Sign in with Microsoft
Sign in or create an account.
Hello,
Select a different account.
You have multiple accounts
Choose the account you want to sign in with.

On some Android mobile devices, Microsoft Defender’s web protection feature may turn off constantly. You may see the following notifications and updates in Microsoft Defender. Sometimes, even after turning web protection feature on, it may be disabled later. 

Device at risk notification

Web protection off

Why this happens 

Most mobile devices have features that help to save battery life. Hence, some apps like Microsoft Defender that need to run in the background can be stopped to help save battery. When this happens, Android takes away the accessibility permission for the app, which the web protection feature needs to run. This causes the web protection to turn off and you will get a notification about it. You will need to manually give the accessibility permission back to the app to turn the web protection back on. 

How to ensure that web protection service remains enabled on my device 

To ensure that the web protection stays enabled, disable battery optimization for the app and allow background activity to run. You need to modify the device settings and Microsoft Defender app settings as follows: 

  1. Device settings: Device specific steps are listed here. These steps may vary according to the device and operating system version. If your device is not on the list, navigate to your system settings and follow the steps listed below. 

    1. Make sure that battery optimization (also called adaptive battery on some devices) is turned off. You may be able to exclude battery optimization for some apps. Microsoft Defender should be on the list of exclusions. This will allow battery usage to be unrestricted for Defender.

    2. Enable background activity for Microsoft Defender. Look for this setting in the app info or Battery section of your device's settings.

    3. Make sure that app activity can run even if the Microsoft Defender app is not being used. Look for this setting in the app info or Battery section of your device's settings.

  2. Microsoft Defender settings: After you complete these steps, navigate to the Microsoft Defender app. Tap on the Device protection card (or alert card for web protection) and follow the steps on the screen to turn on web protection. Defender’s web protection is now enabled and will not turn off automatically on your device. 

Here's a sample video to demonstrate how to change your device settings:

Your browser does not support video. Install Microsoft Silverlight, Adobe Flash Player, or Internet Explorer 9.

Device specific settings 

Android v13 

  1. Long press the Defender icon on your device and select App info.

    1. Toggle off Remove permissions if app is unused.

    2. Under App info, navigate to App battery usage and select Unrestricted.

  2. Open Settings and navigate to Battery and device care.

    1. Tap on Battery and select More Battery Settings. Toggle off Adaptive Battery.

    2. Navigate back to Battery menu and tap on Background usage limits. The following settings will be available: Put unused apps to sleep -> Never sleeping apps. Add Microsoft Defender to this list.

Android v13 

  1. Long press the Defender icon on your device and select App info.

    1. Under Unused apps, toggle off Pause activity if unused.

    2. Tap on Battery usage. Toggle off Allow auto launch and toggle on Allow background activity.

  2. Open Settings on your device and tap on Battery.

    1. Go to More settings -> Optimize battery use. Search for Microsoft Defender in the app list.s the icon and select Don’t optimize.

    2. Go back to Battery under Settings and tap on Power saving mode. Toggle off Power saving mode and Super power saving mode.

  3. If issues persist, open the Microsoft Defender app. Swipe up to view the app in the Recent apps section of your home screen. Select the vertical dots (⋮) on the top right-hand corner and lock the app. The padlock icon will now be enabled for Microsoft Defender. If you swipe it away, the background processes for Microsoft Defender will be killed.

Android v13

  1. Long press the Defender icon on your device and select App info.

    1. Toggle off Pause activity if unused.

    2. Navigate back to App info. Tap on App battery usage and select Unrestricted.

  2. Open Settings and navigate to Battery.

    1. Tap on Adaptive Preferences. Toggle off Adaptive Battery.

    2. Go back to Battery menu. Tap on Battery Saver -> Extreme Battery Saver. Tap on Essential apps and select Microsoft Defender to add it to the essential apps list.

Android v13

  1. Long press the Defender icon on your device and select App info.

    1. Toggle off Pause activity if unused.

    2. Under App info, tap on App battery usage and select Unrestricted.

  2. Open Settings and navigate to Battery.

    1. Tap on Adaptive Battery. Toggle off Use Adaptive Battery.

    2. Go back to Battery menu. Tap on Battery Saver. Toggle off Use Battery Saver.

Android v12

  1. Long press the Defender icon on your device and select App info.

    1. Under Unused apps, toggle off Remove permissions and free up space.

    2. Tap on Battery under App info menu and select Unrestricted.

  2. Open Settings on your device and tap on Battery.

    1. Tap on Battery Saver and toggle off Use Battery Saver.

    2. Go back to Battery menu and tap on Background power consumption management. This will display a list of all apps on your device. Tap on Microsoft Defender and select Don’t restrict background power usage.

  3. If issues persist, open the Microsoft Defender app. Swipe up to view the app in the Recent apps section of your home screen. Select the vertical dots (⋮) on the top right-hand corner and lock the app. The padlock icon will now be enabled for Microsoft Defender. If you swipe it away, the background processes for Microsoft Defender will stop.

Android v11 

  1. Long press the Defender icon on your device and select App info.

  2. Enable AutoStart. Tap on Battery saver and select No restrictions.

Android v10 and later

  1. Open Settings on your device and tap on Battery.

  2. Ensure Power saving mode and Ultra power saving mode are disabled.

  3. Tap on App launch and ensure that the toggle for Microsoft Defender is off. In the screen that follows, enable Auto-launch and Run in background.

  1. Open Settings on your device and tap on Battery.

  2. Tap on App Battery Management and choose Microsoft Defender from the list. Toggle on Allow Background activity, Allow foreground activity, and Allow auto-launch.

  3. Navigate back to Battery menu. Tap on Power saver options. Disable Sleep standby optimization.

  4. Navigate back to Battery menu. Tap on Performance mode and select No performance improvement.

  5. Navigate back to Battery menu. Tap on App Quick Freeze and ensure that Microsoft Defender is not a part of the quick freeze list.

  1. Open Settings on your device and select Background app management.

  2. Uncheck Microsoft Defender from the app list.

  3. If issues persist, open the Microsoft Defender app. Swipe up to view the app in the Recent apps section of your home screen. Select the vertical dots (⋮) on the top right-hand corner and lock the app. The padlock icon will now be enabled for Microsoft Defender. If you swipe it away, the background processes for Microsoft Defender will stop.

Facebook LinkedIn Email

Need more help?

Want more options?

Discover Community

Explore subscription benefits, browse training courses, learn how to secure your device, and more.

Microsoft 365 subscription benefits

Microsoft 365 training

Microsoft security

Accessibility center

Communities help you ask and answer questions, give feedback, and hear from experts with rich knowledge.

Ask the Microsoft Community

Microsoft Tech Community

Windows Insiders

Microsoft 365 Insiders

Was this information helpful?

What affected your experience?
By pressing submit, your feedback will be used to improve Microsoft products and services. Your IT admin will be able to collect this data. Privacy Statement.

Thank you for your feedback!

×