Click on Tools and then go to Options.ģa. This way is just as easy, go to Control Panel -> Windows Defender, or if it’s running in the tray under Vista, simply double click on the tray icon.Ģ. Here we show you how to do both.ĭisabling Defender in Windows Vista and 7ġ. However, if Defender is still running or causing other issues, you need to know how to turn it off manually or in more extreme cases remove it from the system completely. Luckily most of the time when you install a new anti spyware program or antivirus application that includes anti spyware, it should be smart enough to disable Windows Defender as your new software takes care of it from now on.

Windows XP users at least have the luxury of choosing whether they want to download and install Defender in the first place as it’s a separate package, and then have the option to uninstall again through Add or Remove Programs. Many people are looking for ways to disable, uninstall or remove it from their system as they prefer to use other software.

The problem with all Defender versions in Windows Vista and above is it’s integrated into the operating system and installs by default with no visible or hidden option to uninstall. In Windows 8, Microsoft went a step further basically renaming Microsoft Security Essentials to Defender, and it’s now an antivirus package as opposed to just small resident anti spyware tool. Defender has been around since 2006 and although not a fully featured security application, it does at least offer some protection for Windows Vista and 7 out-of-the-box. It’s a small piece of software that runs in the background to help protect your computer from various pieces of spyware and malicious software.

Since Windows Vista, your operating system comes with an anti spyware program called Windows Defender.

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