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Microsoft asks users to ignore 'Antivirus is turned off' errors
BleepingComputer • • technology
Key Points:
- Microsoft has advised customers to ignore alerts indicating that Defender Antivirus is turned off after installing the latest Defender updates, as the antivirus is still functioning correctly despite the notifications.
- The issue has been affecting users in the Windows Insider Release Preview Channel since June and impacts all supported Windows client and server versions, including Windows 11 26H1 and Windows Server 2025.
- The false alerts appear in the Windows Security app and persist even if notification settings are disabled, prompting users to turn on Defender Antivirus unnecessarily.
- Microsoft is currently working on a fix and plans to release an update addressing the issue in a future Microsoft Defender Antivirus update.
- This is not the first time Microsoft has asked users to ignore erroneous alerts following updates, with similar incidents involving Windows Recovery Environment errors and Windows Firewall alerts occurring earlier in 2025.
