Windows Defender is a Microsoft-developed anti-malware program that is pre-installed with Windows operating systems, starting with Windows 8. It helps protect the system from viruses, malware, and other types of malicious software.
Windows Defender is generally considered to be reliable, secure, and effective. It has been designed to work with other anti-malware applications like Microsoft Security Essentials and works in conjunction with Windows Firewall to protect the system from external threats.
However, there are also risks associated with disabling Windows Defender. For starters, disabling Windows Defender gives you less protection against newly emerging threats that the software may not have already detected. Additionally, if you choose to install and use a third-party antivirus or security suite, Windows Defender and the third-party antivirus might conflict, causing slow performance or other problems.
Also, if you have disabled Windows Defender, your computer may be more prone to attack since it won’t have the same level of real-time protection as it would if Windows Defender was enabled. Furthermore, if you disable Windows Defender but don’t replace it with another product, then you could be leaving yourself open to malware infections.
Finally, if your computer were to become infected with malware, you would need to spend time and money to fix the problem, which could involve taking your computer to a computer repair shop or having someone in to clean up the infection. In any case, it would cost you more than if you hadn’t disabled Windows Defender in the first place.
So to answer the question: Is it safe to disable Windows Defender? The answer is no. While it’s possible to disable Windows Defender, it’s not recommended. Unless you’re replacing it with another antivirus program and are confident that it can provide sufficient protection, then it seems risky and unnecessary to disable Windows Defender. Given its reliability, features, and effectiveness, it’s best to stick with Windows Defender.