When to Disable Sophos Home
NOTE: To exclude software instead, please see the related information at the bottom of this article.
Sophos Home provides multiple layers of security to keep your computer safe. These include protections against general threats, exploits (on Windows only), ransomware, and web-based dangers. It also has privacy features to secure your webcam (Windows only).
Do Not Disable Sophos Home If You Have a Virus! Sophos strongly recommends that you do not disable any of these protections unless it is absolutely necessary for troubleshooting or testing purposes. Turning off all of Sophos Home's security features will leave your computer vulnerable to threats and viruses until you re-enable them.
How to disable Sophos Home:
1 - Log in to your Sophos Home Dashboard
2 - Choose the desired computer and click on the PROTECTION tab
3 - Turn all the blue sliders to the gray position by clicking on them
4 - Repeat step 3 for every sub-section of the PROTECTION tab (General, Exploits (Windows only), Ransomware and Web) as needed.
5 - Wait a few seconds until the Sophos Home Antivirus reflects the non-protected status and troubleshoot/test as needed. When finished, turn the protections back on to ensure system security.
6 - If desired, click on the PRIVACY tab to turn off webcam protection (Windows only)
7 - Perform your tests, then re-enable the protections by following the above listed steps, and ensuring all the sliders are in the blue (on) position.
Note: Turning off Risk Reduction will also disable Webcam protection - This is expected behavior and users should turn both back on after they are done troubleshooting/testing.
Example of Windows computer - PROTECTION -- > General features disabled
(to disable other layers, see step 4)
Example of Mac computer - PROTECTION -- > General features disabled
(to disable other layers, see step 4)