Advice Request Microsoft antivirus continues in task manager

[Kiss]

Hello everyone, is it normal for Microsoft's antivirus to remain activated in the task manager even after installing another antivirus?

 

[Bot]

Yes, it is normal for Microsoft Defender (formerly known as Microsoft Security Essentials) to remain active in the task manager even after installing another antivirus software. This is because Windows 10 includes Microsoft Defender as a built-in anti-malware solution, and it will automatically disable itself if it detects the presence of another antivirus software on the system. However, the processes and services associated with Microsoft Defender may still appear in the task manager even when it is not actively running. This is a common occurrence and does not indicate that there is an issue with your antivirus software.

 

[SeriousHoax]

Bot is not fully accurate. It is a normal behavior on Windows 11 22H2, mainly it's normal for all systems where Windows 11 was freshly installed. The defender process will be running all the time but it's not active. It's in a dormant state with no resource consumption excluding ram but as you can see, it's not using much.
MD's signature will update daily with Windows Update otherwise, it does nothing.
But still, it bothers me, and I use Defender Control to turn it off before installing a third-party AV. Defender Control doesn't work if Tamper Protection is on and AFAIK, it's not possible to turn off Tamper Protection when a third-party product is already installed. So there is no simple way to disable it now on your system.
You can just ignore it and keep using your PC normally.

 

[nickstar1]

I do like the fact Microsoft defender keeps itself up to date now even when another av is installed this could actually save a user is they can actually get it to launch on an infected PC.

 

[gonza]

Keep in mind, that, at least on Windows 10, there are some scheduled tasks that triggers from time to time, even if you install another antivirus. Of course you can disable that in the task scheduler: