How to Temporarily Turn Off Bitdefender App on Windows 10 & 11

If you only need to turn off real-time antivirus protection, disable Bitdefender Shield, the core protection component.

To briefly disable Bitdefender Antivirus on Windows:

1. Open the Bitdefender app.
2. Click Services in the left-hand sidebar.
3. Next, go to Protection in the Security menu.
4. In the Antivirus panel, click Open.
5. Go to the Advanced tab and turn off Bitdefender Shield.
6. When prompted to specify the period for which you want to disable protection, choose:
   • Permanently, or
   • Until system restart
7. Click Disable to confirm.
8. Click Yes if prompted to allow the change.

Antivirus protection is now disabled.

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Re-enabling Bitdefender Protection

To restore antivirus protection on your Windows computer:

1. Open the Bitdefender app.
2. In the left-hand menu, go to Services → Protection → Antivirus.
3. In the Antivirus panel, go to the Advanced tab.
4. Turn Bitdefender Shield back on.

Signing out of the Bitdefender app stops the device’s protection until you sign back in.

To sign out:

1. Click your profile icon in the top-right corner of the Bitdefender App.
2. In the My Account menu, scroll down and click Sign out on the right-hand side.
3. Click Sign out again to confirm.

The device will no longer be protected after signing out.

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Re-enabling Bitdefender Protection

To restore protection, open the Bitdefender app and sign back in to your account.

If you need to turn off each protection module individually, follow the steps below.

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1. Antivirus Settings

1. Open the Bitdefender App.
2. In the left-hand menu, go to Services → Protection → Antivirus.
3. Go to the Advanced tab and turn off Bitdefender Shield.
4. When prompted to specify the period for which you want to disable protection, choose:
   • Permanently, or
   • Until system restart
5. Click Disable to confirm.
6. Click Yes if prompted to allow the change.
7. Go to the Settings tab and then disable the following options:
   • Scan CD & DVD
   • Scan flash drives
   • Scan mapped network drives

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2. Advanced Threat Defense

1. Go back to the Protection menu.
2. Turn off the Advanced Threat Defense switch.
3. Click Yes if prompted to allow the app change.

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3. Online Threat Prevention

1. Go back to the Protection menu.
2. In the Online Threat Prevention panel, click Open.
3. Turn off the following options:
   • Web attack prevention
   • Search advisor
   • Encrypted web scan
   • Fraud protection
   • Phishing protection
   • Network threat prevention
   • Local Email Protection (select No emails in the menu)

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4. Firewall

1. Go back to the Protection menu.
2. Turn off the Firewall switch.

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5. Antispam

1. Go back to the Protection menu.
2. Turn off the Antispam switch. (You may need to scroll down on the right-hand side.)

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6. Vulnerability

1. Go back to the Protection menu.
2. Turn off the Vulnerability switch.

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7. Cryptomining Protection

1. Go back to the Protection menu.
2. Turn off the Cryptomining Protection switch.

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8. Ransomware Remediation

1. Go back to the Protection menu.
2. Turn off the Ransomware Remediation switch. (You may need to scroll down on the right-hand side.)

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9. VPN

1. In the left-hand menu, go to Services → VPN.
2. If Bitdefender VPN is connected, disconnect it using the power button ⏻ on the right-hand side.

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Re-enabling Bitdefender Features

You have now disabled all Bitdefender features on Windows. We recommend re-enabling all protection modules as soon as your task is complete to ensure your device remains secure.

To restore full protection:

1. Open the Bitdefender app.
2. Return to each section under Services → Protection.
3. Turn the previously disabled switches back on.