Windows Defender is the security protection software for Windows. Windows Defender protects software from viruses and malware. However, recently, there have been many reports from users that Windows Defender is not working on Windows 11. If you are also facing this issue, keep reading this article, which will show you how to fix Windows Defender not working on Windows 11.
Fix Windows Defender Not Working in Windows 11
This article will provide your five effective and easy ways to fix Windows Defender not working in Windows 11. You can follow them to fix this issue quickly.
Restart the Security Center Service
Press Windows + R keys，open Run dialog, type services.msc and press Enter.
Search for Security Center in the open Services application.
Right-click the service and click Restart.
Update Windows to the latest version
Press Windows + I keys.
Find Windows Update in the left column of Settings.
Click Check for Updates to check updates.
Download and install all updates.
Update, restart to see if the Windows Defender not working issue is resolved.
Run an SFC scan
If neither of the above methods can fix Windows Defender not working in Windows 11, you can try running an SFC scan.
Open the start menu and search for CMD. Run it as administrator.
At the command prompt, type and execute sfc /scannow.
After the process is complete, close the command prompt and restart the PC.
Check that Windows Defender is working properly. If Windows Defender still doesn’t work in Windows 11, try the next option.
Do a quick clean boot
Third-party services and programs in startup can block Windows, preventing Windows Defender from working properly.
Press Windows + R.
In the Run dialog, type msconfig and press Enter to open System Configuration.
Click the Services tab in System Configuration.
Check the “Hide all Microsoft services” checkbox. Then, click Disable All to disable all services except Microsoft services.
Under the Startup tab, click Open Task Manager.
Go to Startup tab in Task Manager.
Select the program individually and click Disable to disable the application.
Restart your PC after disabling all programs at startup.
Change registry settings
Try changing registry settings to fix Windows Defender not working in Windows 11.
Open start menu, search for Registry Editor.
In Registry Editor, type the following path: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender
On the right, search for DisableAntiSpyware and double-click it to edit it.
If the key does not exist, on the left sidebar, right-click Windows Defender. Click New and select DWORD (32-bit) Value. Leave the name of the new key you created as DisableAntiSpyware.
Double-click the key and change its value data to 0, then click OK.
This article introduces you five easy ways to fix Windows Defender not working in Windows 11. You can easily solve the Windows Defender issue by reading the detailed steps in this article.
