Is Windows Security missing in Windows 11/10 after upgrading to this OS or installing a Windows update? If this annoying issue comes up unexpectedly, what should you do? In this post, MiniTool gives you multiple solutions to help you out.
Windows Security Missing Windows 11/10
Windows Security, also known as Windows Defender, is an inbuilt antivirus program in Windows 11 and Windows 10 that helps to protect your PC against virus attacks and malicious software. It offers real-time protection to keep the PC safe.
However, after upgrading to Windows 11/10 or installing an update, the issue of Windows Security Windows 10/11 appears. Even it cannot be found in apps and features. Why you can’t find Windows Security? The possible reasons for this could be corrupted files, a security program conflict, a registry issue, etc.
Thankfully, fixing this issue is not hard if you follow the solutions below. Let’s get started.
Windows Security Center missing Windows 11 is one of the numerous problems. In the past, users have complained that Windows Security keeps turning off, Windows Security keeps turning on, Windows Security is not working, and more.
How to Fix Windows Security App Missing Windows 11/10
Install Windows Security via PowerShell
If you can’t find Windows Security on your PC, you can try to reinstall this antivirus software by using PowerShell. This way is proved to be useful for many impacted users. See how to do this thing to fix Windows Security not in apps and features:
Step 1: Right-click on the Start icon in Taskbar and choose Windows Terminal (Admin) in Windows 11 or Windows PowerShell (Admin) in Windows 10. Alternatively, press Win + R, type powershell, and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to run the command-line tool with admin rights.
Step 2: Click Yes if asked by the UAC window.
Step 3: Type Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.SecHealthUI -AllUsers | Reset-AppxPackage into the window and press Enter.
If this command couldn’t work for you, execute the command: Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”}. This helps to reinstall all your native Windows applications.
Update Windows 11/10
Windows updates bring some fixes for bugs and errors in the previous versions, so you can also have a try if Windows Security is missing in Windows 11/10. Besides, an incomplete/incorrect installation of the system could trigger the issue of Windows Security dashboard missing. If you check for updates correctly, this could also solve the problem.
Just press Win + I to launch the Settings app. Then, click Update & Security > Windows Update in Windows 10 or Windows Update in Windows 11, check for available updates, and install them.
Check Group Policy Settings
Windows Security missing Windows 11/10 may be caused by incorrect group policy settings. So, go to check the settings:
Step 1: Type gpedit.msc into the search box and click the exact result to open Local Group Policy Editor.
Step 2: Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Microsoft Defender Antivirus.
Step 3: Locate Turn off Microsoft Defender Antivirus, double-click on it, and make sure it is set to Not Configured. Then, restart your PC and check if Windows Security can open and work.
Run a System Restore
If you find Windows Security missing after installing an update in Windows 11/10, you can also try to run a system restore to revert the PC to its previous state.
Step 1: Type create a restore point into the search box and click the result to open the System Properties window.
Step 2: Click System Restore to continue.
Step 3: Click Next and choose a restore point based on the time.
Step 4: Confirm the restore details and click Finish to start the restore process.
These are the common fixes for the issue – Windows Security missing Windows 11/10. If you find other useful workarounds, you can share them with us in the comment part below. Thanks a lot.
Besides, to keep your PC data safe, it is a good way to create a backup for crucial data since viruses and malware sometimes cannot be detected by the antivirus software and eventually infect your PC. To back up data, you can choose to use the professional and reliable free backup software, MiniTool ShadowMaker. It supports automatic, incremental and differential backups. Just click the button to get it for a trial.
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Vera is an editor of the MiniTool Team since 2016 who has more than 7 years’ writing experiences in the field of technical articles. Her articles mainly focus on disk & partition management, PC data recovery, video conversion, as well as PC backup & restore, helping users to solve some errors and issues when using their computers. In her spare times, she likes shopping, playing games and reading some articles.