Should i turn windows defender on

Then select Edit group policy from the listed results. The Local Group Policy Editor will open. Scroll to the bottom of the list and select Turn off Microsoft Defender Antivirus. Select Disabled or Not configured. It might feel counter-intuitive to select these options because the names suggest that you're turning Microsoft Defender Antivirus off.

Don't worry, these options actually ensure that it's turned on. Turn on real-time and cloud-delivered protection Complete the following steps to turn on real-time and cloud-delivered protection. In the search bar, type Windows Security. Select the matching result. Flip each switch under Real-time protection and Cloud-delivered protection to turn them on. You'll have exploit protection and you can customize protection settings for your devices.

Device security - Review built-in security options to help protect your device from attacks by malicious software.

Open Windows Security settings. Yellow means there is a safety recommendation for you. Red is a warning that something needs your immediate attention. When you're concerned about risks to a specific file or folder, you can right-click the file or folder in File Explorer, then select Scan with Microsoft Defender.

If you suspect there's malware or a virus on your device, you should immediately run a quick scan. This is much faster than running a full scan on all your files and folders. Under Current threats , select Quick scan or in early versions of Windows 10, under Threat history , select Scan now. If the scan doesn't find any issues, but you're still concerned, you may want to check your device more thoroughly. Under Current threats , select Scan options or in early versions of Windows 10, under Threat history , select Run a new advanced scan.

Full scan check files and programs currently running on your device. Custom scan scan specific files or folders. Microsoft Defender Offline scan run this scan if your device has been, or could potentially be, infected by a virus or malware. Learn more about Microsoft Defender Offline. Learn more about running an advanced scan. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products.

List of Partners vendors. Mark Baggesen. Updated on July 08, Tweet Share Email. In This Article. What Is Windows Defender? Navigating Defender. Updating Threat Definitions. Running Scans. This guide will walk you though the steps needed to enable or disable your Windows Defender protection.

Windows Defender will be on by default but if you want to make sure or you want to turn it off go ahead and follow these steps. Get Tech Support See How it Works video. For Business. Step-by-Step Guides.