Windows Defender on Windows 11 stuck on logo and closes after a few minutes

Question

Windows Defender on Windows 11 stuck on logo and closes after a few minutes

Ruisu 0

I've exausted all methods of trying to get my windows defender app to launch after updating to windows 11 from windows 10. I've tried terminating, repairing and reseting it through the app settings, i've tried Deleting the Register of the Windows Defender, I've tried reinstalling it via powershell, I've done a full windows in place repair and kept my files, i've tried reinstalling windows 11 and kept my files, i've used malwarebytes to scan for rootkits and nothing.

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Answer 1

David-M 117.3K Independent Advisor

Hi. I'm David, and I'm happy to help you.

To be able to assist you better, please clarify the following:

Do you have, or have you previously had, a third-party antivirus installed? If so, which one? (You don't need to consider Malwarebytes; if you used it only for scanning, it wouldn't interfere with the system in this way.)
When you performed the in-place repair, did you use an ISO or a USB drive with the latest version downloaded directly from the Microsoft website, or did you use media you already had on hand?

What is the current version and "OS Build" of your Windows 11?

Press "Windows + R", type winver, and click OK.

If you prefer, share a screenshot. Use the shortcut "Windows + Shift + S" to use the screenshot tool.

Be sure to censor your email address if it appears. The Microsoft Q&A is public.

Looking forward to your reply.

Ruisu 0 Reputation points

2026-06-30T17:35:11.6066667+00:00

Other than norton which came with gigabyte app center which i deleted a long time ago, and as you mentioned malwarebytes, no.

I used an iso from the windows media creation tool from the microsoft website.

Heres my windows version
David-M 117.3K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-06-30T17:56:02.05+00:00
Thanks for the clarifications.

Since your Windows is fully updated and you used a recent ISO, we can rule out an outdated OS bug.

The main suspect here is Norton. Even though you deleted it a long time ago, standard uninstallation (especially via bundled software like Gigabyte App Center) frequently leaves behind deep registry keys and legacy drivers. The Windows 11 Security app will crash on launch if it detects conflicting remnants of another security suite.

Let's try to completely purge any leftover Norton files and reset the security app components. Please try the following steps:

1 = Run the official Norton Removal Tool:

Download the official Norton 360 Remover tool directly from Norton's website.

Run the tool, let it completely wipe any leftover drivers, and restart your PC.

2 = Re-register the Windows Security App:

If the app still closes after the restart, try to force Windows to reinstall/re-register it again:

Right-click the Start Menu and select Terminal (Admin) or PowerShell (Admin).

Copy and paste the following command, then press Enter:

Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.SecHealthUI | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

Once it finishes, restart (not shutdown) your computer one more time and check if Windows Defender opens.

If the problem persists, please let me know.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have.
Ruisu 0 Reputation points

2026-07-01T03:57:54.2133333+00:00

Tried the Norton Uninstaller and restarted, but it didn't work.

Ran the command after restarting and restarted again, but it also didn't work.

And to add, Im pretty sure I ended up running a command to check if the actual antivirus was running, and it was. It was just the Windows Defender App not working/loading properly for me to access it.
David-M 117.3K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-07-01T12:31:28.6333333+00:00

Sorry for the delay in reply. I've been offline.

Perform a clean boot to see if any third-party program in the background is causing this problem. Follow the instructions carefully.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/how-to-perform-a-clean-boot-in-windows-da2f9573-6eec-00ad-2f8a-a97a1807f3dd#ID0EBBD=Windows_11

If the problem does not occur after a clean boot. In this same article, there is a technique to help you identify which program is causing this in "How to determine what is causing the problem after you do a clean boot".

If you can identify the program that is causing this, uninstall it.

After finding the cause, or if it does not help, return to normal boot as instructed in "Reset the computer to start normally after clean boot troubleshooting".

Please let me know how it goes.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have.
Ruisu 0 Reputation points

2026-07-01T13:49:06.87+00:00

I've tried a clean boot, and nothing changed. I've also noticed in Services that Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection Service is stopped and i can't seem to launch it with Error 1067 if that helps figure something out
David-M 117.3K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-07-01T14:08:36.5433333+00:00

First, a quick reassurance about that service: the Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection Service (service name: Sense) is actually an enterprise feature meant for corporate environments (Microsoft Defender for Endpoint). On a standard personal PC, this service is supposed to be stopped, and trying to start it manually will always throw "Error 1067" because the machine isn't onboarded to an enterprise network. You can safely ignore this, as it's completely normal.

As the clean boot didn't help, please create a new local account with administrator privileges.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/manage-user-accounts-in-windows-104dc19f-6430-4b49-6a2b-e4dbd1dcdf32#WindowsVersion=Windows_11

To add the new user, follow the instructions in "Add a user account". Create the user without a Microsoft account.

To give administrator privileges to the new user, follow the instructions in "Configure a user as an administrator".

Then, log out of the current user and log into the new user. On the new user, see if Windows Security opens correctly.

Please let me know the result.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have.
Ruisu 0 Reputation points

2026-07-01T16:05:53.85+00:00

I've added a new user and made it an administrator, and nothing changed when launching windows security.
David-M 117.3K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-07-01T16:47:44.37+00:00
Thanks for the clarification.

Since the app shows exactly the same behavior on a brand-new administrator account, we now know this is a system-wide issue, meaning the application is unregistered or dropped from the core Windows application database.

When you performed the In-place upgrade, Windows completely refreshed your core system files under the System32 directory. This means the physical files for the Windows Security interface should be sitting on your drive, but the system simply doesn't know they are there because it's missing the registry database entry to launch them.

To fix this system-wide issue without guessing your exact folder structure or version numbers, you can use a smart PowerShell command. This command will automatically scan your local security health directory, locate the raw installation manifests, and force Windows to re-register the UI dashboard directly from the physical path.

Please try the following:

Right-click the Start Menu and select Terminal (Admin) or PowerShell (Admin);

Copy and paste the following command into the window and press Enter:

Get-ChildItem -Path "C:\Windows\System32\SecurityHealth" -Recurse -Filter "AppXManifest.xml" | ForEach-Object { Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $_.FullName }

Once the command executes (you should see a brief green deployment progress bar flash at the top of the window), restart your computer (using the Restart option, not Shutdown).

Please let me know how it goes.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have.
Ruisu 0 Reputation points

2026-07-02T06:41:37.6766667+00:00

When i inputed the command, the deployment progressbar didnt show up. I tried restarting my pc afterwards and still nothing changed
David-M 117.3K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-07-02T12:08:52.69+00:00
The fact that the progress bar did not appear might mean that the PowerShell command couldn't find any installation files inside your security directory. Even though you did an In-place upgrade, a known glitch in certain Windows 11 upgrade paths can cause the system to completely drop or leave this specific directory empty.

Since the files are physically missing or corrupted on your drive, let's try downloading the official standalone installer directly from Microsoft's update servers to regenerate the components and force-register the Windows Security app wrapper.

Please follow these steps:

1 = Download the official Security Health setup:

Click the official direct link below from the Microsoft Windows Update catalog to download the standalone installer package:

https://catalog.s.download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/defu/2024/02/securityhealthsetup_e16941e14861a6d24750ecdf05c548189b33182a.exe

Save the file to your Downloads folder or Desktop.

2 = Run the installer:

Locate the downloaded file (securityhealthsetup_...exe).

Right-click on it and select "Run as administrator".

You should see a couple of black command prompt windows flash briefly on your screen and disappear. This indicates that the utility is actively expanding and re-registering the application dashboard globally.

Wait about 2 minutes, then restart your computer (using the Restart option, not Shutdown).

Once you log back in, try launching the Windows Security app again.

Please let me know how it goes.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have.