One of the novelties with which Windows 10 arrived is that it has an antivirus integrated by default. A security tool that for many is already one of the best to protect users of the Microsoft operating system from all kinds of threats and is also free. In addition, the use of Windows 10 antivirus does not prevent the use of other antivirus or third-party security tools, since we can have both running without any problem. Now, it is possible that some users prefer only to have their trust tool, in that case, we are going to show you how to deactivate the Windows 10 antivirus.
Those of Redmond baptized the security tool of Windows 10 as Windows Defender, however, for the vast majority it is the system antivirus. Therefore, to access its settings and options, all we have to do is type, Windows Security in the search box on the taskbar and click on the result that is displayed.
If we prefer, we can also open the Windows 10 antivirus interface from the system configuration page through the Update and security> Windows Security> Open Windows Security option.
Steps to follow to disable Windows 10 antivirus
Once we have opened the Windows Defender interface, these are the steps to follow to disable the antivirus:
- We select the option Antivirus and threat protection.
- Settings in antivirus and protection against threats we click Manage settings.
- We look for the Real-time protection option and slide the switch to the Off position.
- We can also disable cloud-based protection, tamper protection, and automatic sample submission from right there with their respective switches.
However, despite having the Windows 10 antivirus deactivated, it may re-activate after a while if the system detects that it has been deactivated for a while or after a system update. Therefore, we must be vigilant in these cases, since if it is activated again, we will have to manually deactivate it again or proceed to its total deactivation.
How to completely disable antivirus in Windows 10
Completely disabling Windows 10 antivirus involves going to the system registry and disabling the use of Windows Defender. Therefore, first of all, since we are going to make a change in the Windows registry, it will be best to make a backup of the registry itself or create a restore point in case we have any problem being able to leave it as it was before anything else. . For this, these are the steps to follow:
- We open a Run window, Win + R.
- Type regedit and hit Enter or OK.
- We navigate to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / Policies / Microsoft / Windows Defender path .
- We create a new 32-bit DWORD value with the name DisableAntiSpyware .
- We assign the value 1 to DisableAntiSpyware.
- We restart the computer for the changes to be effective.
From then on, the Windows 10 antivirus will be completely deactivated, so if we ever want to activate it again, all we have to do is repeat the steps to deactivate it but assign the value 0 to DisableAntiSpyware or directly delete the registry value.
Disable Windows Defender in Windows 10 Pro
If we have another edition of the system such as Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise or Education, it is possible to deactivate the Windows 10 antivirus through local group policies. Therefore, these are the steps to follow:
- We open a Run window, Win + R.
- We write gpedit.msc and press Enter or OK.
- In the policy editor window we navigate to the option Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Defender Antivirus.
- In the right part we double click on the option Disable Windows Defender Antivirus .
- In the window that opens, check the Enabled box.
- Click on Apply and Accept .
- We restart the computer.
If at any time we want to activate Windows 10 antivirus again, all we have to do is follow the same steps and select the option Not configured .
