What is “Antimalware Service Executable” and How to Disable it

Find out what’s this “Antimalware Service Executable” process on your Windows PC and whether should you disable it or not.

If you typically monitor where the valuable resources of your computer become consumed in your Task Manager program, then you may have noticed a program called ” Antimalware Service Executable” or ” msmpeng.exe” that consumes a large amount of RAM or the disk.

Because the process is using an enormous amount of resources, there’s going to be a decline in the efficiency of the system. Many of us are left to think, what is the goal of this process? Are you sure that your system is infected by malware? Do you need to take actions against it or let Windows take care of it? If you’ve been thinking about these issues and have no answer, this guide will help you answer each one.

Is “Antimalware Service Executable” a Malware?

Antimalware Service Executable as the name implies, protects your computer from malware that is harmful and is an essential part in Windows Defender. It is running in the background continuously to keep an eye on your PC.

Furthermore this process is only activated into action when you don’t have an antivirus program from a third party installed on your computer, since this will ensure that the majority of Windows users are safe from dangerous and malicious threats to their system.

In the event that you have an antivirus program from a third party installed, but it is not valid or is not activated, the program will be running in the background to guarantee the security of your computer.

Should you Disable Antimalware Service Executable?

As described in the previous section, Antimalware Service Executable is an essential service for your computer even if you don’t have an antivirus program from a third party installed on your computer as it checks your PC in real time and shields it from any type of malware or threat.

Furthermore, as the service is closely integrated with Windows Defender, disabling it could also affect other functions of Windows Defender and that might render your system ineffective against viruses.

In the end, if you do not experience a significant performance issue while the service is in operation or the issue isn’t significant based on your particular use scenario It is not advised to turn off the service in any way.

When and How to Disable the Antimalware Service Executable

Although it isn’t advised to turn off the program it is possible in which you have an antivirus program installed but it’s taking up all the system’s resources, or if the program is always a excessive use of resources that makes your system slow or even unusable, it is sensible to deactivate the program.

In such situations like the ones above, it is suggested to disable the service for a short period of time in order to finish your task. If you observe an excessive amount of CPU utilization by the process, but only for a few minutes and then it resumes normal use, it indicates that the process is searching your storage secondary to the primary one and is an expected behaviour of the process.

To make it easier for you We have provided methods to disable this process from the Windows machine. Although the list includes methods to permanently disable the service, we recommend to disable the service for a short period of time.

Method 1: Disable Real-Time Protection in Windows Security

You can also disable the protection that is Real-Time of Windows Defender which is constantly watching your system and is one of the main contributors to the use of the system’s resources. You can however only disable it temporarily because it will then return to its normal state whenever it is required.

To open it, go into the Start menu and search for Windows Security. From the results, click the Windows Security tile to launch the application.

From your Windows Security window, make sure that you’ve selected the “Virus and threat protection” option in the side bar on left.

Then, click the option ‘Manage settings’ located under the ‘Virus and threats protection settings.

Find the section ‘Real-time protection’ and click on the toggle switch under the option to turn it back to its ‘Off’ position.

Notice: Real-time protection will be temporarily disabled, and it will be enabled in the future automatically.

Method 2: Change Windows Defender Schedule Using Task Scheduler

One option is to alter the timetable for Windows Defender to a time that doesn’t disrupt your work, but it also gives the system with the security it requires.

To alter to change the Windows Defender schedule, first go into the Windows Start menu and enter Task Scheduler in order to look it up. From the results of your search select Task Scheduler’ tile to open it.

From the left side in the Task Scheduler window, double-click on the “Task Scheduler Library” to expand the area.

Then, double-click the folder ‘Microsoft’ to expand it further. Then, from this expanded menu, double-click on the Windows directory to proceed.

Then, scroll down to find the Windows Defender folder and click it to choose.

Then, in within the pane in the middle of Task Scheduler, click on the right-click icon for the Windows Defender Scheduled Scans’ option and choose the option ‘Properties’ in the contextual menu. This will open a new display on the screen.

In the window that is opened separately Click on the tab ‘Triggers. After that, click the button ‘New’ in the lower-left edge of your window. This will create a brand new trigger. This will create a new display on the screen.

From the window titled ‘New Trigger you can click on the drop-down menu that follows the ‘Begin the Task field’ and choose the “On a schedule” option from the menu.

Then, click the radio button that is next to the option ‘Weekly’ to select the frequency for the week. From the left area in the screen, choose an appointment that the scanner will begin. Then, choose the day that you are least likely to be using your computer to work.

After you have selected the time and day of the week for Windows Defender, once you have set the time and day of week to run Windows Defender, click on the OK button in the lower right-hand corner of the window to continue.

Select any other triggers that are already listed in the list, apart from the one you created Click on the button ‘Delete’ at the bottom of the window to erase them.

You’ve now successfully scheduled your Windows Defender scans out of your current time. This allows users to work without the performance impacts from Windows Defender running in the background, while providing your computer with needed security.

Method 3: Delete Windows Defender from the Registry Editor

Enabling Windows Defender Windows Defender from the Registry Editor is a step that will remain in effect until you can manually reverse the modifications you made. It is not advised to turn off this feature permanently. Windows Defender permanently, however this option is a good option in the event that you notice your Antimalware Service Executable using an excessive amount of resources continuously.

Then, go to the Start Menu and type in Registry Editor to find it. From the results of your search select the ‘Registry Editor tile to start it.

Then, copy and paste the address below into the address bar that is displayed in the Registry Editor window.

ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows Defender

From the left side in the windows, find and click on the right-click icon for the Windows Defender’ folder. Then, hover over the option ‘New. After that, select the option ‘DWORD’ from the contextual menu.

In the ‘Name field, enter DisableAntiSpyware In the field ‘Value’ enter 1. Then, click the OK button in the pane to download the files.

Then, restart your computer from the Start Menu. Your Windows Defender should be disabled.

Method 4: Stop the Windows Defender Service

Although disabling Windows Defender from the Registry Editor should do the job for you, however should you find that you are not enough disable from running the Antimalware Service Executable, you can disable the service. Be aware that this doesn’t stop the service forever and it will restart in a timely manner.

To access it, go into the Start menu and enter Services in the search box to find it. From the results of your search select the tile titled “Services” to open it.

Then, scroll down to find the Windows Defender Antivirus Services’ in the list, and then right-click it. From the contextual menu select the option ‘Stop’ to temporarily stop the service.

If you follow the steps above, which are easy to follow you can deactivate this Antimalware Service Executable either temporarily or permanently. Or, you can leave Windows manage it as it’s such a crucial procedure for your system.