How to Fix Unable to Open Windows Security in Windows 10 (4 Ways)

Why won’t Windows Security Open?

Windows Security is a set of tools that assists in protecting the system and its data from viruses and malware threats from the Internet or other third-party applications. But recently, many users have reported that they are unable to open Windows Security in Windows 10. This article summarizes several common causes for you.

• An important system file associated with it has been corrupted.
• There is an error in the current version of the Windows operating system.
• The Security Center service is not running.
• A corrupted Windows Security component.
• Corrupted cached data.

How to Fix Unable to Open Windows Security in Windows 10

Next, once you understand the reasons, you can continue reading this article to learn how to fix Windows security not opening with 4 ways and how to backup your system regularly to protect it from various problems. Each method contains detailed steps to follow.

Fix 1. Use System File Checker

If Windows Security Center fails to start due to corrupted system files, a tool called System File Checker can be helpful. It can automatically detect and repair faulty system files. You can follow the steps below to fix cannot open Windows security in Windows 10 error.

Step 1. Click on the Search icon and enter cmd in the Search box.

Step 2. Right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.

Step 3. Then, type sfc /scannow and press Enter to begin the scan. Wait until the SFC tool scans your system and restart the computer.

Fix 2. Use DISM Commands

The second solution to fix this error is to run the DISM command. When you run the SFC command and it does not solve the problem, you can try to fix can’t access Windows security error by following the steps below.

Step 1. Open the Start menu.

Step 2. Search for Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.

Step 3. Enter the following commands (press Enter after each entry):

• Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

• Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

• Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Step 4. Close the command prompt window.

Step 5. Restart your PC to check if the error is fixed.

Fix 3. Change Windows Account

In addition to the two methods above, you can also fix this problem by changing your Windows account. Here are the specific steps to perform the procedure.

Step 1. Press the Win + I together to open the Settings.

Step 2. Then, click on Accounts > Email & accounts.

Step 3. Select Add an account.

Step 4. You will have to pick Sign in without a Microsoft account and Local account.

Step 5. Fill out the forms and save your changes.

Step 6. Switch to the newly created account and verify if you can access the Update & Security tab.

Fix 4. Check Whether the Service is Running as a Local Service

The Windows Security Center service may fail to start when the security service is not configured to run under a local service account. Therefore, to resolve this issue, make sure that the service is running under Local Services. You can follow the steps below.

Step 1. Press Windows + R key together to open Run window, type services.msc in the box and click OK or hit Enter to continue.

Step 2. In the popup window, find the Security Center service and double-click it.

Step 3. In the popup window, go to the Log on tab. Then select This account option and click Browse to continue.

Step 4. Type Local Service in the box and click OK to go on.

Step 5. Then input the password, confirm the password and click OK to continue.

Step 6. Repeat all the above steps for another service which is called Windows Management Instrumentation.

Backup System Regularly to Protect System from Any Issues

Microsoft released the November 2022 patch earlier this month for all supported versions of Windows 11 and Windows 10, including the freshly released version 22H2 of both operating systems. The problems mentioned in the article can be fixed after this update, but just in case, you can also refer to the several solutions mentioned above.

To protect your system from any issues, the best way is to make sure you have backed up your system before applying updates. The free backup software AOMEI Backupper Standard can help you achieve the goal easily. And getting into the habit of backing up your system regularly is good for long-term data protection.

• Scheduled backup: You can set different backup frequencies to backup your Windows 10 system, including Daily/Weekly/Monthly.
• Different backup paths: It supports various backup destination paths, such as HDD, SSD, USB flash drive, NAS, cloud disk and network location, etc.
• Incremental backup: When you perform the scheduled backup, the freeware will run the backup task with the incremental backup to improve backup efficiency and save disk space.
• Multiple Operating Systems: This freeware not only supports Windows 10, but also supports multiple Windows PC operating systems, such as Windows 11/8.1/8/7/XP/Vista, etc.

Next, you can download and install this freeware. Then follow the graphic tutorial below. If you are a Windows Server user, you can choose AOMEI Backupper Server.

Step 1. Open the software and click Backup > System Backup.

Step 2. It will select system partition and boot-related partitions automatically. And you just need to select a destination.

Step 3. Click Start Backup to backup the Windows 10 system.

Notes:

• Options: You can write comments, select the compression level for your system backup or set email notifications.
• Schedule Backup: You can set different backup frequencies to backup Windows 10, such as Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Event trigger and USB plug in.

• Backup Scheme: It allows you to select different backup methods. And you can upgrade to the Pro version to enjoy the differential backup method which can easily restore your scheduled backup. After the upgrade, you can also enable automatic backup cleanup feature to save disk space. 

Summary

This article describes why this error occurs and 4 ways to fix it. To protect your system from any problems, it is recommended that you back up your system in advance to prevent data loss. The free backup software AOMEI Backupper Standard will not only help you to accomplish your goal but also help you to develop the habit of backing up your system regularly.

Besides, it is also an excellent restore software. Even if your system accidentally encounters problems, you can use this program to quickly restore your previously backed up system image files. If you need it, its Universal Restore feature can also help you restore your system backup to a computer with different hardware.