Your Virus and threat protection is managed by your organization

If you’re trying to enable or turn on Windows Defender on your Windows 10 or 11 but keep seeing the error message “Your Virus and threat protection is managed by your organization,” there are a few things you can do to fix it. This error can occur after installing a Windows update. It can also happen if a virus or malware is interfering with how Windows Defender works, preventing it from protecting your computer. If this is the case, it can be a serious issue, and the malware needs to be removed as soon as possible.

Also see: Virus and Threat Protection Missing in Windows 11

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Solution 1: Install a third-party antivirus or anti-malware program

To ensure that a virus or malware is not causing the issue, try installing a third-party antivirus program to scan your computer for threats such as viruses and malware. Here are some free antivirus and anti-malware programs that you can use:

Avast Free Antivirus
Kaspersky Free Virus Removal Tool
Microsoft Safety Scanner

Perform a full scan on your PC to check for any threats that may be causing the “Your Virus and threat protection is managed by your organization” error. Once any found virus or malware is removed, you can uninstall the third-party antivirus software, restart your computer and try turning on Windows Defender again.

Linked issue: “Some settings are managed by your organization” Windows 11/10

Solution 2: Remove DisableAntiSpyware registry key

If no virus or malware is found by any third-party antivirus program, try the following workaround to fix the problem. If the Windows Defender anti-spyware capability is disabled, it may cause the “Your Virus and threat protection is managed by your organization” issue. To fix the error, you will need to remove this registry key.

The command prompt way

We recommend using this method as you won’t need to touch the registry editor which can be dangerous if done incorrectly.

Go to start menu and search for CMD.
Right-click Command Prompt from the search result and then select Run as administrator.

In the command prompt, enter the following command followed by Enter key.

REG DELETE "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender" /v DisableAntiSpyware

When it asks for confirmation for deleting the registry value, type Yes and hit Enter.

Once the command is successfully executed, exit the command prompt and restart your PC. Try turning on Windows Defender again to see if the “Your Virus and threat protection is managed by your organization” error persists.

The registry editor way

The method above should fix the issue, but if it doesn’t work, you can try removing the registry key using the Registry Editor. However, editing the registry can cause serious issues if done incorrectly. Therefore, backup your registry before proceeding, and do it at your own risk.

Press the Win+R keys to open the Run window. Type “regedit” to open the Registry Editor.

Navigate to the following registry folder:

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender

Right-click the registry value named “DisableAntiSpyware” and click “Delete“.
Restart your PC and try turning on Windows Defender again. This should fix the “Your Virus and threat protection is managed by your organization” error in Windows 11 or 10.

Solution 3: Check Group Policy Settings

If you’re using a Windows computer that’s managed by an organization, the group policy settings might have disabled Windows Defender. To check the group policy settings:

Press the Win+R keys to open the Run window. Type “gpedit.msc” and press Enter.

In the Group Policy Editor, navigate to the following policy:

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Defender Antivirus

Check if the “Turn off Microsoft Defender Antivirus” policy is enabled. If yes, double-click the policy and select “Not Configured” or “Disabled“.
Restart your PC and try turning on Windows Defender again.

Solution 4: Restart the Security Center service

The Security Center service is responsible for managing the security settings on your computer, including Windows Defender. Restarting this service could help fix the issue.

Press the Win+R keys to open the Run window. Type “services.msc” and press Enter to open the Services window.
Locate the “Security Center” service and right-click it.
Click “Restart” and wait for the service to restart.
Try turning on Windows Defender again.

Solution 5: Run a System File Checker scan

A corrupted system file could be causing the “Your Virus and threat protection is managed by your organization” error. Running a System File Checker (SFC) scan can help fix any corrupted files.