You can disable Defend post-delivery easily by removing the app registrations that link Defend with your Microsoft 365 tenancy. Disabling Defend can be done in a few different ways, depending on your needs and deployment scope.

Removing Users

If you have deployed Defend to a specific group of users and want to disable Defend temporarily, you can simply remove the users from the Microsoft 365 group that Defend protects.

To remove users from the group, follow the steps below:

1. Log in to your Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
2. Navigate to Recipients > Groups.
3. Select the group that Defend protects.
4. Select Members > View all and manage members.
5. Select all members in the group by selecting the Display Name check box.
6. To remove all users from the group, select the three-dot icon and select Remove Members.

Pause App Registrations

If you have deployed Defend to your entire organization and want to disable Defend temporarily, you can pause the app registrations that connect your Microsoft 365 tenancy with Defend.

To pause your app registrations, follow the steps below:

1. Log in to your Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
2. Navigate to App registrations.
3. Select the Defend app registrations.
4. Select Deactivate.
5. Select Deactivate in the menu on the right side of the screen.

To reinstate the Defend functionality, the app registrations can simply be reactivated.

Delete App Registrations

If you do not intend to reinstate Defend, then the app registrations that connect your Microsoft 365 tenancy and Defend can be deleted.

To delete your app registrations, follow the steps below:

1. Log in to your Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
2. Navigate to App registrations.
3. Select the Defend app registrations.
4. Select Delete.
5. Select Delete in the menu on the right side of the screen.