
If you’re unable to remove Windows Defender using the steps above, then you should be able to use Powershell to uninstall Windows Defender. On the Remove Features screen, uncheck Windows Defender Features if you’re able to and click Remove How To Disable Windows Defender Using Powershell.Click Next on the Remove Server Roles screen.Click Next on the Server Selection screen.Click Next on the Before You Begin screen.Click Manage > Remove Roles And Features.Some people report that the option to remove Windows Defender is greyed out, which leaves Powershell. The first place you can try to disable and remove Windows Defender is in the Roles and Features Wizard within Server Manager. How To Disable Windows Defender In Roles And Features Wizard Unfortunately, Microsoft decided to remove that API option in Windows Server 2016, so even if you install another antivirus product, Windows Defender will still be enabled. In Windows 10, Windows Defender has an API that allows other antivirus programs to disable it to prevent issues. While this is welcomed by some organizations that may not have another antivirus solution, running multiple antivirus applications has been known to cause issues for a long time and has not been recommended by IT personnel for many years. I just purchased another 10 licenses.Microsoft has been including its Windows Defender antivirus software in Windows 10, and now they’re also automatically including it and enabling it in Windows Server 2016. Too many other systems rely on our being well-informed and skillful. We need to be told the truth about interoperability in a timely fashion. On this system, using the Malwarebytes cleaner to remove Malwarebytes immediately caused Windows Defender to start up. Except now Windows Defender service is set on Manual and CANNOT be changed (grayed out).Ī reboot of this system did nothing. Then I checked a Windows 8 system and almost the same thing. The Windows Defender service was not running and was set to Manual. So, my expectation is that 3.0 will continue to cooperate (as advertised). I've used Malwarebytes alongside Windows Defender VERY successfully on MANY computers for years. Today, on a Windows 7 Pro system, I found Windows Defender not running.

This is important because I use it on my customer's systems!!! I couldn't say initially that this is related to Malwarebytes update package BUT it seemed suspicious.
