Forum Discussion
Issues with Windows Security Defender Antivirus
Hello,
A few days ago, I noticed that the "Cloud-delivered protection" and "Automatic sample submission" options in Defender are greyed out, with the message "This setting is managed by your administrator" displayed in red above them. Incidentally, I *am* the administrator—please see the attached image.
I have two operating systems running Windows 11; the settings are fine on the second one, but not on my primary system, and this is bothering me. I would appreciate help on how to fix this. Resetting the Defender application itself doesn't solve the issue, nor does reinstalling the system via Windows Update. I’ve already tried a few things—including using AI—but without success. It appears to be a setting that is locked in the registry.
Please help.
1 Reply
The screenshot confirms both settings are policy-controlled; local administrator status does not unlock them. Microsoft documents that Group Policy or endpoint-management settings make the Windows Security controls dimmed. First check Settings, Accounts, Access work or school and determine whether the device is connected to an organization; also review installed management agents or security suites. In an elevated PowerShell session, record MAPSReporting and SubmitSamplesConsent with Get-MpPreference before changing anything. Then identify the policy source through Intune, Configuration Manager, or Group Policy rather than deleting registry values by hand. For an unmanaged personal PC, remove or change the relevant policy through its intended administration tool, refresh policy, restart Windows Security, and verify the values again. Keep cloud protection enabled and use safe-sample submission unless you have a documented reason to choose another setting. If no management source is found, collect the policy results and Defender support logs for Microsoft support.
