Just updated to Win 10 ver 1709 (fall update: 'the big one') and I find that the Windows Defender - Settings - Virus & Threat Detection - Virus and Threat Detection Settings -Controlled Folder Access feature is grayed out in the 'off' position. Then tried to activate this feature using the Group Policy editor per instructions on a couple of helpful sounding web sites but there was no change; evenafter rebooting.Side note: the Real Time Protection switch is likewise grayed out.Second side note: My main antivirus is Symantec Security Suite. And yes, I tried temporarily disabling it to see if the gray-out went away. It didn't.Any sage advice VERY welcome!!Kind regards,Lenny W. Hi Lenny,How did you enable it through Group Policy?Is it a domain joined computer?I update my Windows 10 v1703 to 1709 and found the option Controlled Folder Access is off by default. But the Real Time Protection is on by default. We could switch them betweenon and off.According to my know, Windows Defender will detect if a third-party antivirus software is installed on this device, if installed, it will cause conflict between them.
Turn On Windows Defender Windows 10
To avoidthis, try to uninstall your another antivirus software and check if it is available to enable the 2 options.Please try check if it is available to enable through the link.Try to check if it is available to enable them inenvironment.Please remember to mark the replies as answers if they help.If you have feedback for TechNet Subscriber Support, contact. Hi Joy-QiaoI know my virus protector is graying out Real-time protection which also greys out Controlled folder access. Will there be an update in the future to allow these features, Real-time protection and Controlled folder access, to work along side with third-partyantivirus software? What I am trying to have is Windows Defender Controlled folder access to run along side with my third-party antivirus software in order to have a wider range of protection from ransomware and other malicious activity from infecting my computers.Thank you for any feedback you may provide.Dennis J. Lenny, I just updated one of my home laptops running Windows 10 Home to ver 1709 and when I went to enable Controlled Folder Access I also noted that it's grayed out in the off position. I'm running AVG antivirus and it appears that if we'rerunning a third-party antivirus then Windows Defender can't run in Real Time Protection mode, it defers to AVG (in my case). Apparently if WD isn't in RTP mode then CFA can't be enabled.
Windows Defender shows being on but it's grayed out. I can't change it, and the downloadable.reg file to turn it on or off does nothing. I run AVG antivirus, and I tried turning it off to see if it was getting in the way.didn't help. This is Windows 10 Home, by the way. Windows Defender: Some Settings are Managed by your Organization Fix Also, the real-time protection and cloud-based protection options may remain disabled. Here is how the Windows Defender Settings page might look like. The controls for real-time protection, cloud-based protection and Automatic sample submission options may be disabled and locked down or grayed out.
A real catch-22 situation. I don't know if there's anywork-around possible and don't know if MS really intended to force everyone to uninstall all third-party antivirus programs and rely solely on Windows Defender. I realize WD has gotten better in recent years but I don't feel confident enough in it tocount on it alone to protect my machines. I suspect I'm not alone in that sentiment. It will be interesting to see how this develops. Maybe CFA will end up on the scrap heap because of this. I wonder how large Enterprise environments willdeal with this as all of those that I ever worked for certainly used third-party AV solutions.
Controlled Folder Access utilizes Windows Defender’s real-time protection for detecting access violations, and therefore requires that real-time protection be enabled:Defender's real-time protection is automatically disabled when a third-party AV solution registers with the system as an antivirus provider.Ergo, you cannot turn on Controlled Folder Access when a third-party AV solution is installed and it's real-time protection is enabled. However, a Windows 10 compatibility feature automaticallyenables Windows Defender's real-time protection when the real-time protection of the third-party solution is turned off, and if this feature is working properly, then you should be able to turn on Controlled Folder Access as soon as Defender's real-time protectionis enabled.
Contents:Windows Defender Not Turning on Overview:As a Microsoft virus protection line of Windows 10, Windows Defender has the unshirkable responsibility to prevent your PC or laptop from various malware. And it is generally known that Windows defender keeps Windows 10 from malware in two aspects, namely, providing real time protection and scanning options.While it is common anxiety that Windows Defender can’t start or the real-time protection greyed out on Windows 10. Sometimes, it may occur to you when your Windows Defender turns itself off automatically. In this sense, there is a great need for you to investigate why your defender is unable to turn on or work. How to Fix Can’t Turn on Windows Defender on Windows 10?So how can you fix the Windows defender not turning on or when you turn on the Windows Defender but it stopped working on Windows 10? Let’s try elaborated solutions. It mainly consists in setting changes or file scanning.Prior to that, try to restart Windows 10 or Windows 8, 8.1 to see if a reboot will work for Windows Defender unable to turn on issue.Solutions:Solution 1: Remove the Third-party SoftwareWindows 10 users have long suggested that sometimes what they have just installed software, such as some antivirus program, the Windows Defender would turn off at once or cannot perform well on Windows 10. You may also notice Windows defender deactivates itself with the presence of the anti-threat software.
From this perspective, you may as well embark on getting rid of the newly downloaded third-party software.1. Open Control Panel.2. In Control Panel, choose to View by Category and then locate Programs Uninstall a program.3. In Programs and Features, find out and right click the third-party antivirus software to Uninstall.4. Reboot Windows 10 to take effect if required.As long as you have uninstalled the software, you are supposed to restart your computer and perform it again.
If it is the case, your Windows defender will work correctly now. Solution 2: Change Windows Defender Startup TypeIt goes without sense that Windows 10 defender does not respond unless you have turned it off accidentally. Hence, change the startup type of defender to automatic and the not working windows defender may be fixed.1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog.2. In the search box, enter Service.msc and hit OK to get into Services.3.
Locate Windows Defender security center and right click it to open Properties.4. In General tab, choose the startup type as Automatic.After you click Ok, you should restart your PC or laptop. Then try your Windows Defender to see if it can work as usual. Solution 3: Restart Security Center ServiceSupposing changing Windows defender service is of no use fixing Windows Defender can’t start, there is a high probability that you need to restart another service named Security Center. Since Windows Defender functions like a security protection tool, Security Center is closely associated with the Windows Defender unable to start issue.In Service window, slide down to pinpoint Security Center service and then right click it to Restart this service.Once the Security Center service is restarted, you can try to turn on Windows Defender again.
It is likely that can’t turn on Windows Defender has been resolved effectively. Solution 4: System File Check Scan (SFC)Apart from anti-threat programs, sometimes some files may also cause damages to Windows defender, namely, the corrupted files prevent Windows defender from detecting virus software.
Run SFC and you can get the damaged files removed, thus nothing would keep your Windows defender from working.1. Search Command Prompt in the Search box. And then hit Enter.Here you should make sure you have entered Command Prompt as Administrator.2. Input sfc/scannow in Command Prompt window and click Enter.All finished, you can see the files are scanned and some of them may be deleted since they are destructed ones.Since you have extracted the possibility that the not responding or turning on windows defender may be caused by corrupted files, you can find your Windows defender can perform perfectly on Windows 10.
Solution 5: Re-enable Windows DefenderNow that Windows 10, 8, 8.1 Windows Defender is not responding, you might as well manage to a second time in hopes that it will be opened.You can either choose to turn on Windows Defender in Group Policy or Registry Editor. Hopefully, after you checked the working condition of Windows Defender on Windows 10, you are able to start Windows Defender and make it work to protect Windows 10 if you like. Solution 6: Check Time and Time ZoneSometimes, while Windows Defender detects out that your date, time and time zone are not synchronized with the real time on your PC, it will misbehave itself and turn itself off. Consequently, you would better check whether or not the time and time zone have been careless changed or mistakenly altered by some programs.1. Go to Start Settings Time & Language.2. Under Date and Time, decide to Change date and time and then choose to change the Time zone as well.Here it is also feasible to set time and time zone automatically, which is to enable the system to sync the time with the location. You can check if Windows Defender can be accessed after settings the time.
Solution 7: Check for Windows 10 UpdatesAs you all know, Windows Defender is a new feature for Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. And it will enhance itself along with every Windows update, therefore, you would better check whether you have updated Windows 10 with the newly released functionalities.1. Bound for Start Settings Update & Security.2.
Under Windows Update, determine to Check for updates.Then you will be noticing that Windows 10 is installing the update package if there is any. With the system updated, it is possible that you can turn on Windows Defender and run it on Windows 10.