Contrary to popular misconception, Microsoft has been shipping barebones antispyware since the days of Windows XP. However, after the release of Windows 7, 8, and 10, Microsoft brought a full-fledged antivirus software, Windows Defender (now called Windows Security), with support for anti-malware execution, real-time detection, and timely definition update. However, some users do not find the local antivirus effective, and some find it too demanding on computer resources. Recently, we wrote about how Windows Defender abnormally increases CPU usage via the msmpeng.exe process. So, if you are also facing such issues or just want to install an antivirus of your choice, follow our guide and learn how to disable Windows Defender Antivirus in Windows 10.
Disable Windows Defender Antivirus in Windows 10 Using Registry
Here we will use the Windows Registry tool to disable Windows Defender Antivirus. For this method, Make sure you are using the administrator account before moving forward. Let’s start now.
1. First, open Windows Defender or Windows Security and go to “Virus & threat protection”. Here, Click on “Manage Settings”.
2. After that, disable all toggles Under “Virus and threat protection settings”.
3. Now, Search for “registry” in the Windows Search box. After that, click “Run as administrator” in the right pane.
4. Copy and paste the address below Enter the registry address bar and press enter. You will be instantly redirected to the Windows Defender folder.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender
7. Right click on “Windows Defender” and select New -> DWORD (32-bit) value. Name the file “DisableAntiSpyware” and click the “OK” button.
8. Now double click on the file and change value to 1. After that, click the “OK” button and restart your computer.
9. Finally, open Windows Defender or Windows Security and you will see that the antivirus is completely disabled. You can now go ahead and install a third-party antivirus on your Windows 10 PC.
Note: If it doesn’t work on the first try, try a second time and it will definitely work.
10. If you want Re-enable Windows Defender, simply delete the “DisableAntiSpyware” file from the Registry and restart your computer. The local Windows antivirus will start working again.
Disable Windows Defender Antivirus in Windows 10 Using Group Policy
If the Registry hack isn’t working for you, you can take advantage of the Group Policy Editor to permanently disable Windows Defender. However, the Group Policy Editor only available in Administrator account and on computers running Windows 10 Pro edition. So let’s start with all that has been said.
1. Press the “Windows” and “R” keys simultaneously to open the Run dialog. Now, type “gpedit.msc” in the search box and press enter to open the Group Policy Editor.
2. Here, Expand “Administrative Templates” The menu under the “Computer Configuration” section.
3. Next, expand the “Windows Components” menu and Scroll down to “Windows Defender Antivirus”.
4. Here, double click on “Turn off Windows Defender Antivirus” and Choose “Enabled” in the upper left corner. Next, click the “Apply” and “OK” button.
5. Finally, restart the computer and this time, you will see that Windows Defender is disabled on your Windows 10 PC.
6. If you want re-enable then open the Group Policy Editor again and choose Not Configured. This much.
Uninstall Windows Defender Antivirus from Windows 10
These are the two ways to uninstall Windows Defender Antivirus from your Windows 10 PC. While the registry hack works most of the time, Microsoft sometimes reverses the change after an update. So, if you are facing such a problem, use the more powerful Group Policy Editor, which controls the behavior of all system apps in Windows 10 Pro. Other than that, the old way of disabling Windows Defender using Windows Services doesn’t work anymore, so I didn’t mention this method. Anyway, that’s it for us. If you found the article helpful, let us know in the comment section below.
