How to turn off the different layers of Windows Defender protection on a Windows 10 PC

You may have been interested in deactivating Windows Defender at some point, the antivirus built into your PC or some of the protections it incorporates. Defender is a modular defense that offers protection at different levels and makes it much easier for the user to decide what level of protection they want to have.

Defender is an integrated antivirus, but also a firewall or a parental control manager among other things. Defender offers protection against viruses, malware and spyware and Microsoft takes advantage of the huge number of users to frequently update the threat databaseWith all that said, at some point, you may want to turn it off and here are the steps you need to take.

How to turn off Windows Defender

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If you are interested in deactivating Windows Defender, the first thing you should do is go to the Windows Start menu and within it look for the section Update and security . You can also directly search for Windows Defender>"

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Once inside Updates and security you must look for the symbol of a shield in the left bar and pay attention to the section that opens in the window where it says Open Windows Security from the main menu.We will see different sections and click on any of them to open the Security menu at a glance."

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Under the option that allows you to perform a scan of the computer and where it notifies us about possible current threats, the text appears Antivirus configuration and protection against threats and just below, the title Manage configuration on which we must click."

A new window opens with a list detailing all the protections offered by Defender and you just have to uncheck the one you don't want to have activeAt this point Windows 10 will ask you for administrator permissions to do so and if at any time you want to reactivate them you can do it in this same place. These are the options you will find:

• Real-time protection: Scans your computer for malware and prevents it from installing or running on your computer. When you disable the option, Windows will reactivate it after a while for your safety.
• Cloud-based protection: Exchange data with Microsoft servers to learn the types of threats you may encounter and protect against them .
• Automatic sample submission: The PC sends samples of suspicious files from your computer to analyze them and, if there is a threat, to protect you you and others thanks to this detection.
• Tamper Protection: Prevents others from changing your computer's security settings.
• Folder Access Control: A system that protects your files and folders on your hard drive from unauthorized changes. It is a kind of real-time protection, which tries to help you against ransomware and helps you recover OneDrive backups.

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Another complementary option is accessing the Firewall (firewall) in the Protection section Network from the Home screen to try to block suspicious incoming connections to your computer when you&39;re on private or public networks. Here, tap each option to turn it on or off."

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And finally, you have the option of Application and browser control, with which you can manage what Windows does when you find applications and infected files, being able to block, warn or do nothing, and the same when you find them in Microsoft Edge or the Windows Store.You can deactivate each of the three options separately."

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With all these steps, you can deactivate the security offered by Windows Defender, especially in specific cases, since it is not advisable to leave our PC without protection permanently or for long periods of time."