Windows 10 Remove Windows Defender

[Slo2018]

Is it possible to completely remove Windows Defender in Windows 10? I don't need it because i have Avast.

 

[eidairaman1]

Is it possible to completely remove Windows Defender in Windows 10? I don't need it because i have Avast.

Is it causing you problems?

 

[Slo2018]

Yes. I always have problems because deleting files.

 

[Athlonite]

Just turn it off it's not that hard

 

[eidairaman1]

Yes. I always have problems because deleting files.

Such as? Can you maybe get a snapshot of your Event Viewer?

Just turn it off it's not that hard

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wi...ently-disable-windows-defender-windows-10?amp

 

[Octopuss]

From what I understand,
1) you cannot turn it off or remove it, because it does a lot more than what it used to previousl
2) its protection is automatically not used when you have third party antivirus installed.

So, leave it be and don't stress about it.

 

[StrayKAT]

Altogether bad idea to try to get rid of something so tightly integrated into the OS. Even if you don't use it, it's still the only mechanism in Windows that reads BIOS level security stuff, TPMs, etc.. And if you manage to somehow uninstall it, you'll just have hundreds if not thousands of entries in the registry anyhow.

 

[Jetster]

On endpoints and devices that are protected with a non-Microsoft antivirus or antimalware app, Windows Defender Antivirus will automatically disable itself. You can then choose to enable an optional, limited protection feature, called limited periodic scanning.

 

[W1zzard]

rem Disable Windows Defender
reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender" /v DisableAntiSpyware /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender" /v DisableRoutinelyTakingAction /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
reg delete "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run" /v SecurityHealth /f

This works for me. Run in admin-rights cmd shell

Source: https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/windows-10-tweaks-for-vga-benchmark.228698/

As previously mentioned, Defender should get disabled automatically if another antivirus program is installed.

 

[GlacierNine]

There's no need to do any of this, and even if you DID use those shell commands I wouldn't recommend it.

Avast is definitely recognised by windows as a legitimate replacement Antivirus. As soon as windows detects that Avast is running, Windows Defender will turn itself off and only turn back on if Avast stops running.

 

[FireFox]

1) you cannot turn it off or remove it, because it does a lot more than what it used to previousl

Wrong, i have it off.

Note: and dont forget the internet is full of ideas and solutions for almost everything

 

[Octopuss]

Ok, ok.
But it still doesn't mean it should be done
I totally did it in Windows 7, but it seems like it's better be left alone in 10.

 

[qubit]

I have Kaspersky and while Defender does indeed get out of the way, I still get definition updates for it, which is a bit irritating, since they're not used. It hasn't irked me enough to try disabling this, though.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Is it possible to completely remove Windows Defender in Windows 10? I don't need it because i have Avast.

Yes, it is. And while it is a bit of a process, it is still simple to do.

First you'll need to replace Windows Defender with something competent. I personally recommend Comodo as they have the most well rounded and effective antimalware/firewall out there. However Avira has an excellent suite as well.
Below is the offline installer for Comodo;
https://download.comodo.com/cis/download/installs/1000/standalone/cispremium_only_installer.exe
This will install the premium version in trial mode, but will revert to the free mode after 30 days, which is still all you need to remain secure. Though I will say the premium version is worth the price, but you don't have to.
Avira has a host for their free version on Softpedia;
https://www.softpedia.com/get/Antivirus/AntiVir-Personal-Edition.shtml
On that download page click download and select the offline version.

Either one of these are and will remain leaps and bounds better than the irritating nonsense Microsoft calls "Windows Defender". However if you have something already make sure you have an offline installer for it, or have it installed already.

Grab the very excellent bootable utility disc from Gandalf's WinPE page;
http://windowsmatters.com/category/windows-pes/
You can use either the Win7PE or the Win10PE images, it won't matter which for this process.

Image it to a USB drive using Rufus;
https://rufus.ie/

Then boot to that USB drive. You have to do this because Windows protects Windows Defender while it's booted and will not let you modify the following directories.
Use the file manager to navigate to the following directories;
C:\Program Files\Windows Defender
C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Defender
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows Defender

In each of those directories you can do one of two things;
1. Create a new folder(you can name it whatever you want though you should keep it short) within each directory and move everything in them to the new folder.
2. You can simply delete everything in each of those folders.
Either choice will remove Windows Defender ability to run entirely and it will bother you no more. Doing so will not cause any instabilities to Windows itself.

Once you've done that, reboot back into Windows, making sure to remain disconnected from the internet. Install your antimalware/security suite unless you already installed it. It's better to do this step last as Defender is known to muck about with security suites that disable it.

And there you are. Windows Defender is gone. Keep in mind a Windows Update might reinstall it, but you can simply use this process to remove it again.

 

[RichF]

Wrong, i have it off.

Note: and dont forget the internet is full of ideas and solutions for almost everything

Microsoft is also famous for giving people the ability to think they've turned things off, only to find them either still on or magically reset when an update patch is installed (or whatever). This isn't just a MS practice but it is the most egregious company that I know of, considering how much money people pay for things like Enterprise features that MS didn't intend to actually function.

People shouldn't have to hope that things they have to hunt for on the web are going to work. They should be able to use the GUI to do it. And, GUI switches should actually work and stick. That's what a modern operating system is supposed to be about. But, people still fail to realize this basic fact, so long after we've all abandoned the full CLI OS experience for good reason.

 

[bug]

The annoying thing is that my user doesn't need real-time protection. But if I disable that in Avast (or whatever), Windows Defender will decide to resurrect itself. There's just no way to free up those resources.

 

[lexluthermiester]

The annoying thing is that my user doesn't need real-time protection. But if I disable that in Avast (or whatever), Windows Defender will decide to resurrect itself. There's just no way to free up those resources.

So use the process I stated above and move all files into new sub-directories. It'll stop it from running until you move everything back.

 

[R0H1T]

Altogether bad idea to try to get rid of something so tightly integrated into the OS. Even if you don't use it, it's still the only mechanism in Windows that reads BIOS level security stuff, TPMs, etc.. And if you manage to somehow uninstall it, you'll just have hundreds if not thousands of entries in the registry anyhow.

You can't uninstall it, it's possible only via winPE & that's kind of illegal.

 

[bug]

So use the process I stated above and move all files into new sub-directories. It'll stop it from running until you move everything back.

Yeah, I can make that easier by booting into Linux and moving those folders.
What I was saying, the decision to auto-activate, while sensible for people that don't know any better, can be pretty annoying at times.

Edit: Also, while I have no trouble using the PC without a running AV, I would never do that to my wife's account. So moving folders is not going to work for me.

 

[GlacierNine]

The annoying thing is that my user doesn't need real-time protection. But if I disable that in Avast (or whatever), Windows Defender will decide to resurrect itself. There's just no way to free up those resources.

I haven't actually noticed any detrimental performance effects to having RTP in any AV for many years. Exactly how necessary even is this?

 

[bug]

I haven't actually noticed any detrimental performance effects to having RTP in any AV for many years. Exactly how necessary even is this?

On occasion, it will decide your system hasn't been scanned in a while and initiate a scan. Can be quite annoying if you still have mechanical drives in there.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

One of Microsoft's recent updates turned defender back on even when i had it disabled. then kept constantly nagging at me that i had no protection and that my kaspersky was turned off even though it was on all the time.

I had to regedit it to make it shut up. It wasnt till recently where it started to do this.

 

[GlacierNine]

On occasion, it will decide your system hasn't been scanned in a while and initiate a scan. Can be quite annoying if you still have mechanical drives in there.

Which I do, and I've still no experience of a performance hit due to it. I use malwarebytes alongside though, which, as it's not an AV specifically, doesn't turn off Windows Defender even though it offers on-access protection.

In theory that shouldn't work, but it does. I've had issues in the past where Defender and AVG have fought each other for the right to on-access-scan a file, but not on Win10, only Win7

 

[lexluthermiester]

In theory that shouldn't work, but it does. I've had issues in the past where Defender and AVG have fought each other for the right to on-access-scan a file, but not on Win10

I've been seeing it happen in Windows 10.

 

[bug]

Which I do, and I've still no experience of a performance hit due to it. I use malwarebytes alongside though, which, as it's not an AV specifically, doesn't turn off Windows Defender even though it offers on-access protection.

In theory that shouldn't work, but it does. I've had issues in the past where Defender and AVG have fought each other for the right to on-access-scan a file, but not on Win10, only Win7

What can I say, you've got quite a miracle system over there if it can sustain a continuous read of a mechanical drive with no noticeable performance impact.