Windows Defender Grayed Out! How To Fix The Issue?

Windows Defender is software that comes with Windows 10. It protects the system from malware, spyware, and different types of attacks. Sometimes people face the problem of windows defender real-time protection grayed out. There are many reasons that lead to the problem. Due to this, the system is at risk all the time when users are online. There are various methods that the users can adopt in order to get rid of the problem. These methods are discussed here.

Third  Party Antivirus Software Should Be Uninstalled

If there is any third party antivirus software installed on the system, Windows will detect it and it will turn off the Defender. In order to resolve the problem, users should disable the third-party antivirus software.

If the problem still persists, then users should uninstall the software. Here are the steps, which the users can use to uninstall the software.

1. Open Control Panel.
2. Go to Program and Features.
3. Select the third-party antivirus program.
4. Right-click it and select Uninstall.

The program will be uninstalled from the system.

Security Center Service Should Be Restarted

There are certain services, which should be turned on so that Windows Defender can work properly. The real-time protection grayed out the problem will occur if any of these services are not working properly. Here are the steps, which the users should follow in order to start the services.

1. Click Windows + R key and Run dialog box will appear.
2. Type services.msc and then click Ok or press Enter.
3. Search for Security Center.
4. Right-click the Security Center and then click Restart.
5. After the service is restarted, check if the problem has been resolved.

SFC Scan Should Be Done

Windows Defender real-time protection won’t turn on because of some unexpected error that may occur while turning it on. In such a case, the SFC scan should be done as there may be some problems in system files, which may be resolved by scanning them.

SFC or System File Checker is a tool that is present in all versions of Windows. This tool helps in restoring the corrupted system files. Here are the steps, which users should follow to scan the system files through System File Checker.

1. In the search box type cmd.
2. Right-click it and select Run as Administrator.
3. Type sfc /scannow and press Enter.
4. The tool will start checking the files and it takes a few minutes.
5. After the process is over, exit the Command Prompt window and check whether the problem has been resolved.

Run DISM Scan

If the users are facing the problem of windows defender real-time protection not turning in, they should run DISM scan. Here are the steps, which users should follow to run the command.

1. In the search box type cmd.
2. Right-click it and select Run as Administrator.
3. Enter the command DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth and press Enter.
4. The scan will take a few minutes. Users should not interrupt the scan and let the command run till completion.

Check And Install Latest Windows Update

Window Defender does not function properly because of the outdated version of Windows. Microsoft releases Windows update and users should update the Windows so that the operating system and the utilities can function properly.

Users must be aware of that Windows update can cause data loss so they should back up their data before running Windows update. After the completion of the backup, take the following steps to update the Windows to the latest version.

1. Open Control Panel.
2. Click Windows Update.
3. Click Check for Updates.
4. If the updates are available, install them.
5. Restart the system.

Group Policy Should Be Changed

Windows Defender is not turned on because it may have been turned off by to Group Policy.  If the users want to know how to turn on real-time protection, they have to change the group policy and here are the steps, which users have to follow for the purpose.

1. Press Windows + R key to display the Run dialog box.
2. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter.
3. This will display the Group Policy Editor window.
4. On the left side of the window, go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Template > Windows Components > Windows Defender Antivirus.
5. Go to the right pane and click Turn off Windows Defender Antivirus.
6. A popup window will appear in which seers have to choose Not Configured.
7. Now click Apply and then click Ok.
8. This will resolve the problem of Windows defender not starting which is caused by the group policy.

Final Verdict

These are a few methods, which the users can adopt in order to resolve the problem of windows defender real-time protection grayed out. Users can also change the registry through the Registry Interface, which can be turned on by typing regedit in the Run dialog box.