Window Defender Notifications

indranil dutta 0 Reputation points
2026-09-10T14:08:09.7266667+00:00

In spite of turning on Windows Defender on my Windows 11 (25H2) laptop, why I'm getting notifications telling me that "Virus protection is turned off"?

Microsoft Security | Microsoft Defender | Other
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  1. Bence Weiszmann 1,555 Reputation points
    2026-09-10T14:22:28.12+00:00

    Dear @indranil dutta

    This is actually a known issue at the moment. There have been a number of reports of Windows 11 showing the “Turn on virus protection” notification even though Microsoft Defender Antivirus is enabled and working normally. Since Virus & threat protection is showing “No action needed” with a green tick on your PC, this looks like the same issue. The notification itself does not necessarily mean that Defender is actually turned off.

    Official link: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/release-health/status-windows-10-1809-and-windows-server-2019

    You can also report the issue through Feedback Hub by pressing Win + F. There is already a feedback report for the same problem that you can upvote.

    Best regards,
    Bence

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  2. AI answer

    2026-09-10T14:08:23.8133333+00:00

    This is a confirmed Microsoft issue, not necessarily that Microsoft Defender Antivirus is actually off.

    On Windows 11 version 25H2, after installing the latest Microsoft Defender Antivirus updates, notifications can appear saying "Microsoft Defender Antivirus is turned off" even though Defender is functioning correctly and settings still show it as active. These notifications can appear at startup and intermittently afterward, and they can continue even if notification settings are turned off.

    Microsoft states that a fix is being worked on and will be released in a future Microsoft Defender Antivirus update.

    If Defender shows as active in Windows Security, the notification is currently a false alert. If needed, the issue can be reported through the Feedback Hub app using WIN+F.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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