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How to Disable Virus Protection on Your Computer?

Last Updated : 23 Jul, 2025
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If you need to disable virus protection on your computer, perhaps for troubleshooting or software installation, it's important to do so with caution. Turning off antivirus software can temporarily expose your system to threats, so it should be done only when necessary. This guide will walk you through how to disable antivirus and turn off virus protection settings to ensure you're aware of the risks and can manage your computer's security effectively.

How to Disable Virus Protection on Your Computer?

Windows Defender is a tool offered by Microsoft in all the installations of Windows NT Operating Systems. It is put in place to prevent Viruses and other malicious programs from attacking the Operating System. Therefore, Windows Defender is used to protect the Operating System's Integrity. But this also comes with its fair share of drawbacks such as: 

  • It consumes a lot of resources in the Background
  • It isn't that good at detecting Malicious Payloads in contrast to Paid Antivirus programs
  • It is enabled by default and requires a lot of effort to disable it permanently.

Step-by-Step Implementation

In this article, you will learn how to disable Windows Defender from a Windows Installation. 

  • Step 1:  Open the Windows Start Menu by pressing the [Win] Key or clicking on the Windows icon on the bottom left of the desktop.
Windows Start Menu
 
  • Step 2: Type Windows Security
Windows Security
 
  • Step 3: Now Open the Windows Security App by clicking it, or pressing the Enter key. A new window would have appeared similar to this:
Security at a glance
 
  • Step 4: Now click on Virus and Threat Protection.
Virus and threat protection
 
  • Step 5: Now scroll down to the Virus and Threat Protection Settings, and click the Manage Setting option.
Virus and threat protection
 
  • Step 6: From there click on the Slider below Real-Time Protection
Real-time Protection
 
  • Step 7: Now the real-time protection has been disabled on your OS.
Virus Threat and protection settings

In this way, you can disable the Virus Protection on your Windows Operating System.

Conclusion

Disabling virus protection on your computer can be necessary for certain tasks, but it's crucial to re-enable it as soon as possible to maintain your system's security. By following the steps to turn off antivirus software and managing your computer security settings, you can ensure that you understand the implications of temporarily turning off virus protection and take appropriate measures to safeguard your system.


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