How to disable Windows Defender antivirus in Windows 10

Windows Defender is the name of the Windows 10 antivirus, included on the system. This is a very strong protection for Windows 10, which is activated immediately after installing the system to prevent the PC from remaining vulnerable and exposed to viruses and malware ready to hit immediately as soon as you open the internet. Although this is a viable antimalware solution, sufficient for most users, there are some special situations where you would prefer to disable it. For example, if you install Windows 10 on a PC that does not connect to the internet or to install alternative antivirus or even to perform activities blocked by the antivirus.
The only problem is that there is no option to uninstall or remove Windows Defender Antivirus permanently, since it is an internal feature and deeply integrated into the Windows 10 system. You can still disable the antivirus with some alternative procedures, by deactivating real-time protection or by using Group Policy or the registry.
READ ALSO: Antivirus Windows 10: better to install one or just Windows Defender ">

Disable Windows Defender Antivirus from the Security Settings

Disable Windows Defender Antivirus by using Group Policy

Disable Windows Defender Antivirus by using the registry

Disable Windows Defender from the Windows Security Settings

To disable the real-time control of the Windows 10 antivirus, you can open the Start menu, go to Settings> Update and security and click on Windows Security . Then click on Virus Protection and Threats to open the Windows Security Control Center. Then click the Manage Settings link under Virus and Threat Protection Settings .
From this screen it is now possible to disable the option of Real-time protection, but as you can read in the three lines above the switch this deactivation will be only temporary. In fact, Windows 10 will automatically reactivate its antivirus if it detects that it has been deactivated for some time. Although this is not a permanent solution, the procedure remains to be followed in order to disable the Windows 10 antivirus in order to perform specific activities or use particular software that would otherwise be blocked.
READ ALSO: Guide to Windows 10 Security Settings

Disable Windows Defender from Group Policy

In Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Enterprise, you can permanently remove Windows Defender protection by opening the Group Policy Editor .
To open the group policy editor, press the Windows-R keys together and then run the gpedit.msc command. From the folders on the right side open: Computer Configuration> Administrative Templates> Windows Components> Windows Defender Antivirus . On the right side, find the Disable Windows Defender Antivirus option, double click on it and change from Not configured to Enabled . Press Apply and restart.
After completing the steps, the Defender antivirus for Windows 10 will be permanently disabled on your computer. You will still see the shield icon in the notification area, because it is the Windows Security app icon and not specific to the antivirus.
If you change your mind, you can always reactivate Windows Defender by following the same instructions, setting the Disable Windows Defender Antivirus option as not configured.
However, this type of solution does not exist in Windows 10 Home, considered by Microsoft as the operating system for non-professional users who should not need to disable the antivirus.

Disable Windows Defender using the registry

If you do not have access to the Local Group Policy Editor or if you are using Windows 10 Home, you can still disable Windows Defender permanently by editing a key in the registry .
Then open the Start menu and look for the word regedit to open the registry key editor.
In the search bar at the top, copy the following path and press Enter :
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Policies \ Microsoft \ Windows Defender
Right click on the Windows Defender key (folder), select New> DWORD value (32 bit) and create a new key with the name DisableAntiSpyware . Double click on it and change the value from 0 to 1. Press OK, close the editor and restart your computer. Windows Defender will now be completely disabled.
To cancel this change, go back to the registry editor and delete the DisableAntiSpyware key by pressing on it with the right button.

Conclusion

Beyond the different methods that you can use to disable Windows Defender Antivirus on Windows 10, I want to say that it is not recommended to do it and to remain without anti-malware. It is also important to note that if you install another antivirus, you do not need to manually disable Windows Defender Antivirus, as it will be automatically disabled during the installation process.
I remember, in another article, the Best Free Antivirus Alternatives to Windows Defender for Windows 10 .
Finally, I remember that in Windows 7 Windows Defender exists, but it is only the name of the antimalware scan service, without real-time protection.
As seen in the past, Windows Defender can be disabled in Windows 7 even if there is no reason to do it.
READ ALSO: How to use the "Windows Defender" antivirus