How do I turn off Windows Defender completely?

If you find that Windows Defender is preventing you from running/installing programs or downloading files, you can remove it manually. In this article we will show you how to turn off Windows Defender on Windows 10.

Table of Contents Show

Why should you disable Windows Defender?
How to temporarily disable Windows Defender?
How to permanently disable Windows Defender?
Knowledge Base
Also read in:
use Google Translate
Applies to:
Operating Systems:
Introduction
See also:
Tags:
Is it okay to turn off Windows Defender?
Why is Windows Defender constantly running?
How do I permanently disable antimalware service executable?
Why can't I turn off Windows Defender in Windows 11?

Why should you disable Windows Defender?

Windows 10 includes Windows Defender, a built-in antivirus software that's a first line of defense against malware infections. It scans your PC in real-time for malicious software, and it is automatically disabled once you have installed an antivirus software on your system. Are you interested in learning how to disable Windows Defender? There are two ways do do this, one will disable Windows Defender Windows 10 temporarily and the other will disable

How to temporarily disable Windows Defender?

To temporarily disable Windows Defender, head to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Defender. Toggle the switch below Real-time protection to the Off position.

How to permanently disable Windows Defender?

Right-click on the Start menu > Run. Type: regedit
Then, open the Registry editor by clicking OK.
Navigate to the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Policies \ Microsoft \ Windows Defender.
Click Edit > New > Dword (32-bit) value. Rename the new item as DisableAntiSpyware and set its value to 1 to disable Windows Defender on your system:

Save your settings, and close the Registry editor.
Should you ever try to activate Windows Defender on your system, the following message will be displayed:

You can enable Windows Defender back by setting the value of DisableAntiSpyware to 0.

Do you need more help with Windows 10? Check out our forum!

Knowledge Base

use Google Translate

Applies to:

Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office
Acronis True Image 2021
Acronis True Image 2020
Acronis True Image 2019
Acronis True Image 2018
Acronis True Image 2017
Acronis True Image 2016
Acronis True Image 2015

Operating Systems:

Windows 10

Last update: 25-02-2022

Introduction

This article explains how to temporarily turn off Windows Defender Antivirus in case it conflicts with Acronis software on Windows 10, e.g. prevents successful software installation or update/upgrade.

Solution

Open Windows Start menu.
Type Windows Security.
Press Enter on keyboard.
Click on Virus & threat protection on the left action bar.
Scroll to Virus & threat protection settings and click Manage settings
Click the toggle button under Real-time protection to turn off Windows Defender Antivirus temporarily
Click Yes to confirm the change, if prompted.
Check if the issue with Acronis software is resolved.
To turn back on Windows Defender Antivirus, click the toggle button again.
If you do not turn on the real-time protection manually, it will automatically resume upon the next computer reboot.

Tags:

Windows
Defender
Antivirus
Disable
Turn off
Real-time

Was this article helpful?

Is it okay to turn off Windows Defender?

Turning off Microsoft Defender Firewall could make your device (and network, if you have one) more vulnerable to unauthorized access. If there's an app you need to use that's being blocked, you can allow it through the firewall, instead of turning the firewall off.

Why is Windows Defender constantly running?

As explained by Microsoft Support, Windows Defender is designed to protect your computer against malware and other threats. So if you do not have an antivirus program installed on your computer, Windows Defender will automatically turn on even if you have turned off real-time protection.