Need to sign in to Microsoft Defender every time now

Hello Vad_698, * I am a Microsoft user like you, providing solutions to community members; I am NOT a Microsoft employee. This prompt from Microsoft Defender asking you to sign in is definitely unusual. There could be a few reasons why this is happening even though you haven't changed any settings. Here are some steps you can try to fix the issue: 1. Check Your Microsoft Account Sign-in: This is the most likely culprit. Sometimes, your Microsoft account credentials used for Windows Defender might need to be re-authenticated. Try signing out of your Microsoft account completely and then signing back in. This can often refresh the connection and resolve the issue. 2. Reset Windows Defender Credential Manager: Corrupted credentials stored by Windows Defender can also cause this problem. Here's how to reset them: Search for "Credential Manager" in the Windows search bar. Open "Windows Credential Manager." Find any entries related to "Windows Defender" or "Microsoft Defender Antivirus." Click on each entry and select "Remove." Restart your computer and see if the login prompt persists. 3. Update Windows and Defender: Outdated software can sometimes lead to unexpected behavior. Make sure you have the latest updates for both Windows and Microsoft Defender: Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update. Click "Check for updates" and install any available updates. Microsoft Defender updates are usually included in Windows updates. However, you can also check for specific Defender updates by going to Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Check for updates. 4. Run a System Scan: In rare cases, malware might be interfering with Defender's functionality. Run a full system scan using your preferred antivirus software (including Microsoft Defender itself) to rule out any malicious activity. 5. Consider Third-party Antivirus Conflict: If you're using a third-party antivirus program alongside Defender, they might be conflicting. Try temporarily disabling the third-party program and see if the login prompt disappears. If it does, you'll need to decide if you want to keep using both programs or choose one. Hope this helps. - Stephen N.

Can this be happening because I had added a 2nd Windows user some time ago? A friend who was visiting needed my computer for work time to time, and I created a new user for him. Now I just deleted that account from User Accounts > Users for this computer. I hope this will resolve this.

I get the same thing on my Windows 10 22H2 PC. It pops up daily. Very irritating.

Update: sadly this didn't help. And sadly Microsoft support can't help either, although they checked with Quick Assist

I am having the same issue lately (about 1-2 months). Both Microsoft Defender and actually also the Edge browser (upper left corner) needs to be signed in daily. Quite frustrating!

- No 3rd party Anti-virus installed (besides the default Windows Security.)

- No problems staying logged in to M365 apps and Windows 11 itself

PS. Not very logical to both have a Windows Defender and Windows Security icon. Why is this not just merged, as seem to be overlapping functionality anyway?

Same issue here for 3 or 4 weeks. I suspect a Windows Update...

Same issue for several weeks on the latest Windows 11 + Microsoft 365, have to login after I have started the PC.

I am having the same issue with Windows 11 for months now. Windows Defender logs itself out and I am often not aware of not being signed out. I do not change anything so its automatic. This feature or bug needs to be resolved ASAP please.

Thanks, Stephen, but I still cannot resolve this though I have completed some of the steps you suggested. I have doubts about the Credential Manager thing you mentioned:

2. Reset Windows Defender Credential Manager: Corrupted credentials stored by Windows Defender can also cause this problem. Here's how to reset them: Search for "Credential Manager" in the Windows search bar. Open "Windows Credential Manager." Find any entries related to "Windows Defender" or "Microsoft Defender Antivirus." Click on each entry and select "Remove." Restart your computer and see if the login prompt persists.

When I go there, I see this:

Is something wrong here, that can be the reason I need to log in every time? As you can see, there are no entries related to "Windows Defender" or "Microsoft Defender Antivirus" at all. There's a line "No Windows credentials" - maybe this is the reason? And also, two Microsoft Account user accounts entries. The 1st of them shows my previous Email which I changed to the current one, and the 2nd one shows my current Email associated with my Microsoft account. Can this also be the reason of this mess? The thing is that I changed the Email on my Miscrosoft ID long ago, but the mentioned issue only started recently. And currently I have only 1 user account on my PC, I checked that.

I have exactly the same problem. I think it started after a major update of Windows 11. Very annoying!!!