Fastest Way to Turn Off Windows Defender on Windows 10

Windows Defender is a free antivirus program preinstalled by Microsoft on Windows 10. In this article, I’ll show you how to turn off Windows Defender.

Method 1: Temporarily Turn Off Windows Defender in Settings

If you are using Windows 10 1803 or later double-click the Windows Defender icon on the Taskbar.

Select Virus & threat protection > Virus & threat protection settings.

Switch all 3 items below to OFF

Method 2: Turn Off Windows Defender Using Local Group Policy

If you use Windows 10 Pro or other editions such as Windows 10 Enterpriseor Windows 10 Education, you can use Local Group Policy Editor to completely disable Windows Defender on your computer.

1. Press the key combination Windows + R to open the Run command window.

2. In the Run command window, enter gpedit.msc there, then press Enter or click OKto open the Local Group Policy Editor window.

3. In the Local Group Policy Editor window, navigate to the key

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Defender 

Note: On Windows 10 version 1803 or later, the Windows Defender option is replaced with Windows Defender Antivirus. Select this option and follow the same steps.

4. In the right pane, find and double-click the Turn off Windows Defender.

5. Select Enabled to disable Windows Defender.

6. Click Apply.

7. Click OK.

After completing these steps, simply restart your computer and Windows Defender will be turned off.

Good luck!