Virus & Threat Protection Not Working in Windows Security. How to Fix?

by Brendan Smith
April 26, 2021

In this post, I’ll explain what Virus & Threat Protection is in Windows 10? Also, how you can fix broken accessing this section.

Windows Security Windows 10

Windows Security is accessible via the Start menu or an icon in the system tray. It has seven sections: Virus & threat protection, Account protection, Firewall & network protection, App & browser control, Device security, Device performance & health, and Family options.

🤔 Why Virus & Threat Protection not working?

The threat protection area can get hide from the users. It can also be useful as an admin if you don’t want to access this area.

“Virus and Threat Protection” in Windows Security can help you scan for your PC threats. Also, you can run several types of virus scans, see the results of your previous virus and threat scans, and get the latest protection offered by Microsoft Defender.

So I had been looking at my Task Manager and seeing many things running I didn’t recognize, so I thought it would be smart to run a scan of my computer. However, I can now not get to the “Virus and Threat Protection” section of Window Security. It shows up in a general search, but when I click on it, I get a message saying, “Your IT administrator has limited access to some areas of this app…“. If I go to Settings of Windows Security and look at Security providers, while Windows Firewall is turned on, I am listed as having “No Providers” for Antivirus or Web Protection.Reddit

☝️ Solution

  1. Click Start type CMD and run as administrator
  2. Copy and paste each of the command below and hit enter
    reg delete "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies" /f
    reg delete "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\WindowsSelfHost" /f
    reg delete "HKCU\Software\Policies" /f
    reg delete "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Policies" /f
    reg delete "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies" /f
    reg delete "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\WindowsSelfHost" /f
    reg delete "HKLM\Software\Policies" /f
    reg delete "HKLM\Software\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Policies" /f
    reg delete "HKLM\Software\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies" /f
    reg delete "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender" /v DisableAntiSpyware
  3. Once you entered those commands restart your computer and try to open the Windows Security.

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About the author

Brendan Smith

Cybersecurity analyst with 15+ years digging into malware and threats, from early days reverse-engineering trojans to leading incident responses for mid-sized firms.

At Gridinsoft, I handle peer-reviewed breakdowns of stuff like AsyncRAT ransomware—last year, my guides helped flag 200+ variants in real scans, cutting cleanup time by 40% for users. Outside, I write hands-on tutorials on howtofix.guide, like step-by-step takedowns of pop-up adware using Wireshark and custom scripts (one post on VT alternatives got 5k reads in a month).

Certified CISSP and CEH, I’ve run webinars for 300+ pros on AI-boosted stealers—always pushing for simple fixes that stick, because nobody has time for 50-page manuals. Tools of the trade: Splunk for hunting, Ansible for automation, and a healthy dose of coffee to outlast the night shifts.

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