[FIXED] “Windows Defender Blocked By Group Policy” Error

Windows Defender Blocked By Group Policy

What can you do if your Windows Defender blocked by Group Policy? The easiest ways to fix this issue can simply be found in this article. Since a lot of Windows users have found the Windows Defender to work well in protecting their Windows PC, one error can cause a lot of things to be exposed to unknown threats. As such, many Windows users have to make sure the Windows Defender can actually work properly to protect their Windows PC at all the time.

Throughout time, Windows Defender has progressed to become better and better. No matter which Windows operating system version you use, Microsoft’s built-in antivirus will always be there for you. Windows Defender comes with an entire package of other built-in programs from Microsoft. Therefore, it always has to be updated over time.

Similarly to Windows Update and Windows Modules Installer Worker, all the programs and services for your Windows PC are prone to errors. Due to the continuous use of your Windows PC, the system has to work hard to catch up with your progress. With the increasing activities, your Windows PC, as well as the system, will exhaust itself at some point. When that time comes, clashes within the system become unavoidable. A lot of time, it creates problems which make it difficult to operate your Windows PC. As such, the Blue Screen of Death or high memory usage issues can occur. Therefore, it will be useful to know one thing or two about the “Windows Defender Blocked by Group Policy” issue and how it correlates to every Windows program within the system.


Windows Defender Blocked by Group Policy

Windows Defender Blocked by Group Policy

As a Windows user, you must have been familiar with the way Windows Defender operates. The built-in Windows protection agent has a reputation for its simplistic way of detecting harmful files and delete them. Similarly to any kinds of Windows programs, Windows Defender also needs to perform updates once in a while. The new updates mostly revolve around the new types of viruses or malware the defender should know.

Aside from causing other programs to hold back its progress due to its unstoppable updates, Windows Defender has the other problem on its own. Some of the users have reported that their Windows Defender is blocked by Group Policy. Usually, the disabling option is followed by the message “This app is turned off by Group Policy“. If you see that message, you will not be able to use the Windows Defender for a while.

The blocking decisions, as you may see, comes from the Group Policy. Windows built-in program usually cannot contradict with the third-party program in this case. If you have another antivirus working regularly to protect your Windows PC, then this may be the cause. The Group Policy has decided that another antivirus can take the job of the Windows Defender. Hence, the blocking decision. It is simply made because the Windows system deems the other antivirus cannot work well with the Windows protection agent.


Various Issues with Windows Defender Group Policy and How to Fix It

Despite being the antivirus itself, Windows Defender can also experience a lot of issues. From continuous updates which can disrupt the progress of certain programs in the system to the disability of the program, Windows Defender is prone to various problems which may cause it to stop operating. In relation to the “Windows Defender blocked by Group Policy” issue, some of the similar issues with a different set of message. Some of the messages are as follows:

1. Windows Defender blocked by Group Policy Windows 7.

2. Turn Windows Defender on via Group Policy.

3. Group Policy blocks Windows Defender.

4. Unable to start Windows Defender Group Policy.

5. Windows Defender stopped by Group Policy, not working Group Policy.

All of those issues strongly correlate to the “ Windows Defender blocked by Group Policy”. Due to these errors, you can try to change the settings of the Group Policy itself. You can fix these issues by making a few changes in the Windows registry. Other than that, you can also change a couple of values in the Group Policy. If you wish to start with a simple and quick fix, you can try to start the Windows Defender from the Settings window.


Methods to Fix “Windows Defender Blocked by Group Policy”

Windows built-in program usually cannot contradict with the third-party program in this case. If you have another antivirus working regularly to protect your Windows PC, then this may be the cause. The Group Policy has decided that another antivirus can take the job of the Windows Defender. Hence, the blocking decision. It is simply made because the Windows system deems the other antivirus cannot work well with the Windows protection agent.

Other than that, the problem may arise from the settings of the service itself. Since the regular Windows update keeps occurring over time, the system and the services will not have enough time to configure their settings properly. This often results in the sudden blockade or disability of certain programs and services.

If you wish to perform the methods to fix “Windows Defender blocked by Group Policy” issue in regards with a Windows program, you can try to follow the steps of each method below. See which one works to solve the Windows Defender blockade for you.


Turning On Windows Defender from the Group Policy

Turning On Windows Defender from the Group Policy

If the Group Policy blocks the Windows Defender operation, then you may as well activate it from there. Just like any other methods, you will need to have an Admin right in order to perform this method. Follow the steps below to activate Windows Defender from the Group Policy.

Step 1: First, you need to log in to your Windows PC as an administrator.

Step 2: Afterward, you can type gpedit.msc in the search bar and press Enter.

Step 3: Head to the Local Computer Policy and straight to the Administrative Templates.

Step 4: Then, you can go to the section Windows Components and straight to Windows Defender Antivirus.

Step 5: Afterward, you can select the section “Windows Defender”.

Step 6: Look at the right-hand panel and find the option “Turn off Windows Defender Antivirus”.

Step 7: Proceed to double-click to open it.

Step 8: Then, you can switch the toggle to turn Windows Defender on from the Group Policy.

Step 9: Once the new window appears, you can choose the option “Disable”.

Step 10: At last, you can click OK to save and apply the changes in the settings.


Turning On Windows Defender from the Settings

Turning On Windows Defender from the Settings

In case you cannot use the Windows Defender on your Windows PC, make sure to check on the settings first. You can try to turn the Windows Defender on from the Settings by following the steps below.

Step 1: Proceed to go to the Settings program. Try to press Windows and I buttons at the same time and hold it until the Settings window appears.

Step 2: Once the Settings window appears, proceed to click on the “Update & Security” section.

Step 3: Afterward, you can select the option “Windows Defender” from the menu on the left pane.

Step 4: Then, you can see the option “Open Windows Defender Security Center” on the right pane.

Step 5: To turn on the Windows Defender via Group Policy, you can proceed to click on the section “Virus & threat protection”.

Step 6: Head to the “Virus & threat protection” settings.

Step 7: Then, you can find the option “Real-time protection” and enable it.

Step 8: At last, you should be able to operate Windows Defender again and get your Windows PC full protection.


Using Regedit to Fix “Windows Defender Blocked by Group Policy”

In case your Windows PC experiences any errors, you can always use Regedit to eliminate the problems. More often than not, the issues with Windows services come from its own settings. In order to perform this method, you can follow the steps below.

Step 1: Proceed to press Windows and R buttons at the same time to open the Run box.

Step 2: Afterward, you can type regedit in the search box and press Enter.

Step 3: Head to the location “HKey_Local_MachineSoftwarePoliciesMicrosoftWindows Defender”.

Step 4: Proceed to delete the value in the “DisableAntiSpyware” key.

Step 5: Make sure to check the file “REG -DWORD” under Type.

Step 6: You will see the “invalid DWORD (32-bit) value” under Data as well.

Step 7: Proceed to double-click on the “REG -DWORD”.

Step 8: Afterward, you will see a small window appear. There, you can delete the value or set it to zero.

Step 9: Alternatively, you can delete the whole key if you cannot change the value.

Step 10: If you wish to try another practical way, you can delete the “DisableRealtimeMonitoring DWORD”. You can find this file in the “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindows”.


Making Sure Windows Defender Operates Properly

Any built-in Windows programs and services should work properly in order for the entire system to operate nicely. In case you see a message stating “Windows Defender blocked by Group Policy”, then you have to enable it back to help the program operate again.

In order to check on the Windows Defender and make sure it works, you can try to follow the steps below.

Step 1: Open the Run box by pressing Windows and R buttons at the same time.

Step 2: Afterward, you can type services.msc in the search box and press Enter or click OK.

Step 3: Then, you will see a list of services on the screen.

Step 4: Find the option “Windows Defender Antivirus Service” and double-click on it to open its properties.

Step 5: Proceed to set the Startup type of Windows Defender to Automatic.

Step 6: Then, you can click on the “Start” button to operate the Defender.

Step 7: At last, you can click on the option “Apply” and “OK” to save and apply the changes.

Step 8: Check if the “Windows Defender blocked by Group Policy” issue has been solved or not.


Activating Windows Defender by Using the Command Line

As an advanced Windows user, you can simply fix the “Windows Defender blocked by Group Policy” problem by using the command line. In order to perform this method, you can try to type several commands in the command line from the Admin account.

Make sure you know your way around your Windows PC to perform this method. Try to follow the steps below to perform this method successfully.

Step 1: Proceed to press the Windows and S buttons to open the Powershell window.

Step 2: Then, you can right-click on Windows PowerShell from the search list and select the option “Run as administrator” among the list of options.

Step 3: Once the PowerShell appears, you can type “Set-MpPreference -DisableRealtimeMonitoring 0” and press Enter.

Step 4: Wait until the commands finish the processing, then the Windows Defender will be activated again and your Windows PC will have full protection once more.


Using Command Prompt to Activate Windows Defender

Similarly to using Command-Line, you will need Admin rights to activate Windows Defender using Command Prompt. By using this method, you can try to modify your Windows registry.

In order to perform this method, you can follow the steps below.

Step 1: Proceed to press Windows and X buttons at the same time.

Step 2: Afterward, you can select the option “Command Prompt (Admin)” from the list.

Step 3: Once the Command Prompt window appears, you can type REG DELETE “HKLMSOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindows Defender” /v DisableAntiSpyware on the Command Prompt window and press Enter.

Step 4: Once the command finishes the processing, the values you type will be automatically removed from the registry.

Step 5: At last, Windows Defender will start operating again and protect your Windows PC once more.


Scanning Windows PC for Malware Infection

Scanning Windows PC for Malware Infection

If one of your Windows programs or services experiences malfunctions suddenly, you have to make sure there is no malware involved. Since the Windows Defender cannot operate to scan the malware files, you can try to use the third-party antivirus to do the job for you.

Other than that, you can also try to use CCleaner to check on the corrupt registry or hidden malware deep within your Windows system. Once the antivirus or the malware removal tool finds the harmful files, it will proceed to delete them all at once.

After that, you can try to check if the “Windows Defender blocked by Group Policy” issue has been solved and not bothered every single Windows program anymore.


Removing Third-Party Antivirus Completely

As previously mentioned above, two antiviruses within one Windows system will eventually crash. Due to the constant protection, both antiviruses will fight for dominance in the system. It will result in the deactivation of Windows Defender if the third-party antivirus prevails. In order to enable the Windows Defender back, you can try to uninstall the third-party antivirus completely.

Once you have done removing the antivirus, make sure to also delete everything related to the program. You can seek for every hidden file or registry entry of the program and delete them all. Without the residual files on the system, the third-party antivirus will not bother the Windows Defender service anymore.

In order to perform this method completely, you can use the best uninstaller software for your Windows PC. If not, then you can perform the uninstallation on your own. Afterward, you can check the residual files of the program using CCleaner. By using CCleaner, you can clean the remaining registry entries of the third-party antivirus as well as the leftover files of it.


Try to Change Your Third-party Antivirus

In case you lose hope in using Windows Defender all over again, then you can try to change for another antivirus. Despite being the great and simple antivirus, Windows Defender may encounter a lot of issues which some of the third-party antiviruses out there do not. It has become a liability for the Windows Defender itself.

If you choose a third-party antivirus to protect your Windows PC, then you better make sure the antivirus you choose is compatible with your PC specs. Contrary to Windows Defender, the third-party antivirus mostly has the advanced features which the Microsoft built-in service does not have.

Aside from the potential threats offline, certain antiviruses can also protect your computer from any malware from online sites. As such, you will get your Windows PC and program better protection and no longer bother yourself with “Windows Defender blocked by Group Policy” issue.


Conclusion

As a Windows user, you must have been familiar with the issues regarding Windows Defender and the way it operates. The built-in Windows protection agent has a reputation for its simplistic way of detecting harmful files and delete them.

Similarly to any kinds of Windows services, Windows Defender also needs to perform updates once in a while. The new updates mostly revolve around the new types of viruses or malware the defender should know.

Other than the regular updates which may cause heavy traffic on the system, the Windows Defender also has some problems on its own. Some of the users have reported that their Windows Defender is blocked by Group Policy.

Usually, the disabling option is followed by the message “This app is turned off by Group Policy“. If you see that message, you will not be able to use the Windows Defender for a while.

The blocking decisions, as you may see, comes from the Group Policy. Windows built-in program usually cannot contradict with the third-party program in this case. If you have another antivirus working regularly to protect your Windows PC, then this may be the cause.

The Group Policy has decided that another antivirus can take the job of the Windows Defender. Hence, the blocking decision. It is simply made because the Windows system deems the other antivirus cannot work well with the Windows protection agent.

Written by Vlad Akilov

The former owner of The Blog Joint, that t is a blog about all technology news in the world, it will include funny and interesting stories and reviews. Also some useful links and stories from other blogs that we find that the readers would like to know about and might even learn from.