How to enable or disable Windows Security Center in Windows 10

The Windows Security Center makes it simpler for you to view and control the security assurances you pick and better comprehend the security includes previously ensuring your Windows 10 gadget. In this post, we will tell you the best way to physically empower or impair Windows Security Center through the library in Windows 10.


Disabling the Windows Security Center service will not disable Windows Defender AV or disable Windows Defender Firewall.

However, Windows Defender AV will be disabled automatically when a third-party antivirus product is installed and kept up to date.


Warning: It is highly recommended to not disable the Windows Security Center – doing so, will significantly lower the protection of your device and could lead to malware infection.

Disable Windows Security Center

Since this is a registry operation, it is recommended that you back up the registry or create a system restore point as necessary precautionary measures.

The intended registry operation will modify the DWORD value in the registry keys below for Windows Defender Security Center Service and Security Center service respectively.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SecurityHealthService
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\wscsvc

To disable Windows Security Center for all users on Windows 10, do the following:

  • Press Windows key + R to invoke the Run dialog.
  • In the Run dialog box, type notepad and hit Enter to open Notepad.
  • Copy and paste the syntax below into the text editor.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SecurityHealthService]
"Start"=dword:00000004

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\wscsvc]
"Start"=dword:00000004
  • Now, click the File option from the menu and select Save As button.
  • Choose a location (preferably desktop) where you want to save the file.
  • Enter a name with .reg extension (eg; Disable_WSC.reg).
  • Choose All Files from the Save as type drop-down list.
  • Double-click the saved .reg file to merge it.
  • If prompted, click on Run > Yes (UAC) > Yes > OK to approve the merge.
  • You can now delete the .reg file if you like.

To enable Windows Security Center for all users on Windows 10, do the following:

  • Open Notepad.
  • Copy and paste the syntax below into the text editor.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\SecurityHealthService]
"Start"=dword:00000002

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\wscsvc]
"Start"=dword:00000002
  • Now, click the File option from the menu and select Save As button.
  • Choose a location (preferably desktop) where you want to save the file.
  • Enter a name with .reg extension (eg; Enable_WSC.reg).
  • Choose All Files from the Save as type drop-down list.
  • Double-click the saved .reg file to merge it.
  • If prompted, click on Run > Yes (UAC) > Yes > OK to approve the merge.
  • You can now delete the .reg file if you like.
That’s it on how to enable or disable the Windows Security Center in Windows 10.