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Prevent or allow users to locally modify Microsoft Defender Antivirus policy settings

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Applies to:

Platforms

  • Windows

By default, Microsoft Defender Antivirus settings that are deployed via a Group Policy Object to the endpoints in your network will prevent users from locally changing the settings. You can change this configuration in some instances. For example, it might be necessary to allow certain user groups, such as security researchers and threat investigators, to have further control over individual settings on the endpoints they use.

Configure local overrides for Microsoft Defender Antivirus settings

The default setting for these local override policies is Disabled.

If the policies are set to Enabled, users can make changes to the associated settings on their devices by using the Windows Security app, local Group Policy settings, or PowerShell cmdlets (where appropriate).

The table of settings section lists override policy settings and the configuration instructions.

To configure these settings:

  1. On your Group Policy management computer, open the Group Policy Management Console, right-click the Group Policy Object you want to configure and then select Edit.

  2. In the Group Policy Management Editor go to Computer configuration and select Administrative templates.

  3. Expand the tree to Windows components > Microsoft Defender Antivirus and then the Location specified in the table of settings section (in this article).

  4. Double-click the policy Setting as specified in the table below, and set the option to your desired configuration. Select OK, and repeat for any other settings.

  5. Deploy the Group Policy Object as usual.

Table of settings

Location Setting Article
MAPS Configure local setting override for reporting to Microsoft MAPS Enable cloud-delivered protection
Quarantine Configure local setting override for the removal of items from Quarantine folder Configure remediation for scans
Real-time protection Configure local setting override for monitoring file and program activity on your computer Enable and configure Microsoft Defender Antivirus always-on protection and monitoring
Real-time protection Configure local setting override for monitoring for incoming and outgoing file activity Enable and configure Microsoft Defender Antivirus always-on protection and monitoring
Real-time protection Configure local setting override for scanning all downloaded files and attachments Enable and configure Microsoft Defender Antivirus always-on protection and monitoring
Real-time protection Configure local setting override for turn on behavior monitoring Enable and configure Microsoft Defender Antivirus always-on protection and monitoring
Real-time protection Configure local setting override to turn on real-time protection Enable and configure Microsoft Defender Antivirus always-on protection and monitoring
Remediation Configure local setting override for the time of day to run a scheduled full scan to complete remediation Configure remediation for scans
Scan Configure local setting override for maximum percentage of CPU utilization Configure and run scans
Scan Configure local setting override for schedule scan day Configure scheduled scans
Scan Configure local setting override for scheduled quick scan time Configure scheduled scans
Scan Configure local setting override for scheduled scan time Configure scheduled scans
Scan Configure local setting override for the scan type to use for a scheduled scan Configure scheduled scans

Configure how locally and globally defined threat remediation and exclusions lists are merged

You can also configure how locally defined lists are combined or merged with globally defined lists. This setting applies to exclusion lists, specified remediation lists, and attack surface reduction.

By default, lists that have been configured in local group policy and the Windows Security app are merged with lists that are defined by the appropriate Group Policy Object that you have deployed on your network. Where there are conflicts, the globally defined list takes precedence. You can disable this setting to ensure that only globally defined lists (such as those from any deployed GPOs) are used.

Use Group Policy to disable local list merging

  1. On your Group Policy management computer, open the Group Policy Management Console, right-click the Group Policy Object you want to configure and click Edit.

  2. In the Group Policy Management Editor go to Computer configuration and select Administrative templates.

  3. Expand the tree to Windows components > Microsoft Defender Antivirus.

  4. Double-click Configure local administrator merge behavior for lists and set the option to Disabled. Then select OK.

Note

For "Administrative Templates (.admx) for Windows 11 2022 Update (22H2)" and "Administrative Templates (.admx) for Windows 10 November 2021 Update (21H2)" templates, set Configure local administrator merge behavior for lists to Enabled to disable the local administrator merge behavior.

Use Microsoft Intune to disable local list merging

  1. In the Microsoft Intune admin center, select Endpoint security > Antivirus.

  2. Choose Create Policy, or modify an existing Microsoft Defender Antivirus policy.

  3. Under the Configuration settings, select the drop-down next to Disable Local Admin Merge and select Disable Local Admin Merge.

Note

If you disable local list merging, it will override controlled folder access settings. It also overrides any protected folders or allowed apps set by the local administrator. For more information about controlled folder access settings, see Allow a blocked app in Windows Security.

Tip

If you're looking for Antivirus related information for other platforms, see:

Tip

Do you want to learn more? Engage with the Microsoft Security community in our Tech Community: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Tech Community.