Need help disabling Windows Defender

uxfire · 21 Aug 2017

Hey, I'm trying to disable my Windows Defender but it won't let me disable them. This is the menu I'm in: https://i.imgur.com/ERXwW0V.png .

Whenever I click one of the sliders to turn it off, the slider will turn off, and then it will give me a pop up asking me if I want to give it permission to turn it off. Whenever I click yes, the slider goes straight back to on and nothing else shows up.

I have Windows 10 Home, and I have an administrator account, if that matters.

Brink · 21 Aug 2017

Hello uxfire, and welcome to Ten Forums. :)

You should be able to use an option in the tutorial below to turn off Windows Defender. However, if you don't have a 3rd party AV program installed to use instead, it would be recommended to keep Windows Defender turned on to help keep your PC protected.

Turn On or Off Windows Defender in Windows 10 Windows 10 Security System Tutorials

cereberus · 21 Aug 2017

It really is a bad plan to turn off defender. I am very careful about what I download etc, but even reputable sites get attacked now and then, and I have been "saved" by defender.

If it is a resource issue, there are lightweight alternatives. But tbh defender is less unobtrusive than any of them I find.

Bree · 21 Aug 2017

uxfire said:

Hey, I'm trying to disable my Windows Defender but it won't let me disable them....
I have Windows 10 Home, and I have an administrator account, if that matters.

So do I, and mine does let me turn off Defender. I get the same UAC Yes/No confirmation as you, but if I click Yes the slider stays 'off'. However, I also get a Notification from the Action Centre that I'm unprotected which, if you click on it to dismiss it, will turn it straight back on again.

bo elam · 21 Aug 2017

uxfire said:

Hey, I'm trying to disable my Windows Defender but it won't let me disable them. This is the menu I'm in: https://i.imgur.com/ERXwW0V.png .

Whenever I click one of the sliders to turn it off, the slider will turn off, and then it will give me a pop up asking me if I want to give it permission to turn it off. Whenever I click yes, the slider goes straight back to on and nothing else shows up.

I have Windows 10 Home, and I have an administrator account, if that matters.

Hi uxfire, I turned off Windows defender using Brinks tutorial, via Option 2, Step 3.

Despite WD being turned off, my WD Settings window like the one in the screen you posted, looks like yours, making it appear like WD is still on. Other WD Settings windows look different when WD is off than when its on. What I do to confirm WD is actually turned off is look for MsMpEng.exe in task manager. Thats WD, if you dont see it running, it means WD is off. You can also confirm WD is off by creating a shortcut for WD. When its off, and you click the shortcut, you ll get a Group policy message stating that the program is off. If WD is on and you click the shortcut, WD old user interface opens up.
Create Windows Defender Antivirus Shortcut in Windows 10 Windows 10 Security System Tutorials

Bo

dustymars · 26 Aug 2017

MS certainly make is difficult to turn off Defender using methods described herein for the Creator version. Maybe some additional methods into the secret doors Windows have closed up in the Creator upgrade.

TairikuOkami · 26 Aug 2017

You can disable it completely by disabling its services, not recommended though.

Download "DisableWD" and run it as admin, restart, run it again, then restart again.

dustymars · 26 Aug 2017

TairikuOkami said:

You can disable it completely by disabling its services, not recommended though.

Download "DisableWD" and run it as admin, restart, run it again, then restart again.

Thanks. As an old fashioned guy I'll keep Norton's until "Defender" proves itself. So far over the past 30 + years I have had good results with Norton's.