If your computer is running slowly, you may notice that the Antimalware Service or MsMpEng.exe executable in Task Manager is blocking resources. While you can turn it off, it’s a good idea to understand the purpose of the process and how turning it off might affect your computer’s security.
In this article, Niketrainers.com.co will tell you:
What is an anti-malware executable service?
As the name suggests, the antimalware service executable helps protect your PC from malware and other virus threats. It appears in the Task Manager as MsMpEng.exe and is a background process of the built-in Microsoft Defender antivirus tool. Microsoft Defender was previously known as Windows Defender.
It’s designed to run like any other antivirus tool, constantly running in the background. This helps protect you from threats in real time. While running, it scans all opened or downloaded files, scans the system for potential threats, updates, and other common antivirus tasks.
During scanning and updating, the Antimalware Service executable uses more resources. This is common with all types of antivirus tools. They tend to use more resources during peak usage. However, usage should drop again after a scan or update. As you can see above, RAM consumption increased as I performed the update. After the update was completed, it was reduced to approximately 150 MB and less.
Should I disable this process?
As long as the antimalware service executable process isn’t working all the time, you can leave it running. However, if you have problems with the constant use of resources, you can turn them off.
It’s perfectly fine to turn off the process, or even Microsoft Defender. While it’s built-in, you don’t need to use it. Before doing so, however, install an alternative antivirus tool. Otherwise, your system will be vulnerable to attacks. With the right precautions, you can be safe without an antivirus program, but an extra layer of protection is always good.
You can temporarily disable this process in the Task Manager; however, it will restart after restarting the computer.
End the task if it causes problems by pressingWygrać+Xto open the advanced user menu. Select “Task Manager”.
Right-click the Antimalware Service executable and select “End Task”.
This will turn off Microsoft Defender for the rest of the session.
Disable Microsoft Defender
If you’d rather not use Microsoft Defender, you can turn it off temporarily. This will stop the Antimalware Service executable from running. It won’t uninstall Microsoft Defender, just turn it off. For some users, it stays off after restarting, but typically turns back on after restarting.
Select “Settings -> Update & Security -> Windows Security”.
Select Open Windows Security in the right pane to open Microsoft Defender settings. Select “Virus & threat protection”.
Select “Manage Settings” in the “Virus & Threat Protection Settings” section.
Disable “Real-time Protection” and “Cloud Protection”.
Again, this is only temporary. You can disable it permanently using the Group Policy Editor, but this isn’t available in the Windows 10 Home edition. In some newer versions of Windows 10 Pro, even the Group Policy option is not available.
Install a third-party antivirus program
If you install another antivirus tool, it may disable Microsoft Defender. Whenever one antivirus tool is incompatible with Microsoft Defender, it is disabled to allow the use of the other. Some antivirus tools are compatible which means they work together.
Troubleshoot the use of antimalware service executables
Since you cannot permanently disable the service, you will have to fix the high usage issue in other ways. The easiest solution is to update Microsoft Defender. They are included in Windows updates. Install the latest updates to fix any problems.
If you suspect you may already have a virus,download and run Microsoft Safety Scanner. A virus that has overtaken Microsoft Defender can wreak havoc on it. This tool provides the latest virus definitions to remove malware and restore your system to a normal condition.
Overall, the anti-malware service executable is nothing to worry about. If you’re not satisfied with Microsoft Defender, just switch to a different antivirus tool.