Learn how to fix Windows Defender error “This app is turned off by group policy. To allow this app to run, contact your security administrator to enable the program via group policy” when you are trying to access Windows Defender.

Window Defender is a built-in app in Windows to protect the PC from spyware, virus or , malware. However, just like any other application, it has problems. One problem with Window Defender that many Windows users reported is This app is turned off by Group Policy and today I am going to show you how to fix it.

This error message appears if the Windows Defender is deactivated. In addition, if you have two antivirus programs on your system at the same time, Windows Defender gets automatically disabled. Thus, if your computer has installed another antivirus programs, in order to fix this problem I highly recommended you uninstall all 3rd party antivirus and antispyware applications. So in this tutorial, I will show you How do I turn on Windows Defender?

How To Fix Windows Defender Error “This app is turned off by group policy”

Method 1: Using Registry Editor

Step 1. Reboot your computer into Safe Mode.
Step 2. Then you open the Registry Editor by pressing Windows key + R then type regedit and tap Enter.

Step 3. From the left pane of the Registry Editor, navigate to the following directory:

HKey_Local_Machine\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender

Step 4. In the right pane, locate the DisableAntiSpyware registry key. Delete it by right-clicking it and click Delete.

Step 5. Lastly, you can exit Registry Editor and restart your system to take effect.

After restarting your computer, you should no longer get “Windows Defender is turned off by group policy” message when you try to open Windows Defender.

Method 2: Enable Windows Defender via Group Policy

Step 1. Log on as Administrator on Windows 7/8/10.
Step 2. Then open Local Group Policy Editor by pressing Windows Key + R then type gpedit.msc and click OK.

Step 3. From the Local Group Policy Editor window, go to:

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Defender

Step 4. In the right-hand panel, locate the Turn off Windows Defender. Double-click on it to modify.

Step 5. In order to turn on Windows Defender, you select Disabled. Click OK to save the settings.

Step 6. Lastly, reboot your system.

You can also see this video below to learn more how to fix Windows Defender “This app is turned off by group Policy” problem in Windows 10

That’s it. If you see this tutorial is useful for you, please like and share it. If you want to copy this tutorial on your blog, please write source and link to Windows 10 Tips. Thank you .

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