If you have been using Microsoft Windows 8 or 8.1, you would surely know Windows Defender; or, at least, you have heard the name, we bet. Windows Defender, as you may know, was the result of an idea of having a sophisticated as well as native anti-virus protection for your Windows PC, developed solely by Microsoft Corporation. This solution is actually a fully-fledged form of Microsoft Security Essentials, which was an antivirus solution, made available for PCs running on Windows 7 and all. Most of you’ll be happy to know that you can use Windows Defender on Windows 10. Before that, we’ll have a briefer overview on Windows Defender.
Before You Start Using It
So, Windows Defender is one of the basic software you get when you purchase a PC running Windows 8 or later. This security-oriented utility can help you fight off various kinds of threats such as malware, viruses, spyware etc. It has to be noted, however, that Windows Defender needs to be disabled in several situations. For instance, it is not advised to run a paid antivirus software while using Windows Defender, and you should better disable Windows Defender in those scenarios.
In fact, it needs to be mentioned that Windows Defender can be, at times, annoying. These having said, for the basic user of Windows PC, Windows Defender is best, given you’re always up-to-date.
How to Use Windows Defender on Windows 10
Well, Windows 10 is claimed to be the most revolutionary and effective Operating System from Microsoft, with a lot of changes from the previous version — such as the coming-back of Start menu. In short, we would call it one of the most comprehensive OSs. In such an environment, it’s good to have and use Windows Defender.
- It has to be noted that, in most cases, Windows Defender would be on by default. At the moment you switch on your PC, it will be in the active mode, but there are different cases as well. If it’s so,
- Click on Start Button > Select Settings > Choose Update & Security
- Select Windows Defender
Then, you can see the full window of Windows Defender, with three tabs. On the right part, there’s Settings button, clicking which will lead you to the Settings page.
- If they are not on, turn on ‘Real-Time Protection’ and ‘Cloud Protection’
Now, you have Windows Defender in a complete working state, protecting your computer from various threats. By the way, there are some things you should know about Windows Defender, when you want a comprehensive level of protection from threats.
Things to Take Care of
- One of the most interesting things about Windows Defender is that it’s more or less automated! Even when you are a bit busy with other stuff, the tool will take care of scanning and further actions, such as deleting and quarantine. As it comes to the case of Virus definitions, however, you need to be careful. The virus definition updates are brought to the PC via Windows Update packages. So, in case if you have turned off Windows Update, the tool won’t be able to offer up-to-date, real-time protection.
- A few other things to be noted are regular scans and removal of quarantined stuff. Apart from the automated scans, Windows Defender offers an option called ‘Manual Scan’. Here, you have three options — Quick Scan, Full Scan and Custom Scan. While the first one does a quicker overview scan of PC, the second one is complete. On the other hand, if you want to cover a particular section of PC only, you should go with Custom Scan option of Windows Defender. In addition to these, Windows Defender would have quarantined malicious stuff in background. It is necessary to check the quarantine on a regular basis and remove them, to ensure best safety results.
- As we said, it’s not good when different antivirus software runs simultaneously. Understanding this, Defender has an option to disable itself automatically if it senses a third-party antivirus. So, in Action Centre, the new antivirus would be shown as the protection option. If you find that Windows Defender is active even after installing another AV, you need to know how to completely disable Windows Defender from your computer.
To Conclude
So, you have seen the process to use Windows Defender on Windows 10, along with some factors to be noticed. It’s been made clear that Windows Defender can be quite effective in a suitable environment; for instance, you receive regular Windows Updates and have a good internet connection, you need not look for an extra antivirus, the paid ones, per se. Apart from the regular updates, things such as quarantine removal and manual scans (if you find something) are also equally significant. Do you use Windows Defender on Windows 10 PC of yours?
