Windows Defender is a software security tool from Microsoft, built into the Windows operating system. It helps protect your computer from malicious software, such as viruses, spyware, and other potentially unwanted programs. While Windows Defender is generally considered a good security measure, there may be times when you wish to turn it off. In this guide, we’ll show you how to turn off Windows Defender on Windows 10, 8, 7 and Vista.
On Windows 10
Turning off Windows Defender on Windows 10 is fairly straightforward.
1. First, open the Windows Settings by pressing the keyboard shortcut Windows Key + I or by clicking the Start button and selecting “Settings.”
2. Next, select “Update & Security” from the sidebar on the left.
3. Click the button labeled “Windows Security”, located in the left pane.
4. From the main Windows Security page, click the link labeled “Virus & Threat Protection” located in the left pane.
5. On the Virus & Threat Protection page, click the link labeled “Manage Settings.”
6. Finally, scroll down to the “Real-time protection” section and toggle the switch to “Off.”
Once you’ve done so, Windows Defender will no longer be running, and any real-time scans will be disabled. If you want to re-enable Windows Defender at any point, simply toggle the switch back to “On”.
On Windows 8
The process for turning off Windows Defender in Windows 8 is quite similar to that of Windows 10.
1. Begin by opening the Windows Charms bar by pressing Windows Key + C. Alternatively, you can move your mouse to the lower-right corner and select the “Search” icon.
2. Type “Windows Defender” into the search box and select the result labeled “Windows Defender.”
3. Once you’ve opened Windows Defender, click the gear icon in the upper-right corner of the window to access the Settings.
4. In the Settings window, scroll down to the “Real-time Protection” section and toggle the switch to “Off.”
On Windows 7 and Vista
For Windows 7 and Vista, the process of turning off Windows Defender is somewhat different.
1. Begin by opening the Windows Control Panel. To do this, either press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog box and type “control panel” or click the Start button and select “Control Panel.”
2. In the Control Panel window, locate and click the link labeled “Security” and then select the option labeled “Windows Defender.”
3. In the Windows Defender window, click the link labeled “Tools” located in the left pane.
4. Next, select the option labeled “Options” located in the left pane.
5. In the Options window, scroll down to the “Real-Time Protection” section and toggle the switch to “Off.”
Once you do so, Windows Defender will no longer be running, and any real-time scans will be disabled. If you want to re-enable Windows Defender at any point, simply toggle the switch back to “On”.