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Fix: Windows Defender Blocked By Group Policy

Windows Defender is fantastic software, that will not only protect your operating system from malware attacks but also will eat up fewer resources on your PC than a traditional anti-virus. But, sometimes it can throw up errors saying that Windows Defender is blocked by Group Policy. This error mostly pop-ups when the currently installed anti-virus on the system disables the Windows Defender, to avoid any software conflicts and complications. Thus, to solve this problem, the following methods should be followed.

Check The Status Of Windows Defender

The first step here is to see whether Windows Defender is currently turned on or not. Most of the times, due to any unknown reasons, the Windows Defender gets disabled. Therefore, to make sure that it is turned on, head over to the Settings app from the Windows Start Menu. This is applicable for Windows 8 and 10. For lower versions of Windows, you can find the option under Control Panel.

From that app, search for the Windows Defender Settings. Under the settings, you need to find that Windows Defender is turned on and Real-Time Protection is turned on as well. After enabling Windows Defender should fix the problem.

Windows Defender Is Turned Off By Group Policy? Uninstall Your Current Anti-Virus Then

Since conflicts with an anti-virus solution mostly cause this issue, it’s better to remove the anti-virus solution altogether. You can easily uninstall your anti-virus from your Windows Control Panel.

Firstly, head over to the Control Panel, and then Add or Remove Programs. Find out the icon for your anti-virus, select it and then hit uninstall. Once you do the uninstall, do restart your computer. After the uninstall, there will be no such conflicts with the Windows Defender. After the current procedure is over, make sure to check double whether Windows Defender is now turned on. You can find the Windows Defender Settings in the Settings app or the Control Panel.

You can also turn on the Windows Defender, by following the below methods:

• Click on the Start Menu in Windows, and in the Run box, type the following command and press enter – gpedit.msc
• When the new window appears, find out the Computer Configuration option. From there, head over to the Administrative Templates and then Windows Components. There you will be able to find the settings for Windows Defender.
• In the settings, make sure that the Windows Defender Turn Off settings are Disabled. If it is not, make sure to double click on it, and change the settings.

After making the above change, press Apply, and you’re good to go.

Changing the Registry Entries To enable Windows Defender Again

If you are not at all successful with the above procedures, then the best option would be to editing the registry of your Windows operating system when the error Windows 10 Defender This Program Is Blocked By Group Policy Comes Up while some people may refrain from doing that because a single mis-entry in your operating system’s registry would prove to be catastrophic for the whole system. But, the process we’re going to do involves very less of research and technical knowledge.

• The first job is to find the Run command search bar from the Start Menu, or just pressing Windows Key + R keys together.
• Then in the Run box type the following command and then type enter – regedit
• A new window should open up on the desktop with the Windows Registry Editor. In that registry editor search for the Windows Defender option. It can be found under the following: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender
• After seeing the settings for the Windows Defender, find an entry for the following command – DisableAntiSpyware
• If there is an entry, select it and then delete it. After doing that, click on Apply/OK.
• Then reboot your system. You will not face the error again.

Using The Microsoft Windows Services To Turn On The Windows Defender

If the previous trick with the Windows Registry didn’t do you any justice, then it is time to hop into the Windows Services vault, and then turning on the Windows Defender from there. The process is just simple like the previous one, so you don’t need to worry here. You have to follow the below steps:

• Open the Windows Run window by typing Windows Key + R keys simultaneously, or finding it under the Windows Start Menu.
• In the Run box, make sure to enter the following command and hit the enter key – services.msc
• Inside the new Services window that will open, find the option for Windows Defender.
• After finding the Windows Defender option, make sure to double-click on it, and then open up the advanced settings.
• Inside the advanced settings, find the option Startup Type, and make sure the parameters are set to Automatic. After that, turn on Windows Defender by clicking on the Start Button.
• After such changes, make sure to restart your system. Restarting your system will help in applying these changes. This will make such Windows Defender errors go away, and you can use your system and Windows Defender effortlessly and smoothly as well.