Is your Windows Security preventing you from accessing certain features, or installing certain software? Well, this article will show you how to disable it.
One may need to disable the security features of their device for the purposes of installing software that is not approved by the device’s operating system e.g Windows 10, 11, etc. In this article, I will be referring to Windows 11.
Please note that turning off security features exposes your device to many online risks such as viruses, hackers, scams, malware, etc. that may be after your personal information. So, If you are not familiar with or do not trust any website or source, do not download and install programs from those sources.
Click here to read the article where we have fixed installation errors just by disabling windows defender and other protections.
How to disable Windows Security
Follow the instructions below to turn off Windows Security on your computer.
- From the Start menu, open the Settings app.
- From the list click on Privacy and Security.
- Under Security, click Windows Security.
- Under Protection areas, are a list of security features. We will turn off only three of them i.e Virus and threat protection, Firewall and network protection, and App & browser control. Turn them off as follows;
- Click on Virus and threat protection. Under virus and threat protection settings, click on manage settings.
- Turn off all protections by clicking on the toggles to off. Protections include; real-time protection, cloud-delivered protection, automatic sample submission, and tamper protection. Virus and threat protection is now off.
- On the left side of the window, click on Firewall and network protection.
- Disable all networks that appear i.e Domain network, Private network, and Private network, by clicking on each and turning the toggle to off. The Firewall and network protection is now off.
- Still on the left side of the window, click on App & browser control.
- Under reputation-based protection, click on reputation-based protection settings.
- Turn off all the toggles that appear. These are; Check apps and files, SmartScreen for Microsoft Edge, Potentially unwanted app blocking, and SmartScreen for Microsoft Store Apps. App & browser control will now be off.
Your Windows Security is now disabled.
Other protection
One other protection I recommend disabling is User Account. Follow these steps to disable it.
- Search for User account control settings from the search bar next to the start menu, and click on it.
- Drag the bar on the left side all the way down to never notify.
- Click OK.
All Windows security features are now off.
You can watch the below video for a clear step-by-step procedure of turning off your Windows security.