How to Disable Windows Defender for Gaming: Boost FPS and Performance

Introduction / Why This Is Needed

Windows Defender (Microsoft Defender Antivirus) is the built-in antivirus that provides basic system protection. However, its background processes, especially real-time protection, can periodically scan files, leading to brief FPS (frames per second) drops and micro-stutters in resource-intensive games.

This guide shows how to temporarily disable active protection for your gaming session. This isn't a permanent solution, but a way to eliminate potential conflicts between the antivirus and the game while you play. Always re-enable protection after finishing your game!

Requirements / Preparation

Before you begin, ensure that:

1. You have administrator rights on your computer.
2. You are using Windows 10 (version 2004 or newer) or Windows 11. The "Windows Security" interface may vary slightly in older builds.
3. The game you plan to play is installed from an official source (Steam, Epic Games Launcher, GOG, etc.). Disabling protection for pirated copies is extremely risky.
4. You are prepared to re-enable protection after your gaming session ends.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Open the "Windows Security" App

The "Windows Security" (Windows Security) app is the central hub for managing built-in protection.

1. Press the Win (Windows logo) key on your keyboard.
2. Start typing Windows Security.
3. From the search results, select the app with the shield icon.

Alternative method: Click the shield icon in the system tray (bottom-right corner of the screen, next to the clock). If the icon isn't visible, click the "^" arrow to show hidden icons.

Step 2: Navigate to the Virus & Threat Protection Management

In the opened "Windows Security" window:

1. In the left vertical menu, select "Virus & threat protection".
2. In the central area under the "Virus & threat protection" header, you will see the "Manage settings" block. Click on it.

Step 3: Disable "Real-time Protection"

This is the key toggle. This component interacts most actively with the file system and can cause delays.

1. In the settings screen that opens, find the "Real-time protection" row.
2. Toggle the switch to the "Off" position.
3. A system warning (UAC) may appear asking, "Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?". Click "Yes" to confirm the change.

⚠️ Important: After this, Defender stops actively scanning opened and modified files. Protection will automatically re-enable after a computer restart or if the system detects a threat.

Step 4: Add the Game Folder to Exclusions (Recommended)

To avoid leaving your system completely unprotected during gameplay, add its installation folder to the exclusions list. This tells Defender: "Don't touch these files, they are safe."

1. In the same "Manage settings" window, scroll down to the "Add or remove exclusions" section.
2. Click the "Add an exclusion" button.
3. From the dropdown menu, select "Folder".
4. A standard Explorer window will open. Locate and select the main game folder. It is typically found at:
   • C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Game_Name
   • C:\Program Files\Epic Games\Game_Name
   • C:\GOG Games\Game_Name
5. Click "Select Folder".

Now all files inside this folder (.exe executables, .dll libraries, resources) will not be scanned by Defender, even if you re-enable protection in Step 3.

Step 5: Verify Protection Status

Return to the main screen of the "Windows Security" app (Virus & threat protection section).

• If protection is disabled, you will see a yellow shield icon with an exclamation mark and text: "Your antivirus is turned off" or "Real-time protection: Off".
• If you added an exclusion, in the "Manage settings" block next to "Real-time protection", there will be no green checkmark, but the line itself will show the status "Off".

You can also check the status via PowerShell (run as administrator):

Get-MpComputerStatus | Select-Object -Property AMRunningMode, RealTimeProtectionEnabled

If RealTimeProtectionEnabled returns False — protection is disabled.

Verifying the Result

1. Launch the game where you experienced lag.
2. Play for 10-15 minutes in your typical gameplay (dense combat, open worlds).
3. Assess FPS stability using the game's built-in tools (e.g., Shift+F2 in many Unreal Engine games) or third-party software (MSI Afterburner, Fraps).
4. If micro-stutters/lags decreased — the issue was likely the antivirus.

💡 Tip: For a more accurate comparison, before disabling Defender, record the average FPS and 1% low FPS (minimum values) over 10 minutes. Compare these with the same metrics after disabling.

Potential Issues

Issue: The "Real-time protection" toggle won't move or turns back on immediately.

Cause: A security policy set by a corporate administrator or another antivirus program (e.g., Norton, Kaspersky) may be active. This can also be a result of enabling "Core isolation" or "Memory integrity" in Windows security settings.

Solution:

1. Ensure no other antivirus is installed. If there is, uninstall it so Defender becomes the primary provider again.
2. Check Core isolation settings (in the same "Windows Security" app → "Device security"). If "Memory integrity" or other enhanced security features are on, try disabling them.
3. If the computer is on a corporate domain, you won't be able to change these settings yourself — contact your system administrator.

Issue: The game won't launch or works incorrectly even after disabling Defender.

Cause: The problem may not be the antivirus but drivers, Windows settings, or software conflicts.

Solution:

1. Update your graphics card drivers (NVIDIA GeForce Experience / AMD Adrenalin).
2. Check if Game Mode and Power mode (set to "Best performance") are enabled in Windows settings (Windows Settings → Gaming → Game Mode). Sometimes their combination with a disabled antivirus has the opposite effect.
3. Ensure the game is running in compatibility mode (if it's an older title).
4. Verify game file integrity via the client (Steam: Properties → Installed Files → Verify Integrity).

Issue: Forgot to turn Defender back on after gaming.

Solution:

1. Simply go back to Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Manage settings and turn "Real-time protection" back on.
2. No additional configuration is needed for it to turn back on automatically after a reboot — this is the system's default behavior.
3. For permanent disabling (which is strongly not recommended), you would need to edit the registry or Group Policy (gpedit.msc), which is beyond the scope of this guide.

Alternative Approach: Configuring Exclusions Without Full Disable

If you don't want to disable protection entirely, you can only add exclusions for game folders and processes. This is a safer method, but the FPS effect may be less noticeable since Defender continues operating in other system areas.

1. Skip Step 3 (do not disable "Real-time protection").
2. Proceed directly to Step 4 and add exclusions for:
   • The game folder (as described above).
   • The game's executable files (.exe). In the "Add or remove exclusions" menu, select "File" and point to game.exe.
   • The game's temporary files folder (if known, often %localappdata%\Game_Name).
3. Restart the game.

This method keeps the system protected but removes potential blocks specifically from game files.