Fix The Service Couldn’t Be Started Windows Defender Error 0x80070422

Windows Defender is a malware protection software that is inbuilt into Windows 10. Now it is used widely by Windows users because it’s reliable, but in some cases, users also install 3rd party Antivirus software such as Norton, Quick Heal etc. Even after you completely uninstall 3rd party antivirus you won’t be able to use Windows Defender properly because the files required by it have already been made corrupt and can no longer be used. This leads to the error prompt The service couldn’t be started which we shall fix today.

Fix The Service Couldn't Be Started Windows Defender Error 0x80070422

Fix The Service Couldn’t Be Started Windows Defender Error 0x80070422

Windows Defender is turned off when you use a 3rd party Antivirus and once you uninstall the Antivirus software you won’t be able to turn ON Windows Defender. If you try to enable Windows Defender you will face the error “The Service Couldn’t Be Started” with error code 0x80070422. It presents itself as:

The service cannot be started, either because it is disabled or because it has no enabled devices associated with it.

Click Help for more information about this problem”

So without wasting any time let’s see how to Fix The Service Couldn’t Be Started Windows Defender Error 0x80070422 with the help of the below-listed troubleshooting guide.

Method 1: Run SFC and CHKDSK

1.Press Windows Key + X then click on Command Prompt (Admin).

command prompt with admin rights

2.Now type the following in the cmd and hit enter:

Sfc /scannow
sfc /scannow /offbootdir=c:\ /offwindir=c:\windows (If above fails then try this one)

SFC scan now command prompt

3.Wait for the above process to finish and once done restart your PC.

4.Next, run CHKDSK from here Fix File System Errors with Check Disk Utility(CHKDSK).

5.Let the above process complete and again reboot your PC to save changes.

Method 2: Temporarily Disable 3rd party Antivirus

1.Right-click on the Antivirus Program icon from the system tray and select Disable.

Disable auto-protect to disable your Antivirus

2.Next, select the time frame for which the Antivirus will remain disabled.

select the duration until when the antivirus will be disabled

Note: Choose the smallest amount of time possible for example 15 minutes or 30 minutes.

3.Once done, again try to run Windows Defender and check if the error resolves or not.

4.Press Windows Key + X then select Control Panel.

control panel

5.Next, click on System and Security.

6.Then click on Windows Firewall.

click on Windows Firewall

7.Now from the left window pane click on Turn Windows Firewall on or off.

click Turn Windows Firewall on or off

8.Select Turn off Windows Firewall and restart your PC. Again try to open Windows Defender and see if you’re able to Fix The Service Couldn’t Be Started Windows Defender Error 0x80070422.

If the above method doesn’t work make sure to follow the exact same steps to turn on your Firewall again.

Method 3: Make sure Windows is up to date

1.Press Windows Key + I then select Update & Security.

Update & security

2.Next, again click Check for updates and make sure to install any pending updates.

click check for updates under Windows Update

3.After the updates are installed reboot your PC and see if you’re able to Fix The Service Couldn’t Be Started Windows Defender Error 0x80070422.

Method 4: Make sure Windows Defender service is set to Automatic

Note: If Windows Defender service is grayed out in Services Manager then follow this post.

1.Press Windows Key + R then type services.msc and hit Enter.

services windows

2.Find the following services in the Services window:

Windows Defender Antivirus Network Inspection Service
Windows Defender Antivirus Service
Windows Defender Security Center Service

Windows Defender Antivirus Service

3.Double-click on each of them and make sure their Startup type is set to Automatic and click Start if the services are not already running.

Make sure started type of Windows Defender Service is set to Automatic and click Start

4.Click Apply followed by OK.

5.Reboot your PC to save changes and see if you’re able to Fix The Service Couldn’t Be Started Windows Defender Error 0x80070422.

Method 5: Enable Windows Defender through Registry Editor

Make sure to create a restore point just in case something goes wrong.

1.Press Windows Key + R then type regedit and hit Enter.

Run command regedit

2.Navigate to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WinDefend

3.Now right-click on WinDefend and select Permissions.

Right-click on WinDefend registry key and select Permissions

4.Follow this guide in order to take full control or ownership of the above registry key.

5.After that make sure you have selected WinDefend then in the right window double-click on Start DWORD.

6.Change the value to 2 in the value data field and click OK.

Double click on start DWORD and then change its value to 2

7.Close Registry Editor and reboot your PC.

8.Again try to enable Windows Defender and this time it should work.

Method 6: Run CCleaner and Malwarebytes

1.Download and install CCleaner & Malwarebytes.

2.Run Malwarebytes and let it scan your system for harmful files.

3.If malware is found it will automatically remove them.

4.Now run CCleaner and in the “Cleaner” section, under the Windows tab, we suggest checking the following selections to be cleaned:

ccleaner cleaner settings

5.Once you’ve made certain the proper points are checked, simply click Run Cleaner, and let CCleaner run its course.

6.To clean your system further select the Registry tab and ensure the following are checked:

registry cleaner

7.Select Scan for Issue and allow CCleaner to scan, then click Fix Selected Issues.

8.When CCleaner asks “Do you want backup changes to the registry?” select Yes.

9.Once your backup has completed, select Fix All Selected Issues.

10.Restart your PC to save changes and see if you’re able to Fix The Service Couldn’t Be Started Windows Defender Error 0x80070422.

Method 7: Refresh or Reset your PC

1.Press Windows Key + I to open Settings then select Update & Security.

2.From left-hand menu select Recovery and click on “Get started” under Reset this PC.

On Update & Security click on Get Started under Reset this PC

3.Select the option to Keep my files.

Select the option to Keep my files and click Next

4.Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the process.

5.This will take some time and your computer will restart.

Method 8: Repair Install Windows 10

This method is the last resort because if nothing works out then this method will surely repair all problems with your PC. Repair Install just using an in-place upgrade to repair issues with the system without deleting user data present on the system. So follow this article to see How to Repair Install Windows 10 Easily.

Recommended for you: Remove Fake Virus Warning from Microsoft Edge

That’s it, you have successfully Fixed the Service Couldn’t Be Started Windows Defender Error 0x80070422 but if you still have any questions regarding this guide then feel free to ask them in the comments section.

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