How to disable windows defender and antivirus on my windows 11 pc?

Question

How to disable windows defender and antivirus on my windows 11 pc?

Answer 1

Hi Cathy Lewis,

Windows 11 includes Microsoft Defender Antivirus as a built-in security feature, so it cannot be permanently removed through normal system settings. If you only need to disable it temporarily for troubleshooting or testing, you can turn off Real-time Protection from Windows Security. Defender may automatically re-enable later to help maintain device protection.

To temporarily disable Real-time Protection:

1. Open Windows Security.
2. Select Virus & threat protection.
3. Click Manage settings under Virus & threat protection settings.
4. Turn Real-time protection Off.

If your goal is to prevent Defender from scanning a specific application or folder, consider adding an Exclusion instead of disabling protection entirely, as this is often a safer option for compatibility testing.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

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