Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection Service (Sense) Defaults in Windows 10

Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection service helps protect against advanced threats by monitoring and reporting security events that happen on the computer.

The Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection Service does not exist in:

Default Settings

Startup type: Manual
Display name:Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection Service
Service name:Sense
Service type:own
Error control:normal
Object:LocalSystem
Path:%ProgramFiles%\Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection\MsSense.exe
Registry key:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Sense
Privileges:
  • SeAuditPrivilege
  • SeChangeNotifyPrivilege
  • SeCreateGlobalPrivilege
  • SeCreatePagefilePrivilege
  • SeCreatePermanentPrivilege
  • SeDebugPrivilege
  • SeImpersonatePrivilege
  • SeIncreaseBasePriorityPrivilege
  • SeLoadDriverPrivilege
  • SeLockMemoryPrivilege
  • SeProfileSingleProcessPrivilege
  • SeTcbPrivilege
  • SeSecurityPrivilege
  • SeRestorePrivilege
  • SeAssignPrimaryTokenPrivilege
  • SeIncreaseQuotaPrivilege
  • SeBackupPrivilege
  • SeCreateSymbolicLinkPrivilege
  • SeDelegateSessionUserImpersonatePrivilege
  • SeIncreaseWorkingSetPrivilege
  • SeManageVolumePrivilege
  • SeShutdownPrivilege
  • SeSystemEnvironmentPrivilege
  • SeSystemProfilePrivilege
  • SeSystemtimePrivilege
  • SeTakeOwnershipPrivilege
  • SeTimeZonePrivilege
  • SeUndockPrivilege

Default Behavior

Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection Service is a Win32 service. In Windows 10 it is starting only if the user, an application or another service starts it. When the Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection Service is started, it is running as LocalSystem in its own process of MsSense.exe. If Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection Service fails to start, the failure details are being recorded into Event Log. Then Windows 10 will start up and notify the user that the Sense service has failed to start due to the error.

Restore Default Startup Configuration of Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection Service

1. Run the Command Prompt as an administrator.

2. Copy the command below, paste it into the command window and press ENTER:

sc config Sense start= demand

3. Close the command window and restart the computer.

The Sense service is using the MsSense.exe file that is located in the %ProgramFiles%\Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection directory. If the file is removed or corrupted, read this article to restore its original version from Windows 10 installation media.