How to Fix Windows 11 Defender Not Working
Windows Defender not opening or working properly may mean that you cannot change any of its settings in Windows Security, or that malware may be unleashed on your system because you have not implemented the appropriate security. Below are several reasons why Windows Defender won't open and how to get it working again.
Why Windows Defender won't open in Windows 11
Here are some examples of situations where Microsoft's anti-malware application won't open or work properly:
There is a temporary memory issue that prevents the application from scanning for malware.
Windows Security opens normally, but quickly closes a few seconds later.
Another software /"fights/" with Windows Defender, and it returns error messages.
You see an error saying: /"You will need a new application to open this Windowsdefender link./"
You recently installed or uninstalled another antivirus protection program and Windows Defender no longer opens.
Windows Defender is called Microsoft Defender in Windows 11 and is managed through Windows Security. These names are used interchangeably in this article, but we are referring to the same tool.
There are several things you can try, but follow this list in the order it is presented to tackle the simplest solutions first:
Restart your computer. This is a very common first step when troubleshooting virtually anything on Windows, and it may be all you need to do to get Windows Defender working again.
Turn off Windows Defender, then turn it back on. Or, if it was disabled to begin with, this article shows you how to enable it.
Microsoft Defender will not detect active malware unless real-time protection is enabled.
This step is useful if, in your situation, "Windows Defender is not working" simply means that it is not scanning for malware. If you are unable to open Windows Security in Settings, continue to the next step.
Repair or reset Windows Security. A repair will allow Windows to attempt to fix whatever is happening, and a reset will erase all application settings and start over as if Windows Defender was just installed.
Follow this link for two methods: one uses Settings, like in the image below, and the other uses a PowerShell command useful if you can't open Windows Security at all.
Blog: https://21thsoft.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/21thsoft/
feel free to subscribe to my channel
Please take the opportunity to connect and share this video with your friends and family if you find it useful.
No Comments