Whether you’re an individual or an organization, cybersecurity is a crucial concern in this digital era. It’s a sort of shared responsibility that cannot be neglected under any circumstance. Hackers are always looking for the slightest chance of vulnerability that can allow them to gain unauthorized access to your device. And believe it or not, but once they’re able to achieve that, it’s just the beginning of a nightmare.
Windows 10 offers various in-built utility tools that enhance your device’s security by protecting it against viruses, malware, and other potential threats. Windows Defender is undoubtedly one of them! We’re all pretty much aware of how Windows Defender works, right? It’s typically an anti-virus tool that offers real-time protection to your device against malicious threats. But have you ever encountered Windows Defender Error Code 0x8e5e021f on your device? Unable to access Windows Defender services on your machine?
If yes, then don’t worry! By following a few troubleshooting steps, you can quickly resolve this issue and start using Windows Defender again.
Let’s get started.
Also Read: How to Enable Windows Defender on Windows 10.
Causes of Windows Defender Error Code 0x8e5e021f
Here are the most common reasons you may have experienced Windows Defender malfunction on your Windows 10 PC.
- Corrupt registry entries.
- Presence of virus, malware, or spyware.
- Conflicting third-party apps and services.
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Yes, we do understand the primary reason why you’re here: To fix Windows Defender. But until you fix Windows Defender Error code 0x8e5e021f you cannot leave your machine exposed to threats, right?
Here’s what you need to do.
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How to Fix Windows Defender Error Code 0x8e5e021f
Let’s discuss a few useful and effective solutions that will allow you to resolve Windows Defender Error code 0x8e5e021f on your device.
Solution #1: Restart Security Center Service
The Security center is one of the operations of Windows Defender service. So, the first troubleshooting hacking that we’re going to try is restarting the Security Center. Follow these quick steps to proceed:
Press the Windows + R key combination to fire up the Run dialog box.
Type “services.msc” in the textbox and then hit Enter.
In the Services window, scroll down to look for the “Security Center” option.
Right-click on the Security Center option and select the “Restart” option from the context menu.
Once the Security Center has been successfully restarted, reboot your device and rerun Windows Defender to check whether the issue was resolved.
Solution #2: Fix Corrupt Registry Entries
The next solution to fix Windows Defender Error Code 0x8e5e021f is by fixing the corrupt registry entries via Windows Registry Editor.
Press Windows + R key combination to launch the Run box.
Type “Regedit” in the text box and hit Enter.
In the Registry Editor window, navigate to the below-mentioned path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options
Once you’ve arrived at the Image File Execution, look for the “MpCmdRun.exe, MSASCui.exe, or MsMpEng.exe” files on the right side of the window. If you find any such entries, right-click on the file name and select the “Delete” option.
Solution #3: Enable Windows Defender Via Group Policy Editor
When you face the Windows Defender Error Code 0x8e5e021f, it mostly displays, “The app is turned off by the group policy” message. So, to fix this issue, you can try enabling Windows Defender service via Group Policy editor. Here’s what you need to do:
Press Windows + R key to open up the Run box.
Type “gpedit.msc” and hit Enter.
In the Group Policy Editor window, navigate to this location:
Local Computer Policy ->Administrative Templates ->Windows Components ->Windows Defender Antivirus
Select the Windows Defender option on the right side of the window. Right-click on the empty space and create a new DWORD file.
Set “DisableAntiSpyware” name as the new key and set value as 0.
Exit all windows, reboot your device to check whether it resolved the issue.
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Also Read: Is Windows Defender Good Enough For PC Protection In 2020
This wraps up our guide on how to fix Windows Defender Code 0x8e5e021f. We’re sure the above-mentioned solutions will help you resolve this issue on your device to resume using Windows Defender services again!
