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Fix Defender Service couldn’t be started Error: 0x80070422. Windows Defender is built into Windows 11/10 and protects it from malware. Now, most Windows users use it because it works well. However, some people have also installed 3rd party antivirus software like Norton, Quick Heal, etc., which is not a good idea because it can mess up the files of Windows Defender.
Once you’ve completely removed a third-party antivirus program, you won’t be able to use Windows Defender because it needs files that have been damaged and can’t be used anymore. When it comes to protecting Windows 11 or 10, we would definitely choose Windows Defender. If you want to know more information about this Visit Official Microsoft Support site.
We think you should use it as your main security suite so that you don’t run into problems with other antivirus programs. When you use a third-party antivirus, it may mess up Windows Defender’s entries. After you get rid of those entries, you may have trouble using Windows Defender. Here we are mentioned below are the ways to Fix Defender Service couldn’t be started Error: 0x80070422.
Fix the problem using the Registry Editor
If your problem is caused by a broken Windows Defender registry key, all you have to do to fix it is use the Registry Editor to fix the broken registry key. To do so, you need to:
- Press the Windows Logo key + R to open the Run menu.
- Type regedit into the Run menu and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
- In the Registry Editor’s left sidebar, go to the following directory.
- Right-click on the WinDefend key under Services on the left side of the Registry Editor and click on Permissions….
- Click on “Advanced,” then go to “Owner.”
- Under Change owner to:, click on the name of your account to highlight it, then click on Apply and then on OK.
- Back in the Permissions dialog, click on Administrators under Group or user names to highlight it. Then, click the Allow checkbox next to Full Control under Permissions for Administrators, click Apply, and then click OK.
- Click on the WinDefend registry key in the left pane of the Registry Editor to see its contents in the right pane.
- Find the Start registry value in the right pane of the Registry Editor and double-click on it.
- Change whatever is in the Value data: field to 2 and click OK.
Uninstall any and all third-party security programs
Third-party security programs, like antivirus, anti-malware, and firewall programs, can sometimes conflict with Windows Defender and do more harm than good. For example, this problem was caused by a conflict between Windows Defender and an antivirus program. If you have any security programs from outside Windows 11/10 installed, you need to get rid of them right away.
Also, uninstalling the apps isn’t enough; you need to download and run removal tools to get rid of any files or other things they leave behind. So, even if you don’t have any third-party security programs installed on your computer right now but have in the past, you may need to run removal tools for each of them because the traces they left behind may be causing this problem.
Configure the Windows Defender service to start automatically
When you try to turn on Windows Defender but the Windows Defender service isn’t running, this problem can also happen. When this happens, the solution is easy: set up the Windows Defender service to start on its own.
- Run Type services
- Windows Logo key and the letter R
- type services.msc into the Run box
- hit Enter to open the Services Manager
- Scroll down the list of services
- Find the Windows Defender service
- Double-click on it to open its Properties
- Open the drop-down menu next to Startup type
- Click on Automatic to choose it
- Click on the button
- Just click OK
- Put an end to Services Manager
- Restart the computer.
Clean install Windows from scratch
If none of the solutions listed and explained above worked for you, the only way to get rid of this problem is to reinstall Windows from scratch. Clean installing Windows might seem like an extreme step, but it’s the only way to be sure that the problem will be fixed, as clean installing Windows is almost always able to do that. Before you do a clean install, you might want to back up any important files you have on your computer. This is because the clean install will erase everything on your computer, including files, programs, and settings.
Run an SFC scan
This problem could be caused by Windows components that aren’t working right. Running an SFC scan is the best way to look for and try to fix system corruptions. During an SFC scan, all important system files are checked for corruptions. If any are found, the scan tries to fix them or replace them with cached copies.