How to Enable or Disable Notifications for Windows Security App

Microsoft Defender is designed to keep users informed about the security and health status of their devices. However, if these notifications become bothersome, you have the option to hide alerts from the Windows Security App or silence non-essential notifications. This article provides a straightforward guide on how to toggle Windows Security App notifications on Windows systems.

Disabling notifications does not require any changes to the antivirus settings itself. We will discuss two convenient methods to eliminate unwanted notifications.

Enable or Disable Notifications from the Windows Security App

Windows 11 and 10 provide users with the ability to turn on or off notifications from the Windows Security app. If you prefer to remain aware of crucial alerts, you can choose to disable just the non-critical notifications. Below, we outline how to manage these settings:

• Disable non-critical notifications – Activating this option ensures that only critical alerts are displayed, omitting any other less urgent PC health updates from the notification area.
• Disable all notifications – Enabling this feature will completely remove all notifications from Windows Security.

Utilizing the Windows registry allows you to adjust a DWORD entry that will enable or disable notifications from the Windows Security Center. Follow the instructions below to proceed:

To disable non-critical notifications from the Windows Security App, follow these steps:

• Right-click the Windows icon and choose Run.
• Enter regedit in the text box and press Enter.
• When prompted in the UAC window, click Yes to grant access.
• Next, navigate to the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender Security Center\Notifications

• Right-click on the right panel and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
• Rename this entry to “DisableEnhancedNotifications” . Double-click on the new entry and enter 00000001 in the Value data section.
• Close the registry editor and restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

Note: To re-enable non-critical notifications from Windows Defender, return to the aforementioned path and delete the newly created DWORD entry.

Disabling All Notifications from the Windows Security App

If you wish to silence all notifications from the Windows Security App, follow the same path as above. This time, create a new key labeled “DisableEnhancedNotifications.” The remaining process mirrors that of disabling non-critical notifications.

2. Adjusting Group Policy Settings

This method is only applicable for users of Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise editions, as Windows 10 Home users do not have access to group policy features. Here’s how to adjust group policy settings:

Disabling Non-Critical Notifications

• Press Win + S to open the Search dialog.
• Type “policy” and select “Edit Group Policy” from the top results.
• Navigate to Computer configuration > Administrative templates.
• Expand the following path:

Windows components > Windows Security > Notifications

• Double-click on the policy titled Hide non-critical notifications located in the right panel.

• The default setting will show ” Not configured.” Choose either Enabled or Disabled, then click Apply > OK.
• Restart your computer to apply the changes.

Disabling All Notifications

Another policy, ” Hide all notifications,” also exists within the following path:

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows components > Windows Security > Notifications

• Right-click this policy and select Edit.
• Choose either the Enabled or Disabled option.
• After making your selection, click Apply and then OK.

That concludes the guide. If you have any questions or feedback, we welcome your comments below.