It’s included to protect you from cyber threats like malware, hackers, and more.

Windows Defender comes pre-installed on all Windows 10 systems. It’s a huge red flag if Windows 10’s built-in antivirus isn’t opening or won’t turn on at all. Some malware can even spread offline, only relying on file sharing. Whether you’re connected to a public WiFi or your private network, you’re vulnerable to a variety of attacks. In fact, we recommend everyone also use a good anti-malware and anti-exploit app like MalwareBytes in addition to antivirus-it’ll help protect you from against exploits and vulnerabilities that antivirus apps don’t cover, which are arguably more prevalent on the web today.Windows Defender won't turn on? This is a common problem.Īntivirus applications are essential to staying safe when browsing the internet. If you really hate antivirus, Windows Defender is the least intrusive program you can use-so you should probably leave it on. Many people will tell you that you can go without antivirus if you’re careful, and that just isn’t true. While it’s handy being able to enable and disable Windows Defender, please do make sure that you’re still running a good antivirus app. RELATED: Do I Really Need Antivirus If I Browse Carefully and Use Common Sense? Make Sure You’re Still Using Antivirus (and Anti-Malware)

Plus, Defender takes up very little disk space and there are better ways to free up disk space on Windows. Second, if you stop the service-or go through the process of uninstalling it-any Windows update is likely to restore Windows Defender and undo all that work anyway.

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