How to Disable Microsoft Defender on Windows 11

Microsoft Defender Antivirus (previously Windows Defender) protects your system against viruses, spyware, and ransomware, among other threats. However, there are situations, like installing/running software from unknown sources or changing system configurations, where the program can cause conflict and interfere with your actions.

Disabling Microsoft Defender Antivirus can help in such times. Depending on your requirements, you can do this either temporarily or permanently. Let’s look at all the ways to disable Microsoft Defender on Windows 11.

Disable Microsoft Defender Antivirus Temporarily

If you want to install or run a program on your system or modify some of its settings, you’ll need to pause real-time protection briefly. Disabling Microsoft Defender Antivirus temporarily is more sensible in this situation.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Click the Start button in the taskbar or press the Win + S keyboard shortcut.
2. Look up Windows Security and open the app.
3. Select Virus & Threat Protection from the left sidebar.
4. Click on Manage Settings under Virus & Threat Protection Settings.
   
5. Finally, toggle off the switch under Real-Time Protection.
   
6. Hit Yes in the User Account Control prompt to confirm the action.

After this, you can go ahead and perform the action you’ve been wanting to carry out. Your PC will re-enable the Microsoft Defender protection automatically after some time.

Alternatively, you can turn on real-time protection yourself by following the same steps.

Disable Microsoft Defender Antivirus Permanently

Sometimes, turning on Microsoft Defender Antivirus on your PC briefly isn’t enough, as it can lend you very little time to accomplish what you want and turn back on too quickly. It’s best to disable Microsoft Defender permanently in such a situation.

You may also want to disable Microsoft Defender Antivirus on your PC permanently if you feel it’s consuming too many system resources or when you want to replace the program with a third-party antivirus program of your choice. Whatever the reason, you can disable Microsoft Defender Antivirus on your Windows 11 PC using any of the following methods.

However, before you do that, you need to disable Tamper Protection first. For those unaware, Tamper Protection is a built-in feature in Windows that prevents anyone from changing or disabling certain security settings, like virus and threat protection, on the system. Here’s how to disable it:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Head into Privacy & Security > Windows Security > Virus & Threat Protection.
3. Click on Manage Settings under Virus & Threat Protection Settings.
4. Scroll down and toggle off the switch for Tamper Protection.
   
5. When prompted to confirm the action, tap the Yes button in the User Account Control prompt.

Permanently Disable Microsoft Defender Antivirus Using Windows Registry

A simple way to turn off Microsoft Defender Antivirus permanently on your Windows 11 PC is by tweaking the Windows Registry. But before you proceed, make sure to take a backup of your system so you can restore your system to it if anything were to go wrong. Alternatively, you can also back up your Windows registry and restore it if required.

Once you’ve done that, follow these steps to disable Microsoft Defender Antivirus on your Windows 11 PC using the Windows Registry method:

1. Press Win + S or hit the Start button in the taskbar.
2. Search for regedit.
3. Click on Run as Administrator, and hit Yes in the User Account Control prompt.
4. Click the search bar at the top and enter this path:
   Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender.
   
5. Right-click in the right pane and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
   
6. Double-click the new DWORD to open its properties.
7. Replace the name in the Value Name with DisableAntiSpyware.
8. Set the Value Data to 1 and keep the Base as Hexadecimal.
9. Hit OK.
   
10. Close the Registry Editor.
11. Restart your PC.

Now, verify if the registry modification was successful. Go back into the Virus and Threat Protection Settings, and Microsoft Defender should be turned off. You can confirm it’s disabled if you see the message “No active antivirus provider. Your device is vulnerable” on the screen.

Permanently Disable Microsoft Defender Antivirus Using Winaero Tweaker

If you aren’t confident about modifying the Windows Registry manually, you can use a third-party registry editor. Winaero Tweaker is one such program. It’s free and easy to use and lets you perform a bunch of other tweaks to your system registry.

Download WinAero Tweaker

Here’s how to use Winaero Tweaker to disable Microsoft Defender Antivirus on your PC permanently:

1. Launch Winaero Tweaker on your PC.
2. Click the I Agree button on the License Agreement page and hit Yes on the User Account Control prompt.
3. In the search box that reads Search For a Tweak, type Windows Defender.
   
4. Double-click on the Disable Windows Defender option.
5. Now, check off the Disable Windows Defender checkbox.
6. Click the Restart Now button in the bottom left corner to restart the PC and apply the changes.
   

When your system boots now, Microsoft Defender Antivirus will be turned off. At any point in the future, if you want to turn it back on, simply uncheck the checkbox and restart your PC.

Permanently Disable Microsoft Defender Antivirus by Installing a New Antivirus Program

Microsoft has programmed Microsoft Defender Antivirus to automatically turn off when you install a new antivirus software on your system. So, if you were planning to disable Microsoft Defender Antivirus because it doesn’t meet your requirements, this method will solve the problem for you.

Simply choose an antivirus program—free or paid—depending on your preference and install it on your computer, and it will now work as the default program instead of Microsoft Defender Antivirus. Some popular antivirus software you can consider using include Avast, AVG, and Malwarebytes.

Be Extra Cautious When Turning Off Microsoft Defender Antivirus on Your PC

Knowing how to turn off Microsoft Defender Antivirus—temporarily or permanently—is a useful trick you never know can come in handy. While situations dictate when to use a temporary solution or a permanent solution, we advise being cautious when taking the permanent route since leaving your system unprotected for long renders it susceptible to all sorts of threats. Of course, if you plan on replacing Microsoft Defender with another antivirus software, then it’s totally fine.