Windows Defender is a tool that protects your operating system against viruses, malicious programs, malware, ransomware, etc. The tool comes preinstalled with Windows operating system. However, therecan be situations where you may want to disable it temporarily. One common scenario iswhen it identifies legitimate software as a false positive, considering it as a potential threat. In such cases, disabling Windows Defender can allow you to install and use the software without interruption.
In this article, we will going to showcase 2 ways of how to disable the Windows Defender. We will also look at how to disable the Microsoft Defender Firewall service for different network connections. But before we proceed, it’s important to note that disabling Windows Defender should only be done temporarily and with caution otherwise it may leave your system vulnerable to malware attacks.
Contents [hide]
- Disabling Windows Defender
- Disabling Windows Defender Using Windows Security
- Disabling Windows Defender Using Windows Registry Editor
- Disabling Microsoft Defender Firewall
Disabling Windows Defender
Disabling Windows Defender isusually not recommended if you aren’t using any third-party antivirus software. However, if you have made the decision to proceed with disabling it, hereare the two simplemethodsyou can follow. The first method involves using the Windows Security app and the second method to disable Windows Defender is by using the Registry Editor.
Disabling Windows Defender Using Windows Security
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Click on the Windows icon at the bottom left of the screen and then search for Windows Security Open the Windows Security application.
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Go to the Home page and then click on Virus & threat protection.
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Now under Virus & threat protection settings click on Manage settings.
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Disable the Real-time protection and now you have successfully turned off Microsoft Windows Defender security service.
Disabling Windows Defender Using Windows Registry Editor
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Press Windows+R to open the Run app, then type regedit and click on OK to open Windows Registry Editor.
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Next, click on the
address barof Registry Editor and paste this address: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender and hit Enter.
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Now right-click on the empty section of the right pane, hover on New and then select DWORD (32-bit) Value.
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Right-click on New Value #1 and select Rename.
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Change the Value name to Disable Anti-Spyware and Value data to 1 (Make sure that you have selected Hexadecimal as Base ). Then click on OK Restart your computer to take effect. In case you want to enable Windows Defender in the future, you can delete the DisableAntiSpyware value or change its data to 0.
Disabling Microsoft Defender Firewall
If you want to retain the benefits of Windows Defender but disable the Microsoft Defender Firewall services for your network connections including domain, private and public, you can follow this step-by-step guide to do so using the Windows Security app.
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Open the Windows Security app and go to the Home page. Open Firewall & network protection menu.
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Select Domain network.
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Disable the Domain network firewall under the Microsoft Defender Firewall option. Then go back.
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Select Private network.
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Disable the Private network firewall under the Microsoft Defender Firewall option. Then go back.
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Select Public network.
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Disable the Public network firewall under the Microsoft Defender Firewall option and you are done.
