Windows Defender is a popular anti-malware program developed by Microsoft. It provides protection against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software. While Windows Defender is generally effective at protecting your computer from malicious threats, it can sometimes cause problems of its own. In this article, we will go over some common Windows Defender issues and how to resolve them.
1. Windows Defender won’t turn on:
If your Windows Defender won’t turn on, the first thing you should do is make sure you have the latest version of Windows. If your Windows is up to date, then you can try the following steps:
• Launch the Control Panel and click “Security and Maintenance”.
• Select “Windows Defender” from the sidebar.
• Click “Turn On” button and restart your PC.
• If the issue persists, try running a full scan with Windows Defender.
2. Windows Defender isn’t scanning properly:
If Windows Defender isn’t scanning properly, there could be several reasons why:
• Your security settings may be set too low.
• You may have installed a conflicting security program.
• You may have corrupted system files.
To fix the issue, try the following:
• Launch Windows Defender and adjust the security settings according to your needs.
• Uninstall any conflicting security programs.
• Run a System File Checker scan to repair corrupted system files.
3. Windows Defender takes up too much system resources:
If Windows Defender is using too much system resources, you should try the following:
• Try disabling background scanning.
• Stop real-time protection if you are using another antivirus.
• Set all the connectors to manual start in Windows Defender.
• Exclude certain folders from scanning.
• Increase the amount of RAM available to Windows Defender.
4. Windows Defender is not detecting threats:
If Windows Defender is not detecting any threats, there could be several causes:
• You may need to update Windows Defender.
• There may be conflicting security software installed.
• Your security settings may be set too low.
To fix this issue, try the following:
• Update Windows Defender.
• Uninstall any conflicting security programs.
• Adjust the security settings according to your needs.
• Run a full scan with Windows Defender.
5. Windows Defender won’t uninstall:
If you’re having trouble uninstalling Windows Defender, the best course of action is to use the official Microsoft uninstaller. To do this, follow these steps:
• Go to the Microsoft website and download the Windows Defender Uninstaller tool.
• Once downloaded, run the tool as an administrator.
• The tool will now attempt to remove any remnants of Windows Defender from your system.
• Once the uninstallation process is completed, restart your computer.
The above solutions should help you resolve any Windows Defender issues you may be experiencing. If the issue persists, you should contact Microsoft Support for further assistance.