files, real-time online protection, automatic security updates, etc. However, in some scenarios, you may want to turn off Windows Defender Security App. There are some actions, which may get blocked by windows defender and you may need to disable it to get work done. This guide explains How to turn off Windows Defender in Windows 10. However, disabling windows defender may lead to vulnerability to your computer.

How to Turn Off Windows Defender in Windows 10

There are three ways to disable windows defender if you want to turn off the virus protection and real-time scanning of files. However, windows defender cant be removed permanently from the Windows PC. We will see all these three methods one by one.

Method 1 – Turn off Windows Defender from Security Settings

This method is straightforward, and you can turn off windows defender from settings in a few seconds. Though The defender app might not fully disable as it is designed like this.

1. press Windows + I to open the Settings page.

2. Now select Update & Security Setting from the list of items shown on the settings screen.

3. From the left menu, click on Windows Defender Option.

4. Now from the screen, click on Open Windows Defender Security Center button to open it.

5. You are currently on Windows defender security Center main Window, click on left side menu icon and select Virus and Threat Protection option.

6. On the newly opened options, select Virus and Threat protection Settings which is below the scan history.

7. Turn off Real-Time protection, Cloud-delivered protection, and Automatic Sample Submission options. You may be asked to confirm the changes to turn off these options.

In this way, you can quickly turn off windows defender using settings.

As Windows Defender is now turned off, you can continue your work which was pending because windows defender causing /blocking it.

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Method 2 – Disable Windows Defender using Registry Editor

This method is bit lengthy but works perfectly to turn off windows defender.

1. At first open Run tool on PC by pressing Windows + R key.

2. Now type the following command and hit enter.

regedit

3. Once the registry editor windows open up, go to the following path by clicking the options one by one –

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE --> SOFTWARE --> Policies --> Microsoft --> Windows Defender

4. Now double click on the DisableAntiSpyware option. If you don’t find any file like this, you have to create this file. To generate this file, right click on Windows Defender Folder –> New –> DWORD (32 bit) value option and name the file as DisableAntiSpyware.

5. Now double click the file and type 1 in the field of value data.

6. Click OK to save the changes and disable windows defender.

Method 3 – Turn Off windows defender through Group Used Policy

This method let you turn off windows defender permanently. If you are using windows 10 Pro or Enterprise version, you can disable windows defender using the gpedit tool.

Pro Tip – If you are using Windows Home edition, group policy tool is not available for you. But still, you can enable group policy editor by following this guide on how to enable gpedit on windows 10 home.

1. Press Windows + R key to the open Run tool.

2. Now type the following command and hit enter to open Group Policy editor Window.

gpedit

3. Once the Group Policy Editor tool opens, open the following path by clicking the options one by one.

Computer Configuration --> Administrative Templates --> Windows Components --> Windows Defender Antivirus

4. Now, from the right, various options are displayed. Find and open the option named Turn off Windows Defender Antivirus

5. From the opened Dialogue window, click on Enabled to disable windows defender permanently.

TIP – If you want to again re-enable windows defender, simply revert and save the changes. For method 1, turn on all three options you have disabled, For method2, type 1 and save the changes. For method 3, select Disabled to turn on windows defender.

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Summary –

Windows Defender security sometimes creates problems, and you may want to disable it. There are three ways explained in this guide through which you can quickly turn off windows defender in windows 10.