Windows 11 is warning people that Defender Antivirus has been turned off, but don't worry, says Microsoft - XDA

Windows 11's built-in security program, Microsoft Defender Antivirus, is a solid pick for keeping you safe. Best of all, it's readily installed and running the moment you boot up the OS for the first time. Which is why, if you've been getting spammed by notifications claiming that "Microsoft Defender Antivirus is turned off" when everything seems okay, it's only natural to be a little bit worried.

Fortunately, Microsoft has broken the silence about this weird issue, stating that the repeated notifications are a bug and will be rectified soon. So, if you're seeing the notification pop up and you've double-checked that it's still on, you have nothing to worry about.

As spotted by Windows Latest, Microsoft has updated its documentation on known issues for Windows 11, version 25H2. A new issue has appeared titled 'Incorrect notifications that "Microsoft Defender Antivirus is turned off,"' both logged and posted on August 28th, with the following description:

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. These notifications can appear when Windows starts and intermittently afterward. They persist even if notification settings are turned off.

If you get this alert on your PC, first, double-check to ensure that your Microsoft Defender Antivirus isn't actually turned off. If you see that everything is turned on and working fine, you need not have to worry; the messages are a false alarm, and your computer is still working just fine.

It's a good option, but it's not the only one.