I had recently disabled windows defender on windows 10 and when I did I know want to enable it again but when I open action center and press Turn On Now it does nothing. I have pressed it multiple times and with no result. Fix: press Windows Key + R type regedit locate the following path * HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS DEFENDER* Right Click this file and select permissions press Advanced where it says owner press change change the owner to your username Now press apply then ok select Full Control from the permissions menu (click the Widnows Defender folder ) Find the value DisableAntiSpyware and DisableAntiVirus and set these values to 0 (explaination: double click each and where the 1 is put 0 and press ok) Open services.msc find Windows Defender there should be 2 services: Windows Defender Service and Windows Defnder Netwrok right click each and press start after you have started both restart your computer Run Windows Defend er I Hope this Helps! Feel Free to Reply

Fix: press Windows Key + R type regedit locate the following path * HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS DEFENDER* Right Click this file and select permissions press Advanced where it says owner press change change the owner to your username Now press apply then ok select Full Control from the permissions menu (click the Widnows Defender folder ) Find the value DisableAntiSpyware and DisableAntiVirus and set these values to 0 (explaination: double click each and where the 1 is put 0 and press ok) Open services.msc find Windows Defender there should be 2 services: Windows Defender Service and Windows Defnder Netwrok right click each and press start after you have started both restart your computer Run Windows Defend er I Hope this Helps! Feel Free to Reply

Awesome! I had to restart the computer after modifying these settings in the registry for it to take effect. Worked great! Thank you, Adam Glazener Broadcast Technical Services www.btshouston.com

I have found an answer to this which is really easy {if} you bought your computer new with windows 10 on it. MacAfee antivirus comes preinstalled on the computer, if you started this software then it will automatically turn off Windows Defender as you cannot run two different antivirus programs at the same time. even though MacAfee is preloaded, it is considered third party antivirus. The only way to fix Windows Defender is to uninstall MacAfee this automatically turns on defender after the computer restarts. Please remember "ANY" antivirus program other than Defender is considered "third party" software which "may" interfere with Defender. I hope this helps you and please spread the word about this fix so to help other people.

I am working to address this same problem and have gone through steps 1-9 successfully. When I attempt step 10. however, I am not able to change the value for the DisableAntiSpyware and **DisableAntiVirus.**I get a message that says "error writing the value's new contents." Is there a way to problem solve this roadblock? Or, if there is another way to turn on Windows Defender I will be happy to try that too. Thanks!

Windows 10: Windows Defender will not turn on SOLVED

Anonymous

I had recently disabled windows defender on windows 10 and when I did I know want to enable it again but when I open action center and press Turn On Now it does nothing. I have pressed it multiple times and with no result.

Fix:

press Windows Key + R
type regedit
locate the following path *HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\WINDOWS DEFENDER*
Right Click this file and select permissions
press Advanced
where it says owner press change
change the owner to your username
Now press applythen ok
select Full Controlfrom the permissions menu

(click the Widnows Defender folder)

Find the value DisableAntiSpyware and DisableAntiVirus and set these values to 0

(explaination: double click each and where the 1 is put 0 and press ok)

Open services.msc
find Windows Defender
there should be 2 services: Windows Defender Serviceand Windows Defnder Netwrok
right click each and press start
after you have started both restart your computer
Run Windows Defend er

I Hope this Helps!

Feel Free to Reply

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author