What Is windefender.exe? Is It A Virus Or Malware? Uninstall?

What is windefender.exe?

windefender.exe is an executable exe file which belongs to the rhtqDaOQu process which comes along with the Windows Defender Service Software developed by Microsoft software developer.

If the windefender.exe process running in the Windows Operating system is important, then you should be careful while deleting it. Sometimes windefender.exe process might be using CPU or GPU too much. If it is malware or a virus, it might be running in the background without you knowing it.

The .exe extension of the windefender.exe file specifies that it is an executable file for Windows Operating Systems like Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10.

Malware and viruses are also transmitted through exe files. So we must be sure before running any unknown executable file on our computers or laptops.

Now we will check if the windefender.exe file is a virus or malware. Whether it should be deleted to keep your computer safe? Read more below.

Is windefender.exe safe to run? Is it a virus or malware?

Let’s check the location of this exe file to determine whether this is legit software or a virus. The location of this file and dangerous rating is.

File Location / Rating: 73% dangerous

To check whether the exe file is legit you can start the Task Manager. Then click on the columns field and add Verified Signer as one of the columns.

Now, look at the Verified Signer value for windefender.exe process if it says “Unable to verify” then the file may be a virus.

File Name	windefender.exe
Software Developer	Microsoft
File Type	EXE
File Location	73% dangerous
Software	Windows Defender Service

 

Over All Ratings for windefender.exe : 4/5

Next, check the developer of windefender.exe. If the developer of the software is legitimate, then it is not a virus or malware. If the developer is not listed or seems suspicious, you can remove it using the uninstall program.

Based on our analysis, we have displayed our result of whether this windefender file is a virus or malware below.

How to check if windefender.exe is a security issue?

We also recommend using the Security task manager application to find which processes are unwanted in your Windows computer and can be a security issue. Here is how you can find whether windefender.exe is a security threat using the Security Task Manager application.

1. Download the Security Task Manager application and install it on your computer.
2. Run it as administrator. It will now show all the applications that are running on your computer.
3. Now it will show the Rating, file location, company, and product name for each process.
4. Now click on the rating column to sort based on ratings.
5. You will now see which process has the worst rating easily so can decide windefender.exe is given a bad rating or not easily.
6. You will also find whether the windefender.exe process is important or not with this feature. Here is a screenshot of the software running on our windows computer.

How To Remove or Uninstall windefender.exe

To remove windefender.exe from your computer do the following steps one by one. This will uninstall windefender.exe if it was part of the software installed on your computer.

1. If the file is part of a software program, then it will also have an uninstall program. Then you can run the Uninstaller located at directory like C:Program Files>Microsoft>Windows Defender Service >rhtqDaOQu> windefender.exe_uninstall.exe.
2. Or the windefender.exe was installed using the Windows Installer then to uninstall it Go to System Settings and open Add Or Remove Programs Option.
3. Then Search for windefender.exe or the software name Windows Defender Service in the search bar or try out the developer name Microsoft.
4. Then click on it and select the Uninstall Program option to remove windefender.exe file from your computer. Now the software Windows Defender Service program along with the file windefender.exe will be removed from your computer.

How do I stop windefender.exe process?

In order to stop the windefender.exe process from running you either have to uninstall the program associated with the file or if it’s a virus or malware, remove it using a Malware and Virus removal tool.

Is windefender.exe a Virus or Malware?

As per the information we have the windefender.exe is not a Virus or Malware. But a good file might be infected with malware or a virus to disguise itself.

Is windefender.exe causing High Disk Usage?

You can find this by opening the Task Manager application (Right-click on Windows Taskbar and choose Task Manager) and clicking on the Disk option at the top to sort and find out the disk usage of windefender.exe.

Is windefender.exe causing High CPU Usage?

You can find this by opening the Task Manager application and finding the windefender process and checking the CPU usage percentage.

How to check GPU Usage of windefender.exe?

To check windefender.exe GPU usage. Open the Task Manager window and look for the windefender.exe process in the name column and check the GPU usage column.

I hope you were able to learn more about the windefender.exe file and how to remove it. Also, share this article on social media if you find it helpful.

Let us know in the comments below if you face any other windefender.exe related issues.