How To Fix Microsoft Defender Error 1297 On Windows 11/10

Published 2022-08-22

Microsoft Defender/ Windows Defender/ Windows Security, you may address it and have it by name, is a force that many Windows users swear by when they defend against malicious threats. Some users have encountered a shocking error when trying to launch Micorosoft Defender to run a scan on Windows 10 or 11.

The Microsoft Defender error code 1297 occurs when it fails to open or crashes, leaving the device vulnerable to attacks. Here are some practical ways to fix the issue.

How To Fix Microsoft Defender Error 1297

1. Have An Alternative Antivirus Ready

While Microsoft Defender is not working, you can bring into force an alternative antivirus like T9 Antivirus, which will help safeguard your computer against malicious threats while you resolve the issue at hand. Here is an in-depth review of the T9 Antivirus, where we have analyzed its various aspects, pros, and cons.

Here is a glimpse of how an Antivirus like T9 Antivirus can be of great help in a situation when you are dealing with Microsoft Defender Error 1297 –

Real-time protection against malicious threats.

Multiple scanning modes also include on-demand scans to look for threats anywhere on your computer.

Web and firewall protection.

2. Run SFC Scan

One of the prime causes of Windows Defender error 1297 is corrupted system files. You can fix the corrupted files in your system by running the SFC command in your administrative command prompt. The steps for the same are mentioned below –

In the Windows search bar, type cmd.
Click on Run as administratorfrom the right-hand side.
When the Command Prompt window opens, type SFC /scannowand press Enter.

Once the scanning is over, check if the Windows Defender Error 1297 error persists or not.

3. Close Culprit Programs

Has the error surfaced after you installed and ran some particular applications? Maybe they are the reason why you are receiving Windows Defender Error 1297. In this step, we’ll get rid of each of these applications one by one so that we can zero down on the culprit application which is responsible for the error-

Press the ctrl + shift + esc key combination.
When the Task Manager opens, select apps one by one under Processes.
Click on the End Task.

After pressing End task on each of the Apps, check if you have been able to fix the issue or not.

4. Uninstall The Culprit Program

If you have been able to identify the problematic application, go straight ahead and uninstall it without further ado. For this –

In the Windows search bar, type Controland click on Open from the right-hand side.
Select Categorynext to View by and then click on Uninstall a program under Programs as shown in the screenshot below –
Choose the application creating issues and then click on Uninstall from the top.

5. Update Windows

Microsoft regularly rolls out updates for Windows to fix system performance, remove bugs and introduce new features. To get the latest updates on your Windows 11/10 computer, follow the steps mentioned below –

Steps To Update Windows 10

Press Windows + I to open Settings.
Click on Update & Security.
From the left-hand side, click on Windows Update.
From the right-hand side, fetch if an update is available.

Steps To Update Windows 11

Press Windows + I key combination to open Settings.
From the left-hand side, click on Windows Update.
If an update is available, click the Install Now button on the right-hand side.

6. Reinstall Graphics Driver

An outdated or corrupt graphic card driver can also be the culprit behind the error above. So, in case you haven’t your graphics card driver in a while, it might as well be the right time to do the same. If you are new to updating drivers, you can refer to this post that talks in detail about ways to update drivers on Windows.

Wrapping Up

I hope you can fix Microsoft Defender error code 1297 using the fixes mentioned in this post. We’d still emphasize using an alternative Antivirus program like T9 Antivirus, should the native Windows Antivirus malfunction. If you second us, do let us know in the comments section below, and for more such updates, bookmark WeTheGeek.