Windows Defender can be disabled, but understand what you're losing first

You can turn off Windows Defender — the antivirus program built into Windows — through Settings, Group Policy, or the Windows Security app itself. The steps differ slightly depending on whether you have Windows 10 or Windows 11, and whether you're using a home or professional version. However, disabling it removes your computer's main layer of protection against viruses and malware, so you should only do this if you're replacing it with another antivirus program that's already installed and running.

If you disable Windows Defender without having another antivirus active, your computer becomes vulnerable to infection. Windows will warn you about this repeatedly. Many people disable it by mistake while troubleshooting, then forget it's off — that's a common way computers get infected.

Key Takeaways

  • You can disable Windows Defender temporarily through Windows Security or permanently through Settings, depending on what you need.
  • Disabling it without another antivirus running leaves your computer unprotected, and Windows will show constant warning notifications.
  • If you're replacing Windows Defender with a different antivirus, install the new program first and let it run a full scan before disabling Windows Defender.
  • On Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise, Group Policy offers a way to disable Windows Defender that persists through restarts, but Home edition doesn't have this option.

Disable Windows Defender temporarily through Windows Security

This method turns off real-time protection for a short time — usually one hour — then Windows Defender turns itself back on automatically. Use this when you need to install software that Windows Defender is blocking, or when you're troubleshooting a problem.

On Windows 10 or 11: Open the Windows Security app (search for "Windows Security" in the Start menu). Click Virus & threat protection on the left side. Under "Virus & threat protection settings," click Manage settings. Toggle off Real-time protection. Windows will ask you to confirm — click Yes. The protection stays off for one hour, then turns back on by itself.

If you need it off for longer than an hour, you can repeat these steps, but this isn't a permanent solution. Windows will also show you a notification that real-time protection is off.

Disable Windows Defender permanently through Settings

This method actually disables several Windows Defender features at once, but it's not a complete removal — the program stays on your computer. Use this if you're installing a different antivirus and want to prevent Windows Defender from interfering.

On Windows 10: Open Settings (press Windows key + I). Go to Update & Security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection. Click Manage settings. Turn off Real-time protection, Cloud-delivered protection, and Automatic sample submission. You can also turn off Tamper Protection if it's preventing your new antivirus from installing, though this is less common.

On Windows 11: Open Settings > Privacy & security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection. Click Manage settings. Turn off the same toggles: Real-time protection, Cloud-delivered protection, and Automatic sample submission.

After you disable these settings, Windows Defender still monitors for threats in the background, but it won't actively scan files or block suspicious programs in real time. This is why you need another antivirus running — the background monitoring alone isn't enough protection.

Disable Windows Defender using Group Policy (Windows Pro and Enterprise only)

If you have Windows 10 Pro, Windows 11 Pro, or an Enterprise version, you can use Group Policy to disable Windows Defender more completely. This method prevents the settings from being changed back easily, and the change persists through restarts and updates.

Press Windows key + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter. Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Microsoft Defender Antivirus. Find the policy called Turn off Microsoft Defender Antivirus and double-click it. Select Enabled and click OK.

This disables Windows Defender at a system level, and you won't see the toggle switches in Settings anymore. If you ever need to turn it back on, return to the same policy, select Not Configured, and click OK. Windows Home edition does not have Group Policy, so this method won't work on that version.

What to do before disabling Windows Defender

Before you turn off Windows Defender, make sure you have another antivirus program installed and running. Download it from the publisher's official website, not from a third-party download site. Run the installer and let it complete fully, including any restart it asks for.

Once the new antivirus is installed and running, open its settings and make sure it's set to scan on startup and provide real-time protection. Many antivirus programs will automatically detect that Windows Defender is running and offer to disable it for you — if yours does this, let it handle the disabling rather than doing it manually. This prevents conflicts between the two programs.

After the new antivirus is fully set up, run a full system scan before you disable Windows Defender. This catches any threats that might have slipped through while you were installing. Once the scan is clean, you can safely disable Windows Defender.

What happens if you disable Windows Defender without a replacement

If you turn off Windows Defender and don't have another antivirus running, Windows will show repeated notifications in the notification area (bottom right of the screen) warning you that your device is unprotected. These notifications appear every few minutes and are difficult to dismiss permanently.

Your computer is genuinely at risk during this time. Malware can install itself without any warning, and you won't know it's there until serious problems appear — slow performance, unexpected pop-ups, files going missing, or your computer being used to send spam. By that point, removing the infection is much harder than preventing it.

If you've disabled Windows Defender by accident and don't have another antivirus, turn it back on immediately using the steps in the "Disable Windows Defender temporarily" section above, but toggle it back on instead of off.

Re-enable Windows Defender if you need it back

If you disabled Windows Defender through Settings, go back to the same location and toggle Real-time protection back on. If you disabled it through Group Policy, open Group Policy again, find the same policy, select Not Configured, and click OK. Windows will need to restart for the change to take effect.

If you're switching back to Windows Defender from another antivirus, uninstall the other antivirus first, restart your computer, then re-enable Windows Defender. Running two antivirus programs at the same time causes serious performance problems and conflicts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will disabling Windows Defender speed up my computer?

Slightly, but not much. Windows Defender uses very little CPU and memory compared to older antivirus programs. If your computer is slow, the problem is usually something else — too many startup programs, a full hard drive, or malware that's already infected it. Disabling Windows Defender without replacing it with another antivirus is more likely to slow your computer down later, when malware starts running in the background.

Can I disable just Windows Defender scans but keep real-time protection?

Not easily. Real-time protection and scheduled scans are tied together in Windows Defender's settings. If you turn off real-time protection, scans stop too. You can disable scheduled scans through Task Scheduler, but this is complicated and not recommended — scheduled scans catch threats that real-time protection missed.

What antivirus should I use instead of Windows Defender?

Common replacements include Bitdefender, Norton, McAfee, Kaspersky, and Avast. Windows Defender is actually competitive with paid antivirus programs for basic protection, so switching is usually a choice based on specific features you need, not because Windows Defender is inadequate. If you're not sure, Windows Defender is a reasonable choice to leave running.

If I disable Windows Defender, will Windows Update still work?

Yes. Windows Update is separate from Windows Defender and continues to work normally. You'll still receive security patches for Windows itself, but you won't have antivirus protection unless another program is running.

Does disabling Windows Defender affect Windows Firewall?

No. Windows Firewall is a separate program that controls what network traffic can reach your computer. Disabling Windows Defender does not affect the firewall. You should keep Windows Firewall enabled even if you disable Windows Defender.