Turn Off Real-Time Protection and Tamper Protection in the Windows Security App

Unlike temporarily disabling Microsoft Defender Antivirus, permanently disabling it isn’t straightforward. First, you’ll need to disable Real-time and Tamper Protection in the Windows Security app.

Disabling Real-time protection ensures that Microsoft Defender won’t scan any files on your computer. And disabling Tamper Protection allows you to make changes to the Microsoft Defender antivirus settings on your computer, which otherwise wouldn’t be possible. To turn off these settings, open the Start menu, type Windows Security in the search bar, and hit Enter.

• Choose “Virus & Threat Protection” from the left sidebar, then click “Manage Settings” on the right.
• Turn off the “Real-Time Protection” toggle. If UAC pops up, click “Yes” to confirm your decision.
• Next, disable the “Tamper Protection” toggle. Click “Yes” when the UAC prompt appears.

Once you’ve adjusted these settings in the Windows Security app, you’re all set to disable Microsoft Defender Antivirus on Windows 11 permanently.