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If you want to disable Windows 10 Defender to use a different antivirus program instead, you can turn it off without any concerns.
Disabling Defender in Windows 10: How to do it via Settings
If you have antivirus software such as Avast, Avira, or AVG Anti-Virus installed, you should disable Microsoft Defender on Windows 10. This is because the programs could interfere with each other without you noticing.
- Important: If you already have antivirus protection installed, it should handle the main tasks of Windows Defender. This means that Defender on Windows 10 does not need to be active. However, you can also disable Windows’ periodic scanning.
- Open the Start menu and search for Settings, accessible via the gear icon. Alternatively, type Windows Security into the Windows search bar using your keyboard to go directly to the menu.
- In Settings, click on Update & Security. In the next menu, you will find the tab Windows Security, which you must select.
- Once there, click on Virus & Threat Protection. This window will display the antivirus software installed on your device. Click on the blue-highlighted Microsoft Defender Antivirus Options and disable periodic scanning here.
- If you do not have your own antivirus software installed, you can also disable Microsoft Defender using the method described above. To do this, go to the section Virus & Threat Protection Settings and click to disable real-time protection.
- Tip: You can also disable Windows Defender via Group Policy by navigating to the Real-time Protection tab under Defender Antivirus in the Group Policy Editor. There you will find the entry Disable real-time protection, which you can enable or disable as needed.
