How to Disable Windows Defender in Windows 8

Windows Defender is the in-built antivirus of Windows 8 provided by Microsoft. This article will tell you how to disable it.

This is a free antivirus, which has the combination of Defender of Windows 7 and the Microsoft Security Essentials. It is the statement of Microsoft that Defender of Windows 8 is sufficient to tackle the security threats for a home computer, which needs only the primary protection against spyware and malware. This is; however, not entirely correct. The antivirus detects virus very efficiently while removing the same requires much time.

Why Should Windows Defender be Disabled

Windows 8 Defender has the basic features for protecting a computer against spyware and malware, but if the users require another antivirus software, with more efficient features, then the Defender has to be disabled. This is because one cannot expect 2 firewalls work in combined effect as Defender inherits the firewall functionality from its previous version. Almost all of the antivirus conflict with each other when two of them are installed in a system, and you cannot expect them to work harmoniously. So, it is evident that you need to disable the built in antivirus of Windows 8, the defender if you need to install another third party security system.

You can only disable the Windows 8 Defender because, it is not easy to uninstall the same. The Defender is programmed to get set into the system to the core. There are 2 methods for disabling the Defender. Once you are able to disable it, you can also enable it easily by repeating the process in the reversal order.

As the Windows 8 Defender is an integral part of the operating system, it is not possible to remove or uninstall the same completely. If Windows 8 has been purchased and installed by you, then the Defender must have been enabled already. If a Windows 8 computer is bought by you, you need to check if the Defender is enabled or not. This is the case because many manufacturers have installed the other third party security antivirus systems as trial versions and if the users are satisfied with these trial versions, then they can continue using the same.

Method 1:

Use Program Options to Turn Off Windows Defender

1. You can find Windows Defender installed in the program files of C drive. To run the Defender, you can run MSASCui.exe and this starts the Windows Defender user interface. Another simple method is to search for Windows Defender and run it from the search results.

2. Now go to the settings tab and uncheck “Turn on real time protection”, and this disables the Windows Defender. You can also press “Alt + N”, the shortcut keys to uncheck the same.

3. After unchecking, press “Save Changes” button. This disables Windows Defender immediately. Remember, to press save changes, and this is mandatory to get the uncheck saved.

Method 2:

Using Windows Services to Disable Windows Defender

1. In Windows 8, Defender is run as a service. This means that even if the user is not logged on, it keeps running. Open Services Manager by going to Run -> services.msc. You can find the Windows Defender Services and open its properties by double clicking it.

2. The Start up type has to be changed to Disable the Windows 8 Defender. Now, you can see that the Windows 8 Defender is disabled forever and also this lets you free to install the antivirus of your choice.

You can go to Windows Action Center and enable Windows 8 Defender if you want to enable it in the future.