Slow .Zip Extraction – How to Fix on Windows 10 / Server 2016

Windows Defender is an excellent built-in feature of the latest versions of Windows, providing free, always-on protection against malware and other threats. However, you may have noticed very slow ZIP archive extraction in Windows 10.

The reason for slow .zip extraction is Windows Defender which scans each extracted file, and causes archive extractions to slow down significantly. Follow the steps below to turn off Windows Defender on Windows 10 or Windows Server 2016, on a desktop, Windows Server, or Windows VPS.

How to Disable Windows Defender using Local Group Policy

The best way to turn off Windows Defender on Windows 10 is to use the Local Group Policy Editor.

1. Use the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run command.
2. Type gpedit.msc and click OK to open the Local Group Policy Editor.

3. Browse the following path:

   Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Defender

4. On the right, double-click Turn off Windows Defender.

   

5. Select Enabled to disable Windows Defender.
6. Click Apply.

7. Click OK.

   

Once you complete the above steps, you will notice the Windows Defender shield icon will continue to run in the system tray. To get rid of the icon, simply restart your computer.

At any time, if you want to re-enable Windows Defender, you only need to follow the same steps, but this time, on step 5 select the option Not configured. Then restart your computer to complete reverting the changes.

Please note that Windows Defender is a protective software service included in Windows by design. Unless you are having significant issues with archive extractions or other file operations, we recommend keeping Windows Defender enabled at all times.

This article applies to:

• Windows Server 2016
• Windows 10