No, Microsoft is not forcing you to use Windows Defender [updated]

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No, Microsoft is not forcing yous to apply Windows Defender [updated]

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I'm seeing some stories online stating that Microsoft is forcing you to use Windows Defender, its born antivirus program, and that because of this, your PC will boring down if you install a 2nd antivirus program because the ii will disharmonize with each other.

Neither statement is true. You don't take to use Windows Defender, and Windows Defender will non disharmonize with another antivirus plan.

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What is truthful is that Microsoft is making information technology much harder for you to disable all antivirus programs on your PC entirely, which some people who think they're as well smart to get infected past malware like to do. This is a good move on Microsoft'south part.

Here'south how this works: Windows Defender is installed on all versions of Windows 10. Past default, it ever runs in the groundwork to cease malware infections and other threats.

But if yous install another antivirus program, such as one of those on our best antivirus page (and Windows Defender is one of the best), so Windows Defender volition disable itself and allow the other program have the reins.

If you remove the third-party antivirus program, then Windows Defender will kick back on. In this mode, you've ever got some measure of antivirus protection.

Disabling the disabling

Until this month, all the same, you lot could go into the Windows Registry and enable an pick chosen "DisableAntiSpyware."

That would disable Windows Defender whether or non y'all had a third-party antivirus solution installed. Information technology would leave y'all naked to the big bad world of Things that Try to Infect Your Computer, simply I estimate some people prefer it that way.

Only with this month'southward update to Windows Defender, that Registry pick to permanently disable Defender has itself been disabled, unless y'all're running a server instead of a PC. (Hat tip to Windows Latest for spotting this get-go.)

You lot can still temporarily disable Defender by going into Windows Security --> Virus & Threat Protection --> Virus & Threat Protection Settings --> Manage Settings, so toggling off Real-Time Protection.

That'southward a expert option to accept if you lot're testing organization performance, for example. But Defender will turn itself back on after a while if there's no other AV software installed — which, again, is a good thing.

UPDATE: Microsoft tries to clarify the situation

Afterwards this story was initially posted Aug. 20, Microsoft inverse the linguistic communication on the DisableAntiSpyware documentation page to further clarify what's happening here.

"DisableAntiSpyware is intended to be used past OEMs [original equipment manufacturers such as PC makers] and IT Pros to disable Microsoft Defender Antivirus and deploy another antivirus production during deployment," the page now states.

"This is a legacy setting that is no longer necessary as Microsoft Defender antivirus automatically turns itself off when it detects another antivirus program. This setting is not intended for consumer devices, and we've decided to remove this registry key."

It added, "This change does not bear upon 3rd party antivirus connections to the Windows Security app. Those will still work as expected."

Meanwhile, Bleeping Figurer'south Lawrence Abrams pointed out that there's another very good reason to conciliate the DisableAntiSpyware selection. Several strains of malware accept used the option to go into the Registry and plow off antivirus protection on infected machines.

Now, Abrams wrote, "Windows 10 users take far greater protection from threats that tried to disable security software using this technique."

Paul Wagenseil is a senior editor at Tom's Guide focused on security and privacy. He has besides been a dishwasher, fry cook, long-haul commuter, lawmaking monkey and video editor. He's been rooting around in the information-security space for more than 15 years at FoxNews.com, SecurityNewsDaily, TechNewsDaily and Tom's Guide, has presented talks at the ShmooCon, DerbyCon and BSides Las Vegas hacker conferences, shown upwards in random Television set news spots and even moderated a console word at the CEDIA home-technology conference. You can follow his rants on Twitter at @snd_wagenseil.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/news/windows-defender-still-optional

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