Microsoft Defender is an antivirus program that comes built-in with Windows 11. It provides basic protection against various types of malware, viruses, and spyware. However, there may be situations where you may want to disable this antivirus program permanently. This could be because you prefer another antivirus program, or you want to improve the performance of your system. In this article, we’ll discuss some ways to permanently disable Microsoft Defender in Windows 11.

Method 1: Using Group Policy Editor

The first method involves using the Group Policy Editor. Follow the steps below:

Step 1: Press the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.

Step 2: Type gpedit.msc and press Enter to open the Group Policy Editor.

Step 3: Navigate to Computer Configuration> Administrative Templates> Windows Components> Microsoft Defender Antivirus.

Step 4: Double-click on the “Turn off Microsoft Defender Antivirus” policy and select Enabled.

Step 5: Click on Apply and then OK to save the changes.

Method 2: Using the Registry Editor

The second method involves using the Registry Editor. Follow the steps below:

Step 1: Press the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.

Step 2: Type regedit and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.

Step 3: Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender.

Step 4: Right-click in the right pane and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.

Step 5: Name the new value “DisableAntiSpyware” and press Enter.

Step 6: Double-click on the new value and change the value data to 1.

Step 7: Click on OK to save the changes.

Method 3: Using the Command Prompt

The third method involves using the Command Prompt. Follow the steps below:

Step 1: Press the Win + X keys and select Command Prompt (Admin) from the menu.

Step 2: Type the following command and press Enter:

sc config WinDefend start=disabled

Step 3: Restart your system for the changes to take effect.

Conclusion

Microsoft Defender is an essential part of Windows 11, but there may be some situations where you may want to disable it permanently. We’ve discussed three methods to achieve this, using the Group Policy Editor, Registry Editor, and Command Prompt. However, disabling your antivirus program can leave your system vulnerable to threats, so it’s important to have an alternative antivirus program installed that can provide the necessary protection.