Microsoft Told Users to Ignore Incorrect Defender Alerts

Microsoft has asked users to ignore incorrect alerts that Defender Antivirus is turned off after installing the latest updates. This issue has been affecting users in the Release Preview Channel of the Windows Insider program since June, but Microsoft only recently acknowledged it.

The erroneous alerts appear on affected systems in the Windows Security app and prompt users to turn on Microsoft Defender Antivirus, even though it's functioning correctly and all settings show it as active.

This issue affects all supported Windows client and server versions, including the latest Windows 11 26H1 and Windows Server 2025 releases. Microsoft is working on a fix and will release it in a future Microsoft Defender Antivirus update.