> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vantagecheats.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Disable Windows Defender

> Turn off Windows Defender using dControl so it does not block or delete the loader.

Windows Defender will flag and delete the loader. You have to turn it off before you download or run anything.

<Warning>
  We recommend using **dControl** (Defender Control). Doing it manually through Windows Settings does not fully disable Defender.
</Warning>

## Steps

<Steps>
  <Step title="Download dControl">
    <Card title="Download dControl" icon="download" horizontal href="https://www.sordum.org/9480/defender-control-v2-1/">
      Defender Control by Sordum.
    </Card>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Unzip the file">
    Right-click **Defender Control.zip** and choose **Extract** (with WinRAR or the built-in Windows extractor).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open dControl.exe">
    Go into the extracted folder and double-click **dControl.exe**. Click **Yes** on the UAC prompt.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click “Disable Windows Defender”">
    Press the **Disable Windows Defender** button. The status bar at the top will turn red when Defender is off.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Keep dControl saved somewhere easy to find. Windows Updates will sometimes turn Defender back on — just reopen dControl and click disable again.
</Tip>

When you're done, go back to [Getting Started](/getting-started/before-installing) and continue with the next step.