Home Windows ‘Windows Defender Security Center Won’t Open’ Issue: Fixed

‘Windows Defender Security Center Won’t Open’ Issue: Fixed

9th October 2023

Microsoft Windows includes Windows Defender as an anti–malware tool. The Defender was accessible as free anti–spyware software for Windows XP when Windows Vista and Windows 7 were introduced. It has developed into a feature–rich antivirus program. But often, people face issues with the Window Defender Center.

Go to the Services window by pressing Win + R and typing “services.msc”>locate the Security Center service >restarting it. try changing the Startup type to Automatic (delayed start) and clicking Start. Navigate to the Log On tab in the Security Center properties and select “Local Service” as the account.

Each technique will be thoroughly explained in this article.

Table of Contents

Best Ways To Open Your Windows Security

People reported that the window Defender security center wouldn’t open on their computers, and one of the most common issues is when the users try to open the Windows Defender Security Center, and it won‘t open. This issue is often seen when the Windows Defender Security Center has not been correctly configured and is not responding, causing the “Windows Defender Security Center won’t open“ error.

Here are six strategies you can employ to repair security windows:

Restart the Service for the Security Center.
Conduct an SFC Scan
Remove third-party antivirus programs

Modify the Group Policy
Install the most recent upgrade
Make a clean boot

If you are facing the issue that the Windows Defender Security Center won‘t open, you should first try using a third–party antivirus program. Corrupt system files, an outdated version of Windows, and more are some additional causes of the issue. Here are some solutions that you can try if the Windows Defender Security Center won’t open:

Restart the Service for the Security Center –

You must enable specific services for Windows Defender to function correctly. Your Windows security will require a reset to solve the problem of Windows security not opening. Restart the required services as given below –

Use the Win key to launch the Run box. and the R buttons on the keyboard. Type “services.msc.” in the text area and hit Enter.

Locate the Security Center service in the Services interface and use the right-click menu to select the Restart option. You can check if the problem with Windows Defender Security Centre not opening has been resolved after restarting this service.

Conduct an SFC scan –

The system files on your computer may corrupt if the Windows Defender security center can’t be started on Windows 10/11/8/7 or crashes unexpectedly. You should run an SFC Scan to resolve the issue.

The Windows application SFC, often known as System File Checker, enables you to check for and fix system file corruptions. The steps to conducting an SFC scan are listed below –

To run cmd as an administrator, type it into the Windows 7/8/10/11 search box and right-click on it.
Click the Enter key after executing the command line sfc /scannow in the Command Prompt. This tool will then start a system scan.
Please wait till the process finishes and 100% of the data has been verified. Close the CMD window to see if the Windows Defender security center opens.

Disable programmes –

The Windows Defender security center won’t open after automatically recognizing any third-party applications. Therefore, you might try disabling your other security program as a first step.

The best action is to remove them if it doesn’t work. To do this, open Windows 7’s Control Panel and select Programs and Features, or open Windows 10’s Control Panel and choose Programs > Uninstall a software.

To fix the issue, “Windows Defender service won’t start,” locate your third-party program, right-click on it, and select Uninstall or Uninstall/Change from the context menu.

Alternatively, you can use a specialized extractor to uninstall your security programs and remove any associated files (including hidden files) and registry entries that might cause the issue.

Finally, the Windows security will require pc reset to start. You can activate it to protect against viruses, spyware, and other dangers.

Modify the Group Policy –

In Windows 10/11/8/7, you may occasionally face the “Windows Defender security center won’t open” issue. This occurs as a result of your group policy having it disabled. Although this might concern you, altering the group policy can quickly fix it.

To achieve that, adhere to the detailed instructions:

Press Win + R on the keyboard to launch the Run dialogue. Type “gpedit.msc”, then click OK.
Select Computer Configuration > Administrative Template > Windows Components > Windows Defender Antivirus from the left pane of the Local Group Policy Editor interface.
Double-click Turn off Windows Defender Antivirus in the right pane. Click the Not Configured option in the pop-up box, then click Apply and OK.

Install the most recent upgrade –

Due to an outdated Windows operating system, the Windows Defender service center may need to turn on. Some users claimed that they could resolve the problem by applying the most recent Windows update.

Windows Defender needs the most recent signature updates to repair window security. By going to the computer’s settings, you can do this.

Make a clean boot –

The Windows system may have a lot of third-party programs operating in the background if you start it in regular startup mode or if your Windows 11 security app is missing. These programs may interfere with Windows and lead to software conflicts. As a result, you will face issues activating the Windows Defender in Windows 11/10/8/7.

To fix the Windows security issue, perform a clean boot. You can complete this procedure, which is pretty straightforward, by doing as follows:

Launch the Run window and type “msconfig” into the textbox. Select Selective Startup and deselect Load startup items on the General tab of the System Configuration window.
Tick Click Disable while hiding every Microsoft service beneath the Services menu. To restart your computer, click the OK and Restart buttons.

FAQs

Why won't Windows Defender launch in Windows 11?

Switch off your computer. When debugging anything in Windows, this is a typical first step. You should turn on and off the Windows Defender. You may not even need to do anything else to get Windows Defender working again.

The Windows Security Center won't open.

Input services.msc using the Win + R keyboard shortcut then hit ENTER. To confirm, Select Yes. Double-click Security Center.

On Windows 11, how do I fix Windows Defender?

You can resolve the Window Security Center problems with the System File Checker. Open Command Prompt as Administrator, type 'sfc /scannow,' and press Enter to begin the scan. This will help in checking and fixing the corrupted files. After Windows does your computer scanning, try restarting it to check the resolution of the issue.

How do I reset the Windows Defender security centre?

Open the Classic Control Panel (not Settings). > Press the Windows Defender Firewall icon > Press the Restore defaults button > A second time, click on Restore defaults.

How do I fix Windows Defender on Windows 11?

Try the steps given below: 1) Launch PowerShell with administrator privileges. 2) To the PowerShell window > paste Get-AppxPackage Microsoft > SecHealthUI -AllUsers > Reset-AppxPackage > hit enter. 3) Exit PowerShell and try again.

Conclusion –

If you cannot switch on Windows Defender Security Centre on Windows 10/11/8/7, all these steps will provide you with the ultimate solution. Please try each simultaneously, as we have provided remedies for the Windows Defender Security Centre won’t open” issue.

“There is an error starting the Windows Security Center service.” This will demonstrate that the service is functioning properly and significantly reduce the risk to your PC.

Kaushal Malkan

You can always find me playing the piano or playing FIFA when I’m not binge-watching TV Series with pizzas. Fountainhead of TechWhoop.