How to disable Spybot antivirus?

Several users have asked if it is possible to disable the antivirus component in paid editions of Spybot. This is not possible, but should not be necessary to fix any issues you may be experiencing with Spybot.

Common Issues:

1. Spybot conflicts with another antivirus program:

   • If you are using another antivirus program that contains Live Protection, Real-time Protection or some equivalent, this could be conflicting with Spybot’s Live Protection and causing your issue.
   • You can avoid this by disabling Live Protection on either Spybot or your other antivirus program.

2. Windows Defender is deactivated in Windows 10:

   • Windows Defender will be automatically disabled in Windows 10 if it detects another antivirus program on your PC. You can find instructions here for disabling Spybot’s Security Center Integration.
   • With this feature disabled, Windows will no longer see Spybot as an antivirus program and Windows Defender can be restarted after a reboot.
   • It is also recommended to disable Live Protection in either Spybot or Windows Defender if you do this, as Window Defender also contains a real-time process scanner which can conflict with Spybot’s Live Protection.