How to Turn Off Windows Defender [2021]

Windows Defender is a solid antivirus tool that prevents malware and harmful websites on your Windows device. The downside is that the Windows antivirus tool may slow down your productivity sometimes. At that time, you can disable or turn off it to increase the productivity of your device. Moreover, various third-party Antivirus tools available online to provide advanced security features than Windows Defender. To install them, you may need to disable to Windows defender.

Related: Windows 10 Keyboard Shortcuts

Steps to Turn Off/Disable Windows Defender Temporarily

The following method works on all versions of Windows OS including Windows 10.

Step 1: Press the Windows symbol on your computer and click the Settings icon.

Step 2: Click Update & Security.

Step 3: Click Windows Security on the left side menu panel.

Step 4: Select Virus & threat protection.

Step 5: Select Virus & threat protection settings.

Step 6: Scroll down to Real-time protection menu and disable it by moving the slider.

Steps to Turn Off/Disable Windows Defender Permanently

You can disable the built-in Windows antivirus tool permanently by using the Windows registry.

Step 1: Press Windows + R key to open the run command.

Step 2: Type ‘regedit’ and press the enter key.

Step 3: Now, browse through the following path

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Policies > Microsoft > Windows Defender

Step 4: Right-click on the Windows Defender folder and click New > DOWRD (32-bit) Value.

Step 5: Name the new folder as DisableAntiSpyware and hit the enter key.

Step 6: Double-click the file and change the value data from ‘0’ to ‘1’.

Step 7: Click OK to close the tab and restart your device to disable the Windows permanently.

Now, you can browse the web pages without any interruptions. However, it is advisable not to turn off the Windows antivirus tool as you may lose some of the security features associated with your device.

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