Windows Defender service won’t start on Windows 10/11

Windows Defender doesn’t start on Windows 10 or 11? Here are a few steps you can take to fix the issue.

The “windows defender service not starting server 2016” is a problem that has been present for a while. Windows 10 and Windows 11 users have reported that the “Windows Defender Service Wont Start On Your PC.”

Madalina has been a Windows user since she initially installed Windows XP on her computer. She is fascinated by all things technological, particularly new technologies such as artificial intelligence and DNA computing.

22nd of April, 2022

Originally published in December 2021.

• If you can’t launch Windows Defender, you’re vulnerable to cyber-attacks and infections.
• Remove or deactivate any third-party antivirus software installed on the device.
• Install the most recent Windows and driver updates and maintain them up to current at all times.
• You may also run a System File Check scan and let the OS take care of any problems it finds.

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Windows Defender is a popular antivirus application that protects millions of PCs across the globe from malicious threads. Many customers, however, claim that their Windows Defender cannot be launched.

When customers attempt to start Microsoft’s built-in antivirus, they often get an error message stating that the service could not be launched.

Many Windows 10 customers have complained that their computer’s Windows Defender service would not start at all. In addition, customers reported a number of other comparable concerns. And while we’re on the subject of Windows Defender difficulties,

• Windows Defender won’t start on Windows 10, 8, or 7 — This issue, according to users, may affect all versions of Windows, including Windows 8 and 7. Even if you don’t have Windows 10, you should know that virtually all of our solutions are backwards compatible, so feel free to give them a try.
• Error 577: The Windows Defender service will not start – When attempting to start the Windows Defender service, error 577 may display. Make sure you don’t have any third-party antivirus software installed on your computer to address this issue.
• Windows Defender Security Center refuses to launch – A number of customers have complained that Windows Defender Security Center refuses to open at all. Check to see whether you have the most recent updates installed to resolve this problem.
• The Windows Defender service will not start due to access restrictions — This issue may arise as a result of permissions difficulties. To resolve the issue, change the security permissions of the ProgramDataMicrosoft directory.
• If the Windows Defender service continues halting, it’s possible that the problem is due to profile corruption. Simply create a new user profile and see if it fixes the issue.

How can I get the Windows Defender service to start?

1. Turn off and uninstall third-party antivirus software.

Using two antivirus programs at the same time might result in a variety of technical concerns. To thoroughly remove any third-party antivirus files, use specialised software removal programs.

If you are unable to resolve the issue, you may always use a third-party antivirus solution. There are a number of good antivirus programs out there, and you should search for one with a lot of protection features.

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2. Download and install the most recent Windows Updates. 

1. To access the Settings app, press Windows Key + I.
2. Now go to Update & Security section.
3. Check for updates by clicking the Check for Updates icon.

Windows will now look for and download available updates in the background. Simply restart your computer to install the updates when they have been downloaded.

It’s possible that merely applying the latest updates will solve the Windows Defender service not beginning. You can guarantee that everything on your PC runs well by keeping your system up to date.

Although Windows 10 downloads the required updates in the background most of the time, you may miss one or two owing to problems.

3. Perform an SFC scan.

1. To access the Win + X menu, press Windows Key + X. Select Command Prompt (Administrator) or Powershell now (Admin).
2. Enter the following command into Command Prompt and click Enter: sfc /scannow
3. The SFC scan will now begin. Don’t interrupt the scan since it might take up to 15 minutes.

According to users, the Windows Defender service may sometimes fail to start due to file corruption. It’s possible that your system files have been corrupted, resulting in this error.

Check whether the issue still exists when the scan is completed. If the problem persists, or you were unable to conduct SFC scan at all, you could try running DISM scan instead.

1. As an administrator, open Command Prompt.
2. Enter the following command in Command Prompt when it appears: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
3. The DISM scan will now begin. Because the scan might take up to 20 minutes, if not more, you must be patient and refrain from interrupting it.

Check whether the issue still exists once the DISM scan is completed. If the problem persists or you were unable to conduct DISM scan before, run SFC scan again to see if it resolves the issue.

4. Take care of your registry.

If there are problems with your registry, Windows Defender may not be able to start. This problem may be caused by a corrupted registry entry, and you’ll need to locate and delete the offending item.

Because this is a difficult operation to do manually, it is preferable to utilize specialized software. There are a number of excellent registry cleaners available to assist you with this issue.

You may use efficient registry cleanup software to erase leftover files and improve your PC to locate the best option for this work.

5. Examine the factors in your surroundings

1. Enter advanced system settings by pressing Windows Key + S. From the menu, choose View advanced system settings.
2. Now choose Environment Variables from the drop-down menu.
3. Check whether the percent ProgramData percent variable is set to C:ProgramData.
   • If not, make the necessary changes to the variable.

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Your system’s environment variables are a helpful feature that allows you to access certain folders.

Users or third-party programs, on the other hand, might modify your environment variables and cause this problem to arise.

You won’t be able to start the Windows Defender service as a result of this, however you can manually change your environment variables by performing the following:

The issue should be rectified after making these adjustments, and Windows Defender should start operating again.

Change the permissions on the system.

1. Navigate to the C:ProgramData directory.
2. Locate and right-click the Microsoft directory. Select Properties from the drop-down menu.
3. Now choose Advanced from the Security menu.
4. All inherited permissions should now be removed. After that, save the modifications and see whether the issue has been addressed.

According to users, folder permissions might occasionally cause this issue. If the Windows Defender service fails to start on your computer, you may need to adjust your permissions.

This is a more complicated method, so if you’re not acquainted with permissions, you should probably avoid it.

Remember that this is a system folder, and any modifications to it might create problems, so if you’re not acquainted with system permissions, you might want to ignore this approach.

7. Make a new account for yourself.

1. Go to the Accounts area of the Settings app.
2. Go to Family & other people on the menu on the left. In the right pane, click Add someone else to this PC.
3. Click This person’s sign-in information is not in my possession.
4. Select Add a person who does not have a Microsoft account now.
5. Click Next after entering the desired user name.

You may be able to remedy the issue by simply establishing a new user account if the Windows Defender service won’t start.

Your user account may become damaged at any moment, resulting in this and other issues. Follow the steps above to resolve issues with a user account.

Switch to a new user account after establishing one and see whether the issue persists. If this is not the case, you may need to switch to the newly established account and use it instead of your old one.

8. Make an on-the-spot upgrade

1. Run the Media Creation Tool that you downloaded from Microsoft’s website.
2. Now is the time to upgrade this PC.
3. Wait for setup to finish preparing the required files.
4. Select Updates to download and install (recommended). Wait for the setup to finish downloading the required files.
5. Follow the on-screen steps until you arrive at the Ready to install screen.
6. Check to see whether Keep personal files and applications is shown in the recap list.
   • If not, choose Keep personal files and programs from the selection under Change what to keep.
7. To finish the installation, follow the directions on the screen.

If none of the preceding methods worked, you may try executing an in-place update. You’ll reinstall Windows 10, but all of your data and programs will remain.

You’ll have a new installation of Windows when the installation is complete, and the issue should be addressed.

Before we close up this post, there’s one more item to mention. If you need a new antivirus program, check out our list of the top antivirus programs with lifetime licenses and choose one from there.

It might be frustrating to be unable to start the Windows Defender service, but we hope you were able to resolve the issue using one of our alternatives.

Are you still experiencing problems? Use this tool to fix them:

1. Download this TrustPilot.com-rated PC Repair Tool (download starts on this page).
2. To detect Windows faults that may be causing PC difficulties, click Start Scan.
3. To repair faults with Patented Technologies, click Repair All (Exclusive Discount for our readers).

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The “windows defender won’t open windows 11” is a problem that has been present for a while. Microsoft has released two fixes to fix the issue.

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