Все способы:
- Способ 1: Перезапуск службы «Центр обеспечения безопасности»
- Способ 2: Отключение сторонних антивирусов
- Способ 3: Установка актуальных системных обновлений
- Способ 4: Исправление или сброс приложения «Безопасность Windows»
- Способ 5: Выполнение чистой загрузки Windows
- Способ 6: Проверка параметров реестра
- Способ 7: Проверка целостности системных файлов
- Способ 8: Возвращение Windows в исходное состояние
- Вопросы и ответы: 13
Способ 1: Перезапуск службы «Центр обеспечения безопасности»
Самое простое решение, которое может выполнить каждый пользователь, — перезапустить службу, связанную с «Безопасностью Windows» в Виндовс 11. Это поможет нормализовать работу всех компонентов и обеспечит корректное открытие необходимых окон, если возник небольшой системный сбой.
- Откройте меню «Пуск» и через поиск отыщите приложение «Службы», после чего запустите его.
- В новом окне в конце списка найдите службу с названием «Центр обеспечения безопасности» и щелкните по ней правой кнопкой мыши.
- Из появившегося контекстного меню выберите пункт «Перезапустить» и ожидайте окончания данного процесса. Как только вы получите уведомление о том, что служба успешно перезапущена, можете приступать к проверке работы «Безопасности Windows» и всех связанных с ней компонентов.
Способ 2: Отключение сторонних антивирусов
Следующий метод подразумевает установку ограничений на работу сторонних антивирусов, если такие установлены на вашем компьютере. Функционирование такого рода ПО может напрямую сказываться на штатных средствах операционной системы, вызывая проблемы с их запуском. Вы можете не удалять дополнительный антивирус, а только отключить его на время, чтобы работа всех связанных служб и процессов была завершена. Для получения универсальных инструкций по данной теме рекомендуем перейти к чтению статьи по следующей ссылке.
Подробнее: Отключение антивируса
Способ 3: Установка актуальных системных обновлений
Далее предлагаем остановиться на теме системных обновлений и проверить, есть ли что-то из не установленного в вашей сборке Windows 11. Дело в том, что последнее время Майкрософт активно выпускает различные обновления безопасности и исправления, которые автоматически решают частые проблемы пользователей. Инсталляция апдейтов может помочь вам исправить работу «Безопасности Windows», поэтому попробуйте проверить наличие обновлений.
- Откройте приложение «Параметры», отыскав его значок в списке закрепленных в меню «Пуск».
- На панели слева выберите раздел «Центр обновления Windows» и нажмите кнопку «Проверить наличие обновлений», если в данном окне еще не отображается то, что уже можно установить.
- Подождите, пока сканирование будет окончено. Если обновления найдены, запустите их скачивание и установку. По завершении перезапустите компьютер для окончательной установки оставшихся файлов, затем переходите к проверке работы антивируса или других компонентов безопасности Виндовс.
Способ 4: Исправление или сброс приложения «Безопасность Windows»
То окно, в которое вы хотите перейти для работы с брандмауэром или антивирусом, является отдельным стандартным приложением Windows 11, отображающимся в списке установленных программ. Через этот список можно переключиться в раздел для исправления или сброса приложения, что поможет исправить его сбои. Давайте детально рассмотрим, как осуществляется переход к необходимым опциям и их запуск.
- В том же приложении «Параметры» выберите раздел «Приложения» и перейдите в категорию «Приложения и возможности».
- Найдите «Безопасность Windows», щелкните по трем точкам справа в этой строке и из появившегося меню выберите пункт «Дополнительные параметры».
- Сперва выполните стандартное исправление для восстановления работы приложения. Используйте кнопку «Исправить» и ожидайте появления уведомления об успешном исправлении.
- Проверьте работу «Безопасности Windows», а в случае необходимости вернитесь к предыдущему окну и выполните «Сброс» для удаления данных приложения.
Способ 5: Выполнение чистой загрузки Windows
Существует вероятность, что в вашей операционной системе работают сторонние приложения или утилиты, которые могут влиять на функционирование стандартных средств, включая «Безопасность Windows». Самый простой метод проверки этой теории — выполнение чистой загрузки. Для этого понадобится отключить сторонние службы и программы автозагрузки, что осуществляется так:
- Откройте утилиту «Выполнить», используя стандартную комбинацию клавиш Win + R. В ней введите
msconfigи нажмите Enter для подтверждения выполнения команды. - Данная команда открывает окно «Конфигурация системы», в котором на вкладке «Службы» сначала понадобится поставить галочку возле пункта «Не отображать службы Майкрософт».
- После этого вы увидите список всех сторонних служб и сами сможете решить, какие из них отключить. Если считаете, что ни одна из них не нужна для нормального запуска ОС (за исключением службы видеокарты и процессора), можете нажать «Отключить все».
- Со службами разобрались, теперь самое время посмотреть, какие программы автоматически включаются вместе с Windows 11. Щелкните правой кнопкой мыши по «Пуску» и из меню выберите «Диспетчер задач».
- Перейдите на вкладку «Автозагрузка» и посмотрите, возле каких программ есть состояние «Включено».
- Для отключения автозагрузки конкретной программы щелкните по ней ПКМ и выберите пункт «Отключить». Сделайте то же самое со всеми остальными приложениями, старт которых вместе с ОС не нужен.
Как только вы выполнили все описанные выше действия, отправляйте компьютер на перезагрузку и смотрите, получится ли открыть «Безопасность Windows» в новом сеансе. Если проблема сохранилась, не спешите возвращать все службы и программы автозагрузки в исходное состояние, для начала осуществите рекомендации из следующих методов.
Способ 6: Проверка параметров реестра
Как известно, в реестре есть много разных параметров, связанных с компонентами «Безопасности Windows». Вместе с этим у пользователя есть возможность самостоятельно создавать разные настройки, которые управляют активностью служб безопасности. Мы рекомендуем проверить, есть ли у вас такие параметры, а также изменить их состояние для нормализации работы рассматриваемого приложения.
- Через поиск в «Пуске» отыщите приложение «Редактор реестра» и запустите его.
- В адресную строку вставьте ключ
Компьютер\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defenderи перейдите по нему. - В конечной папке вас интересует параметр с названием «DisableAntiSpyware». Если такой отсутствует, кликните ПКМ в любом пустом месте, наведите курсор на «Создать» и выберите «Параметр DWORD (32 бита)».
- Задайте для нового параметра название
DisableAntiSpywareи дважды кликните по нему для открытия окна изменения состояния. - В нем установите значение 0 и подтвердите внесение изменений. После этого обязательно перезагрузите ПК, чтобы новые настройки вступили в силу.
Способ 7: Проверка целостности системных файлов
Если ни один из перечисленных выше методов не помог решить проблему с доступом к «Безопасности Windows», понадобится запустить проверку целостности системных файлов при помощи стандартных утилит. Они ищут поврежденные или отсутствующие объекты, затем исправляют их и нормализуют работу проблемных компонентов. Детальные инструкции о том, как осуществляется работа с такими системными утилитами, читайте в материале от другого нашего автора далее.
Подробнее: Использование и восстановление проверки целостности системных файлов в Windows
Способ 8: Возвращение Windows в исходное состояние
Завершим статью самым радикальным методом исправления ошибок, который подразумевает возвращение Windows 11 в исходное состояние. Будет выполнена локальная переустановка, а вы сможете решить, сохранять при этом пользовательские файлы или удалять их, чтобы получить «чистую» операционную систему.
- Откройте «Пуск» и перейдите в «Параметры».
- В разделе «Система» кликните левой кнопкой мыши по плитке «Восстановление».
- Возле пункта «Вернуть компьютер в исходное состояние» найдите кнопку «Перезагрузка ПК» и щелкните по ней.
- После перезагрузки решите, нужно ли сохранять пользовательские файлы.
- Затем выберите режим «Локальная переустановка».
- Подтвердите начало процесса, ожидайте возвращения ОС в исходное состояние, затем приступайте к работе с ней, в первую очередь проверив доступ к «Безопасности Windows».
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When you install Windows 11, Windows Security or Windows Defender becomes the default antivirus and security solution. It is one of the most excellent remedies available, and it is effective in most circumstances.
Nevertheless, one of the most frequently encountered concerns has been that the Windows 11 Windows Security is not opening or functioning as expected after an upgrade or random upgrade.
Why is my Windows Security not opening on Windows 11?
The reasons Windows Security settings are not opening or launching on Windows 11 after upgrading are close to close. Below are the popular reasons:
- Glitches with the app: One of the reasons Windows security is not loading on Windows 11 is some glitches preventing it from opening. The solution here is to reset the app.
- Faulty system files: If the system files meant to load the Windows Security apps are faulty, the app won’t open. You need to repair the system files to fix this.
How can I fix the Windows 11 Windows Security not opening issue?
1. Reset using PowerShell Command
- Right-click on the Start icon and select the Windows Terminal (Admin) option.
- Click the dropdown at the top and select the Windows PowerShell option.
- Copy and paste the command below and hit Enter:
Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.SecHealthUI -AllUsers | Reset-AppxPackage
- Restart your PC and check if the Windows Security app is now working.
- If it does not work, type the command below and hit Enter to reinstall the app:
Set-ExecutionPolicy UnrestrictedGet-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}
You need to reset the app if Windows Security is not working or Windows Defender is not opening. The command below has worked for many. You can reinstall the app using the second command if resetting does not work.
2. Repair the app
- Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app, choose Apps in the left pane, followed by Apps & features.
- Once you are inside the Apps & features window, search for Windows Security in the search bar from the top, and click on the three-dot menu next to it, followed by Advanced options.
- Scroll down until you find the Reset section, then click on the Repair button to start the repairing process.
Allow the Repair process to finish before rebooting your computer to guarantee your changes are applied. Then, by starting Windows Security, it lets you see if its functionality has been restored.
3. Reset the app
- Press the Windows key + I, go to Apps in the left pane, followed by Apps & features.
- Once inside the Apps & features window, search for Windows Security in the search bar, and click on the three-dot menu. Now click on Advanced options.
- Scroll down until you meet the Reset section, then click on the Reset button.
4. Run SFC
- Press the Windows + S key to open the Search bar, then type cmd, right-click on the most relevant result shown to you, and run it as an Administrator to get full privileges.
- Type in the following command and press Enter to start the process:
sfc /scannow
The process may take some time to finish, so you may need to restart your computer. SFC will automatically find and restore corrupted files and folders. If that does not help, you can try using specialized repair tools, which are much more advanced than Windows built-in tools.
5. Run DISM
- Press the Windows + S key to open the Search bar, then type cmd, and right-click on the most relevant result to run it as an Administrator.
- Paste or type in the following commands and press Enter after each:
DISM /online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealthDISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
Continue to be patient until the process is finished. Be advised that the process could take up to ten minutes to finish. Once you’ve completed this step, restart your computer to ensure the changes take effect.
- Fix: Windows Update & Security not opening in Windows 10/11
- Microsoft releases Windows 11 (KB5058411, KB5058405) May 2025 Patch Tuesday
- You can now share an app/browser window with Copilot Vision to help you with different tasks
- Windows 11 24H2’s Settings now bundles FAQs section to tell you more about your system
- You can now remove Android/iPhone from Phone Link app & Mobile devices setting
6. Disable your antivirus
- Click the expand arrow from your taskbar and right-click on your antivirus icon. Now choose Avast shields control followed by Disable for 10 minutes to stop it from interfering.
- If you have other antivirus programs installed, you can temporarily disable the app following the same steps as above or similar ones with a few differences.
With the fixes above, you should be able to fix the Windows Security not opening on Windows 11 issue. If you want to use a third-party tool, check out our post on five of the best antiviruses for Windows 11.
Alternatively, you can look at our article on the best antiviruses with low CPU usage for Windows 11.
If you want to know how to turn on Dev Device protection on your Windows 11 computer, we have a detailed guide to help you with that.
In case you have more issues, don’t miss our guide on how to reinstall Windows Security on Windows 11 for more solutions.
Let us know in the comments section below which solution worked best for you in solving the Windows 11 Windows Defender not working issue and which antivirus software you prefer.
Loredana Harsana
Windows Software Expert
Loredana is a passionate writer with a keen interest in PC software and technology. She started off writing about mobile phones back when Samsung Galaxy S II was on top of the world and she fell in love with tech of all sorts.
Whenever she’s not at her work desk, you’ll find her enjoying refreshing tea flavors, spilling stories on paper, and listening to the radio.
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In this article, you’ll learn what might be preventing Windows Defender from starting, and then we’ll show you step-by-step how to fix the problem: Windows Defender Security not working.
Windows Defender (aka ‘Windows Security’), the built-in antivirus software in Windows 10/11, is crucial for protecting your computer from malware and other online threats. However, there are several factors that can prevent Windows Defender to not start, leaving your system vulnerable.
What can cause Windows security not working problem?
- Conflicting third-party antivirus software: Installing another antivirus program may affect the operation of Windows Defender. In some cases, even if you have uninstalled third-party antivirus programs, the remaining registry entries may still cause Windows Defender to not start.
- Corrupted system files: Damaged or missing system files can disrupt Windows Defender’s functionality.
- Registry or Group Policy modifications: Incorrect registry or group policy changes made by the user or by a malicious program can disable Windows Defender.
How to FIX: Windows Defender Security won’t open on Windows 11/10.
If the Windows Security (aka «Windows Defender») does not start in Windows 10/11, follow these steps in order to fix the problem.
- Uninstall Third-Party Antivirus.
- Scan for Malware and Viruses.
- Perform a Clean Boot.
- Start or Restart the Security Center service.
- Repair Windows System Files.
- Reset Windows Defender from PowerShell.
- Enable Windows Defender in Registry.
- Enable Windows Defender in Group Policy.
- Repair Windows 10/11.
Method 1. Uninstall Third-Party Antivirus.
One of the main reasons that Windows Defender Security cannot start is an installed third-party antivirus program. So, if you have installed a third-party security program, uninstall it, restart your PC and check if the problem remain. *
* Note: Even if you haven’t installed a security software yourself, your computer may have it pre-installed. To see if this is happening:
1. Type «control panel» in the search and then open the Control Panel app and go to Programs > Uninstall a program.
2. Next, look for any installed third-party antivirus and if there is one, select it and click Uninstall.
3. When uninstall is completed, restart your PC and check if the problem remain. *
* Important: Restart your computer even if you haven’t uninstalled any programs. Sometimes Windows Defender-related services may be stuck and not working, but restarting the computer can force them to work properly.
Method 2. Scan for Malware/Viruses.
Before proceeding further, ensure that your computer is clean from viruses and malware. To accomplish this task you can use this Malware Scan and Removal Guide to check and remove viruses or/and malicious programs that may be running on your computer.
After scanning and cleaning your computer for malware, check if the problem persists. If not, you’re done here, otherwise continue to the next step.
Method 3. Perform a Clean Boot.
Sometimes, other applications running in the background can conflict with Windows Defender and prevent it from running. To find out if this is causing the Windows Defender startup problem, start your computer with all third-party services disabled by doing a clean boot using these steps:
Step 1. Disable Startup programs.
1. Press CTRL + SHIFT + ESC to open Task Manager.
2. In the Startup tab, disable (one by-one) all the third-party programs running at Windows Startup. Then reboot your PC.
3. After rebooting, check if the problem remains and if so, proceed to Step-2. If not, reopen the Task Manager and enable one by one the disabled programs and reboot until you find the culprit.
Step 2. Disable Third-Party Services.
1. Press the Windows + R keys to open the ‘Run’ command box.
2. Type msconfig and press Enter to open the System Configuration utility.
3. At Services tab, check the Hide all Microsoft services checkbox.
4. Then press the Disable all button, to disable all non Windows services that start with Windows. When done, click OK and restart your PC.
5. Check if Windows Defender works now. If yes, open ‘msconfig’ again and enable one by one the disabled services and reboot until you find the culprit. If the problem persists, select the the ‘General’ tab, choose Normal Startup, reboot your PC and continue to next method.
Method 4. Start or Restart the ‘Security Center’ service.
To ensure Windows Defender works well, «Security Center» Service should be running.
1. Press the Windows + R keys to open the ‘Run’ command box.
2. Type services.msc and press Enter to open the Services control panel.
3. Find the Security Center service and check if it running. According the result do the following:
- If «Security Center» service is not running, right-click on it and click Start to start the service.*
- If «Security Center» service is running, right-click on it and click Restart.*
* Note: If the «Start» & «Restart» options are inactive (greyed out), skip to next method.
Method 5. Repair Windows System Files.
Repairing Windows system files is a common but important step in solving Windows 10/11 problems like the one mentioned here.
1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator. To do that, type «cmd» or «command prompt» in the search and then click Run as administrator in Command Prompt result.
2. At the command prompt window, copy-paste the following command & press Enter:
- Dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /Restorehealth
3. Be patient until DISM repairs component store. When the DISM operation is completed, copy-paste the command below and press Enter:
- SFC /SCANNOW
4. When SFC scan is completed, restart your computer and check if the problem is fixed.
Method 6. Fix Windows Defender Not Starting using PowerShell.
1. In Windows Search, type PowerShell and select Run as Administrator to open PowerShell as an Administrator.
2. In PowerShell window, copy and paste the following command and then press Enter.*
- Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.SecHealthUI -AllUsers | Reset-AppxPackage
* Note: If after giving the above command, you receive the error «package not found» or something similar, give this command instead:
- Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”}
3. After command execution, close PowerShell, reboot your PC and try again to open Windows Defender.
Method 7. FIX Windows Defender Not Working in Registry.
1. Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type «regedit» and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
2. In Registry, navigate to this location:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender
3. At the right pane double-click to open the DisableAntiSpyware REG_DWORD value.*
* Note: If the «DisableAntiSpyware» value doesn’t exist, skip to next step or do the following:
- Right-click on empty space, and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
- Rename the «New Value #1» to «DisableAntiSpyware« and press Enter.
- Continue to next step.
3. Set the Value data to 0 to enable Windows Defender and then press OK.
4. Close the Registry Editor and reboot your PC.
Method 8. Enable Windows Defender in Group Policy.
Sometimes, Windows Defender is disabled because of a group policy that disables it, either set by the user or by malware. *
* Note: This method applies only to Windows 10/11 Professional Editions.
1. Press Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog.
2. Type gpedit.msc and press OK.
2. In the Local Group Policy Editor, navigate to:
- Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Microsoft Defender Antivirus.
3a. Double-click to open the Turn off Windows Defender Antivirus policy in the right pane.
4. In the window that appears, choose Not Configured or Disabled and then click Apply and OK.
5. Close the Group Policy Editor and restart your PC.
Method 9. Repair Windows with an In-place Upgrade.
If, after following the methods above, you’re still having problems, your last option is to repair Windows with an in-place upgrade. To do this, use the instructions in one of these tutorials, depending on your version of Windows.
- How to Repair Windows 10 with an In-Place Upgrade.
- How to Repair Windows 11 with an In-Place Upgrade.
That’s it! Which method worked for you?
Let me know if this guide has helped you by leaving your comment about your experience. Please like and share this guide to help others.
If this article was useful for you, please consider supporting us by making a donation. Even $1 can a make a huge difference for us in our effort to continue to help others while keeping this site free:
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Konstantinos is the founder and administrator of Wintips.org. Since 1995 he works and provides IT support as a computer and network expert to individuals and large companies. He is specialized in solving problems related to Windows or other Microsoft products (Windows Server, Office, Microsoft 365, etc.).
Some Windows 11 users are reporting that they can’t access the Windows Security app anymore. Most users are experiencing this issue when attempting to change Windows Defender settings. When clicking or (double-clicking) on the Windows Security app, nothing happens. In most cases. this problem was reported to occur after a pending Windows Update was installed.
After we investigated this issue, we realized that there are actually several different underlying instances that will ultimately cause this error code. Here’s a short list of scenarios that might prevent Windows Security from opening up:
- Corrupted Windows Store certification – As it turns out, one common scenario that will cause this problem is when a critical dependency (Windows Store certification) is actually plagued by corruption. If this particular case is applicable, you should be able to get the issue fixed by reinstalling Microsoft.SecHealthUI component.
- Corrupted Windows Security component – If you recently upgraded to Windows 11 from an older Windows version, there’s a chance you’re dealing with a partially corrupted component brought about by the upgrade process. To resolve this issue, you need to reinstall the Windows Security component.
- Interfering 3rd party AV suite – Several 3rd party antivirus suites including Kasperky are known to effectively block Windows users from accessing the native AV component (Windows Security) while the 3rd party AV is enabled. To resolve this problem, you can fix the issue by disabling or uninstalling the 3rd party component.
- System file corruption – As it turns out, there is a scenario where you can no longer access the Windows Security component due to system file corruption that affects Windows security directly or an associated dependency. To fix this issue, you can start by doing an SFC and DISM scan. If this fails, you should also consider going for a clean install or repair install.
- Badly cached data – Depending on your particular scenario, you could also face an issue brought about by cached data that is being stored by Windows Security. In this case, the first thing you should do is reset the Windows Security app from the App section.
- Windows Security is Disabled – If you previously made some changes to the default behavior of Windows Security, there’s a chance Windows Security is actually disabled by a Registry key and this is the reason why you can’t access it. In this case, you can fix the problem by accessing Registry Editor and modifying the DisableAntiSpyware.
Now that we went over every potential scenario that might cause this behavior on Windows 11, let’s go over every known fix that other affected users have successfully used to restore the normal functionality of Windows Security.
1. Reset the Windows Store certification
It turns out that one typical situation that will result in this issue is when a crucial dependence (Windows Store certification) is genuinely afflicted by corruption. Reinstalling the Microsoft.SecHealthUI component should resolve the problem if this specific scenario applies.
To do this, you will need to open PowerShell with administrator access and run a command that will effectively reset the Windows Store certification. This method has been confirmed to work by a lot of affected users.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box.
- Next, type ‘powershell’ inside the text box, then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open up an elevated Powershell window with admin access.
Access the Powershell window - At the User Account Control (UAC), click Yes to grant admin access.
- Once you’re inside the elevated Powershell window, paste the following command and press Enter to reset the Windows Store certification:
Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.SecHealthUI -AllUsers | Reset-AppxPackage
- After the command is run successfully, reboot your PC and see if the problem is fixed once the next startup is complete.
If the problem is still not resolved, move down to the next potential fix below.
2. Disable or Uninstall 3rd party antivirus
While the 3rd party AV is enabled, it is well known that a number of 3rd party antivirus suites, like Kasperky, effectively prevent Windows users from accessing the native AV component (Windows Security). You can address this issue by turning off or removing the third-party component.
It turns out that a conflict between a third-party security suite and a Kernel process used by the Windows 11 install agent may be the cause of this Windows Security issue. Numerous user complaints attribute this problem to Kaspersky, but other security suites can be responsible for the same symptoms.
If that’s the case and you’re using a third-party security suite, you should turn off your antivirus real-time protection and see if the problem goes away.
However, you’ll need to uninstall the security program and get rid of any leftover files if you want to be absolutely certain that your third-party AV suite—especially if it contains a firewall component—had nothing to do with this problem.
Do the simple stuff first: turn off real-time protection. Although the specifics of this procedure vary amongst the various third-party AV suites, you can usually access it through a taskbar menu.
For a period, try disabling real-time protection, then check to see if Windows Security is now accessible.
If you’re still having trouble, consider completely uninstalling the security program and getting rid of any leftover files that might still be causing this issue.
If you choose to take this path, follow these instructions to thoroughly remove a third-party security suite and all leftover files.
If this approach wasn’t appropriate for your situation, scroll down to the next possible solution below.
3. Reset the Windows Security app
You might also run into a problem because Windows Security is storing cached data, depending on your specific situation. Resetting the Windows Security app from the App area should be your first course of action in this situation.
If you suspect that this scenario is applicable, you can fix the issue by accessing the Apps & Features tab from the Settings menu of Windows 11 and triggering a complete reset on Windows Security.
This method has been confirmed to work by a lot of Windows 11 users that were not previously unable to access Windows Security.
Follow the instructions below to reset the Windows Security app from the Apps & Features menu:
- Press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box.
- Inside the Run dialog box, type ‘ms-settings:’ inside the text box, then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open up the Settings menu of your Windows computer.
Access the Settings menu of Windows 11 - At the User Account Control (UAC), click Yes to grant admin access.
- Once you’re inside the Settings menu, click on the Apps icon from the menu on the left.
- Next, move to the right section and click on Installed apps.
Access the Installed Apps - Once you’re inside the Installed Apps menu, scroll down through the list and locate Windows Security.
Note: You can use the search functionality at the top to make your job easier. - Once you locate Windows Security, click on the action icon (three-dot), then click on Advanced options.
Access the Advanced Options menu of Windows Security - Inside the Advanced Options of Windows Security, scroll down to the Reset tab, then click on the Reset button.
Resetting Windows Security - At the confirmation prompt, confirm and wait until the operation is complete.
- Reboot your computer and see if Windows Security is not accessible.
If the same kind of problem is still occurring, move down to the next method below.
4. Enable Windows Security via Registry Editor
It’s possible that Windows Security is truly disabled by a Registry key and that’s why you can’t access it if you previously modified the default behavior of Windows Security. In this situation, you can resolve the issue by opening Registry Editor and making changes to the DisableAntiSpyware value.
The system frequently suffers when changes are made to the registry file. The system’s user or third-party program may have mistakenly introduced these alterations.
The registry file is the most crucial file and should be backed up before beginning since if something goes wrong, the system could crash.
Follow the steps below to open the Registry Editor and determine whether the DisableAntiSpyware value is enabled or not if this scenario appears to be applicable to you:
- Start by pressing Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box.
- Next, type ‘regedit’ inside the text box, then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open the Registry Editor with admin access.
Open up the Registry Editor - At the User Account Control (UAC), click Yes to grant admin access.
- Once you’re inside the Registry Editor, use the menu on the left to navigate to the following location:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender
Note: You can either navigate to this location manually or you can paste the location directly into the nav bar at the top and press Enter to get there instantly.
- After you’re inside the correct location, double-click on the DisableAntiSpyware registry value and change its Base to Hexadecimal and the Value data to 0 before clicking on Ok.
- Now that you’ve made sure that Windows Security is not disabled at a registry level, restart your PC and see if the problem is now fixed.
If this method was not applicable, move down to the next method below.
5. Reinstall Windows Security
If you recently updated from a previous version of Windows to Windows 11, there’s a potential that the upgrading procedure may have partially corrupted a component. You must reinstall the Windows Security component in order to fix this problem.
The issue is not brand-new, and Windows 10 users who upgraded from a feature update have also reported it. The answer is rather straightforward.
Run a series of instructions to effectively replace your present Windows Store component with newer ones free of corruption once Windows Terminal is launched and in PowerShell mode.
To successfully reinstall the Windows Security component from an elevated Powershell component, follow these steps:
- Press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box.
- Next, type ‘powershell’ inside the text box, then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open up an elevated Powershell window with admin access.
Access the Powershell window - At the User Account Control (UAC), click Yes to grant admin access.
- Once you’re inside the elevated Powershell window, paste the following commands and press Enter to effectively reinstall the Windows Store component:
Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"} - Once this component has been effectively reset, restart your PC and see if the Windows Security component starts working once the next startup is complete.
If the same kind of issue is still occurring, move down to the next methods below.
6. Run SFC and DISM scans
If you’ve come to this point without finding a solution, it’s likely that you have some sort of system file corruption that has broken the Windows Security component.
The next step should be to launch SFC (System File Checker) and DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management), two built-in programs that can address the most common causes of system file corruption.
Resolving the corruption issue is more likely if SFC and DISM are performed shortly after one another, despite the fact that they are quite identical.
It should be noted that while SFC collects healthy system files from a local location, DISM retrieves files from Windows Update in order to replace faulty counterparts.
Running an SFC scan from an elevated CMD prompt can be used to check for system file corruption.
Even if the tool appears to have frozen, it is advisable not to interrupt this process midway (or prematurely quit the CMD window). You’ll eventually get the success notification after the operation is finished.
Once the DISM scan is complete, restart your computer. Once the subsequent startup has been completed, run a DISM scan.
Before starting this process, make sure your Internet connection is strong.
Restart your computer after properly executing the DISM command to see if the problem has been fixed.
Continue to the final suggested solution below if the issue is still not resolved.
7. Repair install or clean install
If none of the aforementioned approaches have worked for you, your only remaining choice is to entirely replace all of the afflicted system file dependencies with healthy replacements.
At this point, your only choices are to perform a clean install or a repair install (in-place upgrade).
If you have the option, we advise you to go for a repair installation (in-place upgrade) if you find yourself in a difficulty:
- Repair install – Only the system files will be changed during a repair install (in-place upgrade) (while keeping your personal files, user preferences apps & games).
- Clean install – If only certain kernel processes are impacted, a clean install can be the best choice, but it has the disadvantage of wiping any personal data stored on the OS disk. However, you should be aware that if you take this action, all of your personal data will be lost.
Windows 11 Windows Defender not working is a common problem. If you cannot use it to protect your PC against viruses and malware attacks, some troubles may come to you. What should you do to fix Windows 11 Security not working to get real-time protection? Refer to this post and MiniTool will show you some possible methods.
Windows Security, usually known as Windows Defender, is an excellent antivirus program that comes with Windows 11 by default. As one of the best antivirus apps, it can run properly in most situations to protect your PC from threats like viruses, spyware, malware attacks, and more.
To use it, you won’t need to download Windows Security in Windows 11 but you are required to enable it in Settings. Just press Win + I to open Windows 11 Settings, go to Privacy & security > Windows Security > Open Windows Security. (Related article: How to Enable or Disable Microsoft Defender in Windows 11)
However, due to some reason, you may find Windows Defender is not working or starting/turning on in Windows 11 or Windows Defender Windows 11 missing. Sometimes you get a message saying “unexpected error”; sometimes you get a pop-up saying “you’ll need a new app to open this windowsdefender link”. Or sometimes you get other errors. No matter which situation you have, you cannot use Windows Defender for PC protection as normal.
Fixing Windows Security not working in Windows 11 is an urgent thing since viruses and malware may affect your computer. Fortunately, it is not a difficult task to solve this issue if you follow the methods below.
Fixes for Windows 11 Windows Defender Not Working
Set Date and Time Correctly
A common reason why Windows Defender won’t start/work is an incorrect time and date since most system features depend on time and date. So, make sure your date and time are set correctly.
Step 1: Click the Start icon from the Taskbar in Windows 11 and choose Settings to open this app.
Step 2: Move to the Time & language tab on the left side and click Date & time in the right pane.
Step 3: Click the Change button to set the correct time and date.
Tip: In addition, you can set date and time in other methods, and here is a related article – [3 Ways] How to Change Date and Time & Sleep Time on Windows 11.
Restart Security Center Service
Windows Defender service not running may be another reason why Windows Security is not working or operating in Windows 11. To fix Windows 11 Windows Defender not working, make sure the service is running properly.
Step 1: To get the Run dialog, press Win + R.
Step 2: Type services.msc into the textbox and click OK to open Services.
Step 3: Go to find the Security Center service from the right pane, right-click it and choose Restart.
Besides, you should also check these services – Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection, Windows Defender Firewall, Windows Defender Antivirus Network Inspection Service, and Windows Defender Antivirus Service and make sure they are running.
Step 4: Double-click each service to open the Properties window and set the Startup type to Automatic.
After that, go to check if Windows Defender can work. If it is still not working as normal, try other methods below.
Update Windows 11 to the Latest Version
Sometimes Windows Defender Windows 11 missing or Windows 11 Security not working appears due to the bugs in the certain Windows versions. To fix it, you can update it to the latest version to see if the issue is resolved.
Step 1: Click Start > Settings to get Windows 11 Settings interface.
Step 2: Go to Windows Update in the left sidebar and click Check for updates.
Step 3: If the system checks for some available updates, download and install them on your Windows 11 PC. Then, you may be able to run Windows Defender for PC protection against viruses and threats.
Disable or Uninstall Third-Party Security Software
If you also install a third-party antivirus program, it may interface with Windows Defender. If you want to run this app to keep your PC safe without having any conflicts, you had better disable or uninstall the third-party antivirus software from your Windows 11 PC.
After uninstalling the antivirus, reboot your PC and try to run Windows Defender to see if it can work properly.
Tip: A simple uninstallation sometimes cannot completely remove programs and some entries are saved in registry. You can follow this post – How to Remove Remnants of Uninstalled Software? Try These Ways to remove them.
Run an SFC Scan
Performing an SFC scan is a fast and straightforward solution to fix the issue of Windows Security not working Windows 11. System File Checker (SFC) can be used to check and fix system file corruption. This means if Windows Defender stops working due to faulty files, the scan can fix this issue.
Step 1: Type cmd to the search box and right-click on Command Prompt to choose Run as administrator.
Step 2: In the CMD window, type in sfc /scannow and press Enter to execute this scanning task.
After the verification is 100% complete, restart your PC and see if Windows Defender can work well.
Perform a Clean Boot
The running third-party services and programs may interrupt Windows, leading to Windows 11 Windows Defender not working. To get rid of the trouble, you can try to perform a clean boot.
Step 1: Open the Run window by pressing Win + R, type msconfig, and click OK.
Step 2: Under the Services tab, tick the checkbox of Hide all Microsoft Services.
Step 3: After that, click Disable all to disable all the services except Microsoft services.
Step 4: Go to the Startup tab and click Open Task Manager.
Step 5: Choose programs individually and click Disable to disable them to fix Windows Security not working in Windows 11.
Make Changes in Your Registry
If Windows Defender won’t start or work after trying many solutions, you can try to change Registry settings. Before you do, you had better back up your registry keys in Windows 11 to avoid system corruption due to mistaken operations.
Step 1: Type regedit to the search box and click Registry Editor.
Step 2: Go to this path: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender.
Step 3: Locate DisableAntiSpyware in the right pane. If it is not here, right-click Windows Defender and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value to create it.
Step 4: Double-click this key and set its value data to 0.
Repair or Reset Windows Security Windows 11
If Windows Security is not working in Windows 11, another solution you can try is to repair or reset this app by following the steps below.
Step 1: Launch the Windows Settings app by pressing Win + I.
Step 2: Click App > App & features.
Step 3: Scroll down to find Windows Security, click the three-dot menu and choose Advanced options.
Step 4: In the new window, go to the Reset section, click Repair to repair it. If this cannot work, click Reset to reset this app.
Reset This PC
If all of these methods cannot fix Windows 11 Windows Defender not working, the last solution you can try is to reset your PC to its factory settings. To do this task, go to Settings > System > Recovery > Recovery options > Reset this PC. Then, choose an option based on your need and finish the resetting operation by following the instructions on the screen.
To know more information about PC resetting or reinstallation, refer to this post – How to Reinstall Windows 11? Try 3 Simple Ways Here Now!
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Suggestion: Back up Your PC
After trying the methods above, you should run Windows Security properly to protect your PC from malicious programs, viruses, and some other threats. In practice, only running antivirus is not enough to keep your PC safe. From this post – Is Windows Defender Enough? More Solutions to Protect PC, you know the reasons.
To prevent your PC’s data loss due to malware and virus attacks, you can choose to make a full backup for them. Besides, you had better create a system image to avoid system breakdown due to virus infection.
Well then, how can you back up your computer in Windows 11? A professional PC backup software should be your good assistant. Here, we strongly recommend using MiniTool ShadowMaker.
This backup software is compatible with Windows 11/10/8/7 and can be used to back up your files, folders, disks, partitions, and Windows systems. In addition, you can use it to clone a hard drive to another disk for disk upgrade or the entire disk backup. Besides, data sync is also supported. Importantly, you can use it to only create backups for the changed or newly added data without taking much disk space.
Now, get MiniTool ShadowMaker by clicking the following download button and install it on your Windows 11 PC for backup.
MiniTool ShadowMaker TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
Step 1: Double-click the icon of this software to launch it.
Step 2: Click Backup and you can see this software backs up the system by default. To create a system image, you can directly go to choose a destination path to continue. If you need to back up files, click Source to go to choose files you need.
Step 3: After selecting backup source and destination, click Back up Now to execute the backup task immediately.
Tip: In addition to using MiniTool ShadowMaker to back up your PC in Windows 11, you can try other ways. Just refer to this post – How to Back up Windows 11 (Focuses on Files & System) to know more.
Other Tips to Keep PC Safe
In addition to backing up your files or system, there are some other measures you can take to keep your PC safe:
- Don’t Visit Suspect Websites
- Turn on SmartScreen Filter
- Keep Your Windows Up-to-Date
- Use a Firewall App
- Pay Attention to Your Downloaded Files
- To know more, refer to this post – How to Protect Your Computer from Viruses? (12 Methods).
Wrapping Things up
Is Windows 11 Windows Defender not working or Windows 11 Security not working? After reading this post, you should know how to get rid of this issue. Just try these solutions above to fix your issue. Besides, you had better take some measures to make sure the security of your PC.
If you have any issues or suggestions, you can leave a comment in the following section or send an email to [email protected].