Select the channel for Microsoft Defender monthly engine updates [to be deprecated]: registry value EngineRingComputerHKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender
- Policy ID
- Root_EngineUpdateChannel
- Scope
- Computer Configuration
- Supported on
- At least Windows Server 2016, Windows 10 Version 1607
- Source
- Administrative Templates (.admx) for Windows 11 2026 Update (26H2) (version 1.0)
- Category
- Windows Components › Microsoft Defender Antivirus
Registry
EngineRing
REG_DWORDComputer- Enabled value
- Depends on the option value
- Element
- Select the channel for Microsoft Defender monthly engine updates:
| Item | Stored value |
|---|---|
| Beta Channel | 2 |
| Current Channel (Preview) | 3 |
| Current Channel (Staged) | 4 |
| Current Channel (Broad) | 5 |
| Critical - Time delay | 6 |
Apply with .reg · CMD · PowerShell
.reg
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender] ; Options (use only one) ; Beta Channel "EngineRing"=dword:00000002 ; Current Channel (Preview) "EngineRing"=dword:00000003 ; Current Channel (Staged) "EngineRing"=dword:00000004 ; Current Channel (Broad) "EngineRing"=dword:00000005 ; Critical - Time delay "EngineRing"=dword:00000006
CMD
:: Options (use only one) :: Beta Channel reg add "HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender" /v "EngineRing" /t REG_DWORD /d 2 /f :: Current Channel (Preview) reg add "HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender" /v "EngineRing" /t REG_DWORD /d 3 /f :: Current Channel (Staged) reg add "HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender" /v "EngineRing" /t REG_DWORD /d 4 /f :: Current Channel (Broad) reg add "HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender" /v "EngineRing" /t REG_DWORD /d 5 /f :: Critical - Time delay reg add "HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender" /v "EngineRing" /t REG_DWORD /d 6 /f
PowerShell
# Common: create the key New-Item -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender' -Force | Out-Null # Options (use only one) # Beta Channel New-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender' -Name 'EngineRing' -PropertyType DWord -Value 2 -Force | Out-Null # Current Channel (Preview) New-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender' -Name 'EngineRing' -PropertyType DWord -Value 3 -Force | Out-Null # Current Channel (Staged) New-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender' -Name 'EngineRing' -PropertyType DWord -Value 4 -Force | Out-Null # Current Channel (Broad) New-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender' -Name 'EngineRing' -PropertyType DWord -Value 5 -Force | Out-Null # Critical - Time delay New-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender' -Name 'EngineRing' -PropertyType DWord -Value 6 -Force | Out-Null