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3 Ways to Turn Off Windows Defender, Proven Effective!

Have you ever installed an application on Windows but it was not allowed by Windows Defender? It’s quite annoying indeed. The solution to this is to know how to turn off Windows Defender temporarily and permanently so that you can install applications on your PC or laptop without a hitch.

Windows defender

Windows defender has been around for a long time until the current version of Windows 10. For Windows 10, Windows Defender is equipped with anti-malware features that are useful for protecting your computer and data from viruses, spyware, ransomware, and various other types of malware.

Windows defender is quite useful for protecting computers from hacking. The way this application works is to block applications that are harmful and may have viruses in them. Windows always pays attention to the security of its users so that things don’t happen that can be detrimental.

There may be times when you don’t need Windows Defender because it often blocks applications that you want to install on your PC. You have to turn off Windows Defender first so you can install the blocked application.

Moreover, anti-virus applications from third parties will sometimes be detected by Windows Defender and will block them. Although anti-virus applications such as Avast, Avira, Kaspersky, Smadav and various other antiviruses are safe and frequently used applications, Windows Defender will detect the anti-virus application as a dangerous application.

So, how do you turn off Windows Defender temporarily or permanently? If you are using Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 you cannot remove the Windows defender application from the computer. Because basically windows defender is a default application from windows.

However, you don’t need to be afraid because you can still disable the functionality of Windows Defender. Some of these ways can be done through Windows Security Settings, Registry Editor, or through Services.

How to Temporarily Turn Off Windows Defender

You can use this first method to temporarily disable Windows Defender. This method is very efficient because you can turn it back on at any time when needed.

How to disable or turn off windows defender:

  1. Run the app Windows Defender first.
  2. Or click Start then type Windows Defender.
  3. Once open, click menu Viruses & threat protection.
  4. In the Virus & threat protection section, click the option Manage settings.
  5. Turn the Real-Time Protection option off.
  6. Finished.

After you have done the above guide, Windows Defender will disable real-time protection which means you can freely install applications and perform certain tasks that previously could not be done because it was blocked by Windows Defender.

If you want to enable real-time protection from Windows Defender again, just turn that option back on or ON. Pretty easy isn’t it?

How to Turn Off Windows Defender Permanently

If you don’t need antivirus protection from Windows Defender because it’s quite annoying, then it’s a good idea to turn off Windows Defender completely permanently.

You can disable Windows Defender permanently without needing any additional application. There are 2 ways to do this, you just need to make a few changes to the regedit or services settings.

With Regedit

This method may be a little complicated, but this method is a very safe step to disable Windows Defender so as not to block activities on your Windows 10 PC and laptop.

Here’s how to turn off windows defender via regedit:

  1. Open menu Run or press CTRL+R on the keyboard.
  2. After that type Regedit in the Run column then press Enter.
  3. In regedit, access the folder HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesSecurityHealthService.
  4. In the window on the right, double-click on the Start option.
  5. Change Value to 4 and base Hexadecimal.
  6. After that click OK to save changes.
  7. The last step, restart your laptop or pc.
  8. Done, windows defender has been permanently disabled.

You can still restore Windows Defender to be active again. Just change the Start value to number 2 then restart your laptop or computer.

Via Services msc

Not only through Regedit, you can also use the settings from Services to permanently disable Windows Defender on your Windows 10.

Below are the steps to turn off Windows Defender permanently:

  1. Press the button Ctrl+R then type services.msc and press Enter.
  2. In the services menu, right click windows defender select properties.
  3. Next in the general tab replace Startup type to be Disable.
  4. Click the apply button then OK to apply the changes.
  5. Finally you have to restart your computer or laptop.
  6. Finished.

If you want to turn Windows defender back on, just repeat the steps above but change the Startup type to Automatic.

Although you already know how to turn off Windows Defender permanently and temporarily, it is not recommended to use a PC without an anti-virus application.

If you disable windows defender because you are not too interested in antivirus from windows defender. You can try other alternative antivirus applications such as Avast, Avira, Kaspersky, or others.