# Microsoft says false Defender-off alerts affect supported Windows systems

_Monday, August 31, 2026 at 4:29 AM EDT · Products · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![Microsoft says false Defender-off alerts affect supported Windows systems — Primary](https://www.bleepstatic.com/content/hl-images/2026/08/31/Microsoft_Defender.jpg)

Microsoft said customers may see incorrect notifications that Microsoft Defender Antivirus is turned off after installing recent Defender updates, even when the antivirus remains active. The company said the issue affects supported Windows client and server versions, including Windows 11 26H1 and Windows Server 2025. Alerts can appear at startup and later despite notification settings. Microsoft said it is working on a future Defender update to fix the issue.

## Sources

- [BleepingComputer](https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-asks-users-to-ignore-antivirus-is-turned-off-errors/)

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Canonical: https://techandbusiness.org/newswire/4Tiky4vLzRUT-K1Lq_vmba
Retrieved: 2026-08-31T12:42:12.755Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)