Microsoft is warning Windows users to ignore notifications claiming that Microsoft Defender Antivirus has been turned off after installing the latest Defender updates.
The company says the alerts are incorrect and that Defender continues to work normally on affected systems.
The issue has reportedly been affecting Windows Insider users in the Release Preview Channel since June, but Microsoft only recently acknowledged the problem. On affected devices, the Windows Security app displays a warning asking users to “Tap or click to turn on Microsoft Defender Antivirus,” even though the antivirus remains enabled.
Microsoft says the issue affects all supported Windows client and server versions, including Windows 11 26H1 and Windows Server 2025. The company explained that the false notifications can appear when Windows starts and may return intermittently afterward. They can also continue appearing even when Windows notification settings have been disabled.
“After installing the latest updates for Microsoft Defender Antivirus, notifications might appear stating that ‘Microsoft Defender Antivirus is turned off,’ even though the antivirus is functioning correctly and all settings show it as active,” Microsoft said in an update to its Windows release health dashboard.
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Microsoft Warns Windows Users to Ignore Fake Defender Antivirus Alerts
