GoKawiilMicrosoft tells users to disregard false Defender Antivirus 'turned off' alerts
Microsoft confirmed a bug causing the Windows Security app to falsely display 'Microsoft Defender Antivirus is turned off' notifications after recent Defender updates, even though protection remains active. The issue, which has quietly affected Windows Insiders since June, now impacts all supported Windows client and server versions, including Windows 11 26H1 and Windows Server 2025. Microsoft says a fix is in development and will roll out in a future Defender update.
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False security alerts can erode user trust in built-in protections and may prompt unnecessary troubleshooting or panic among IT administrators managing large fleets. This is part of a recurring pattern of Microsoft shipping updates with cosmetic bugs that misrepresent system status, following similar incidents with BitLocker, Windows Firewall, and recovery errors this year.
- Defender Antivirus alerts falsely claim protection is off despite it functioning normally.
- The bug affects all supported Windows versions, including Windows 11 26H1 and Server 2025.
- Microsoft is preparing a fix but has not given a firm release timeline.
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Published there as: “Microsoft asks users to ignore 'Antivirus is turned off' errors”
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