Real-time protection is off leaving your device vulnerable

Windows Defender Antivirus uses real-time protection to scan your downloads and the programs you run on your device. This guide will show you how to turn on or off Windows Defender Real-time protection on Windows 10 PC.


  • Option 1: via Windows Defender Security Center app
  • Option 2: via Local Group Policy Editor

How to turn on or off Windows Defender Real-time Protection

To turn on or off Windows Defender Antivirus in Windows Defender Security Center app. Here is how:

Step 1: Open Windows Defender Security Center app.

You can quickly open it by clicking the shield icon in the taskbar.

Real-time protection is off leaving your device vulnerable

Step 2: Click on Virus threat protection tile on the left menu bar. Click Virus & threat protection settings.

Real-time protection is off leaving your device vulnerable

Step 3: Toggle the Real-time protection switch to On or Off for what you want to set.

Real-time protection is off leaving your device vulnerable

You can also turn on Windows Defender Antivirus in Settings app.

To do: Go to Settings app, click Update & security, select the Security tab, and then choose the antivirus program you want to use. Windows Defender Antivirus will then automatically turn on.

If you're running Windows 10 for Enterprise, turn on Windows Defender Antivirus by uninstalling all of your existing antivirus programs.

Enable or Disable Windows Defender Real-time Protection in Group Policy

Local Group Policy Editor is only available in the Windows 10 ProEnterprise, and Education editions.

Step 1: Open the Local Group Policy Editor.

Press Win+R to open Run dialog, then type in gpedit.msc, then press Enter.

Real-time protection is off leaving your device vulnerable

Step 2: In the left pane of Local Group Policy Editor, navigate to the location below.

Computer Configuration/Administrative Templates/Windows Components/Windows Defender/Real-time Protection

In the right pane of Real-time Protection, double-click on the Turn off real-time protection policy to edit it.

Real-time protection is off leaving your device vulnerable

Windows Defender alerts you when malware or potentially unwanted software attempts to install itself or to run on your computer. To enable Real-time protection: Select Not Configured or Disabled, click on OK. Windows Defender will prompt users to take actions on malware detections.

Real-time protection is off leaving your device vulnerable

If you select enabled option, Windows Defender will be turned off and will not prompt users to take actions on malware detections.

Real-time protection is off leaving your device vulnerable

When finished, close Local Group Policy Editor.

Related Articles

If you can’t enable real-time protection in Windows Security or Defender app, this article is for you. Recently, I faced this problem on my system. In this case, when I go to Virus and threat protection area of Windows Security app, this entire area was not manageable. For instance, the recent protection history was not showing up there. Additionally, when I tried to turn on the real-time production, the dedicated UI option was not retaining its value. That means, if I try to turn On that option, it was not remaining On and gets turned Off automatically. Due to this, Windows Security app was not able to protect the system and it was being vulnerable. If you are also facing the same and exact problem on your system, in this article, we will see how you can fix it.

The below shown screenshot shares this situation. Here, the Real-time protection won’t remain On. Same happens with the Cloud-delivered protection option.

Real-time protection is off leaving your device vulnerable

Here is how you can fix this annoying problem.

Fix: Can’t enable real-time protection in Windows Security in Windows 11/10

FIX 1 – Using Services snap-in

1. Open Services snap-in by running services.msc command.

2. In Services, scroll down and locate the Security Center service. As you are facing this problem, the service might not be running and may be set to Disabled.

Real-time protection is off leaving your device vulnerable

3. You have to right click or double click on this service and select Start. Also, set its Startup type to Automatic.

Once the service is running, you will no longer face this problem again.

FIX 2 – Using Registry

Real-time protection is off leaving your device vulnerable
 Registry Disclaimer: It is recommended to create a System Restore point first, if you’re not familiar with registry manipulation.

1. Run regedit command to open Registry Editor.

2. In left pane of Registry Editor window, navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options

3. Under this key, if you find any registry sub-key for MSASCui.exe and/or MpCmdRun.exe then right click on it and click on Delete. If you do not find either of them then it is quite normal here and you don’t need to do anything.

Real-time protection is off leaving your device vulnerable

4. Next, go to this registry location:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender

Real-time protection is off leaving your device vulnerable

5. In the right pane, create or edit registry DWORD named DisableAntiSpyware and set it to 0.

6. Close Registry Editor and reboot your system.

After restart, issue must be resolved, finally!

You can check out the live illustration of above steps in this video:

That’s it!

Related fix: Windows Defender won’t open in Windows 11.

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What happens if real

While real-time protection is off, files you open or download won't be scanned for threats. However, real-time protection will soon turn on automatically again to protect your device.

How do I fix real

Click Virus & threat protection on the left side. Click Manage settings under Virus & threat protection settings. Real-time protection should be switched on by default. If real-time protection is off, click the toggle to turn it on.

How do I fix Windows Defender not turning on real

First, click on the Manage settings link under the Virus & threat protection settings header. You'll be redirected to a new page. Here, click on the Real-time protection toggle to turn on Windows Defender.

What is your device is vulnerable?

"This device is vulnerable" | "Computer is vulnerable" messages appear when Sophos Home components are not loaded/properly installed. The most common scenarios in which these messages appear are after a Sophos Home installation/upgrade takes place, or when upgrading your macOS system.

How do I turn off real

Select Start and type "Windows Security" to search for that app. Select the Windows Security app from the search results, go to Virus & threat protection, and under Virus & threat protection settings select Manage settings. Switch Real-time protection to Off.

What does real

Real-Time Protection provides anti-virus protection. The component detects and neutralizes threats, adware, and apps that intruders may use to harm your device or exploit your personal data. The component is called Scanner in the free version of the app.