Windows Security displaying blank screen.

Question

Windows Security displaying blank screen.

Aditya Khandelwal 40

I use Windows 11 and the windows security app isn't displaying anything.

i have tried few things by searching the internet, but none worked.

i tried "fix problems using windows update" option in recovery. got this 1.0.2402.27001-0 folder in C:\Windows\System32\SecurityHealth\1.0.2402.27001-0. then is vanished again after i ran a powershell command - PowerShell -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Command "& {$manifest = (Get-AppxPackage SecHealthUI).InstallLocation + '\AppxManifest.xml' ; Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $manifest}"

tried running commands on powershell (both of windows default and downloaded separately) and yes everything as administrator. didn't work.

in registry editor, i tried going to this - Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SecurityHealthServices. and it wasn't present.

so i created a new key and added a new D-word (32-bit value) naming it start and giving it value 3. still Windows Security showed a blank screen.

i went to this folder - C:\Windows\System32\SecurityHealth. and it was empty so i downloaded "SecurityHealthSetup" from microsoft. ran it as administrator, restarted my laptop and still nothing.

Please advice what can be done. Screenshot 2026-06-28 215305

Screenshot 2026-06-29 172030

Screenshot 2026-06-29 172111

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Answer 1

Hi. I'm David, and I'm happy to help you.

Looking at your screenshots, your Windows Security services and policies have been deeply modified or completely removed:

In the second screenshot, your registry explicitly shows DisableAntiVirus and DisableAntiSpyware set to 1, which forces Windows Defender to stay turned off.
In the third screenshot, the system can't even find the WinDefend service anymore, meaning the core security engine is missing.

Did you have any third-party antivirus installed (like McAfee, Avast, Norton, Kaspersky, etc.) before this happened? Standard uninstallers often leave behind remnants that permanently block Windows Defender.

Alternatively, have you recently run any automated "Windows debloat" or performance optimization scripts? These tools are notorious for completely deleting security services.

Also. What is the version and "OS Build" of your Windows 11?

Press "Windows + R", type winver, and click OK.

If you prefer, share a screenshot. Use the shortcut "Windows + Shift + S" to use the screenshot tool.

Be sure to censor your email address if it appears. The Microsoft Q&A is public.

Looking forward to your reply.

Aditya Khandelwal 40 Reputation points

2026-06-29T15:35:51.63+00:00

Hi David,

Thanks for your reply.

I never had any previous antiviruses installed. I was always fine with Windows Defender.

Also, I never ran any Windows debloat scripts nor did any performance optimization.

I am unable to pinpoint the last time I had the Windows Defender running and what made it stop.

Answer 2

David-M 117.3K Independent Advisor

Thanks for the clarifications and the screenshot.

Since you are running Windows 11 Home, your system doesn't natively use Group Policies. The fact that those registry blocks exist and your WinDefend service is completely missing strongly suggests that your system was compromised by malware at some point, which intentionally stripped away your antivirus defenses to protect itself.

Because the core security engine is gone, standard commands won't work. You need to approach this in three phases: Cleaning, registry repair, and system restoring.

1 = Since Windows Defender is non-functional, you need specialized, standalone scanners that don't rely on Windows services. Please download and run full scans using these free tools:

Microsoft Safety Scanner (MSERT): Download it from the link below.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/threat-protection/intelligence/safety-scanner-download

Malwarebytes (Free version): Download it from the link below.

https://malwarebytes.com/

After scanning, you can uninstall it.

Note: MSERT is an official standalone tool from Microsoft that runs independently of your broken local services. Run these scans even if you think the PC is clean now, just to ensure no active malware is blocking our next repair steps.

2 = Once the system is verified clean, let's remove the policies blocking Defender.

Press Windows + R, type regedit, and hit Enter;
Navigate to: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender
In the right pane, right-click and Delete all the DWORD values listed there (including DisableAntiVirus, DisableAntiSpyware, DisableRoutinelyTakingAction, and any others you see). Only leave the (Default) value untouched;
Restart (not shutdown) your computer.

3 = Since the "WinDefend" service was completely deleted, the most reliable way to reinstall it without losing any of your personal files or apps is performing an In-place Upgrade. This will rewrite your core system files and completely restore the missing Windows Security services while keeping everything else intact. I will leave detailed instructions below.

Download the ISO file to perform the procedure:

Access the link below;

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows11

Under Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) for x64 devices, click Select download and select Windows 11 (multi-edition ISO for x64 devices);
Click Download;
Choose the language and click on Confirm;
Then, click 64-bit Download.
Wait for the download to finish and proceed to the procedure below.

After downloading the ISO, do the following:

Double-click the ISO to run;

(After running the ISO, you may need to double-click the Setup file to start the procedure.)

On the Install Windows 11 screen, uncheck I want to help make the installation of Windows better and select Change how Windows Setup downloads updates;
On the next screen, select Not right now and click Next;
Accept the terms of use;
On the Ready to install screen, select Choose what to keep and select what you want to keep.

(It is in this step that you must check Keep personal files and apps so that all your data is kept.)

Click on Install and wait for the procedure to finish. Your computer may restart several times.

After the procedure is complete, check if Windows Security opens correctly.

Please let me know how it goes.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Standard Disclaimer: There is a link to a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.

Aditya Khandelwal 40 Reputation points

2026-06-30T17:01:25.4233333+00:00

Hi David,

Thank you so much for your help. The steps worked perfectly.

The Windows Security is working now.

Is there anything else I need to check or do? Or can i continue with work as before?

PS- the only delay i faced was due to the fact that i didn't know that i had to choose the exact same language my system was running for the "Keep all personal files and app" option in the ready to install screen. my system language was "English (United States)" and I had downloaded the version of Windows with "English (International)". So i had to download it again with the correct language.

Thanks again.
David-M 117.3K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-06-30T17:14:22.7233333+00:00
Great! I am glad to hear that Windows Security is up and running correctly again.

Before you go back to your normal routine, here are a few quick post-repair checks to ensure the system is completely secure and fully optimized:

Open Windows Security and ensure that "Virus & threat protection", "App & browser control", and other modules show green checkmarks. Inside "Virus & threat protection settings", make sure "Real-time protection" and "Cloud-delivered protection" are turned on.

Since the In-place Upgrade reinstalled the core system files, go to Settings > Windows Update and click "Check for updates". This ensures all the latest security patches and signature definitions are fully up to date.

Since you already cleaned the system with MSERT and Malwarebytes, your PC should be safe. However, once your Windows Update finishes, run a "Quick scan" from the "Virus & threat protection" menu just as a final confirmation to ensure the security engine is scanning properly.

Note: Once those quick steps are completed, you are good to go and can safely continue with your work just as before.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have.
Aditya Khandelwal 40 Reputation points

2026-07-01T07:04:38.4066667+00:00

Okay. "Cloud-delivered protection" says that "This setting is managed by your administrator" and so does "automatic sample submission". is there a workaround for that? just to be clear- i am the sole user of this laptop and there is only one account setup on this. so by default i am the administrator and not someone else's account.

there were few updates that showed up in "check for updates" option and they are downloaded now. so good to go on that step.

done with quick scan too. no problems in that either.
David-M 117.3K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-07-01T12:56:37.7766667+00:00
Thanks for the update.

The "managed by your administrator" message probably happens because the malware left behind entire subfolders (subkeys) inside the Registry policies. If you remember, in your second screenshot, under the Windows Defender folder in the left panel, there were several subfolders listed, such as SpyNet, Real-Time Protection, and Policy Manager. The cloud and sample submission restrictions are probably hidden inside that SpyNet subfolder.

Since you are on Windows 11 Home, none of these policy folders should exist by default. We can safely wipe the entire policy folder to give you control back.

The procedure I am going to suggest requires a modification to the registry. Before making any changes to the registry, even simple ones, I like to create a restore point as a precaution. I suggest you do the same.

https://support.microsoft.com/windows/system-protection-e9126e6e-fa64-4f5f-874d-9db90e57645a

After creating the restore point, do this:

Press Windows + R, type regedit, and hit Enter.

Navigate to the following path in the top bar: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft

In the left panel, locate the Windows Defender folder under Microsoft.

Right-click the Windows Defender folder on the left panel and select Delete. (Don't worry, this only deletes the policy restrictions folder, not the actual antivirus program. Deleting it forces Windows to revert to default user control).

Restart (not shutdown) your computer.

Note: After the restart, open Windows Security again. Those options should no longer be grayed out, and you will be able to toggle Cloud-delivered protection and Automatic sample submission back to on.

Please let me know how it goes.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have.
Aditya Khandelwal 40 Reputation points

2026-07-01T17:38:12.4566667+00:00

This did the trick. Now everything is working perfectly.

Everything is turned ON in Windows Security.

Do i need to do any other steps? or does this complete the process and i can work as before?

Thank you so much for your help.
David-M 117.3K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-07-01T17:42:39.9633333+00:00

Great! Glad to help.

You are good to go! No more steps are needed.

Best regards.