You have often heard of Windows Defender, many of you have installed it on your computer without knowing what it is for, others failed to fully understand its functionality, so we decided to explain in this guide how Windows Defender works and how to use it best to keep your operating system safe.
Windows Defender is a program that comes pre-installed in the most recent versions of Windows and has the function of protecting the computer from any type of virus, by the admission of Microsoft itself is a tool that has limitations and that should be replaced with software more complete.
But, if you are reading it is because you want to know how Windows Defender works and how to activate it on your PC, so we will try to explain in a simple way all the steps to do.
Activating and using Windows Defender is very simple and it is within everyone’s reach, even if you are an inexperienced user, just a few minutes and your computer will be protected by this software by Microsoft.
How to activate Windows Defender
The computers in circulation have all installed Windows 10, which was in possession of the older models and was able to upgrade to the new version of the operating system, did not miss the opportunity, so we will explain how to activate Windows Defender on this new version of Windows.
The first thing to do is to click on the Start button located at the bottom left of the screen and choose the Settings item, then click on Update and Security and select the Windows Defender item in the left bar, check that the lever positioned near the heading Protection in real time, be active, otherwise activate it.
Recall that Windows Defender is automatically disabled if another antivirus is installed on your computer.
Windows Defender is already on the PC, there will be no need to download other software and every antivirus update is done automatically, along with the download of cumulative updates that Microsoft releases every month.
So the user does not have to do anything to keep the system safe, the software itself will update itself and act in real time to keep threats away.
Ease of using Windows Defender
Windows Defender was designed to be a software that is not intrusive and easy to use, therefore suitable even for less experienced users; the graphical interface is the first sign of how it was created with simplicity and immediacy: at launch, the dashboard immediately informs about the protection status of the computer, also indicating the date of the last performed scan.
In addition, all the fundamental parameters of the computer are highlighted: Protection against viruses and threats, Performance and integrity of the device, Firewall and network protection, Control of the app and the Browser, Family options. If these points are free of malfunctions and threats, a green tick will appear, indicating that the system is protected in every respect.
Windows Defender antivirus protection
Of Windows Defender the most interesting and useful function is certainly that relating to viruses, from the dashboard click on Protection against viruses and threats; to check immediately if there are any viruses in the PC just make a Quick Scan.
If Windows Defender finds any threat, it will ask you how to act each time, and you decide whether to eliminate the virus or quarantine it; moreover, a deeper and more accurate scan can be performed.
The software also includes the option of automatic protection, which monitors suspicious files even if the antivirus is at rest, this is an option that can be activated and deactivated by the user.
In addition, there are also other minor features in the Virus and Threat Protection section:
- Cloud protection
- Scan individual files and folders to prevent sensitive data from being captured by unwanted users and software
- Exclusions, which allows you to tell Windows Defender which files you should never delete
- Control of the app and the browser, which blocks all the software that start automatically on their own.
Finally, with Windows Defender you can activate manual scanning that allows you to choose between three modes: complete, customized and offline.
The full scan will check all files and folders on your computer and it may take hours; the custom allows you to choose which files and folders to scan and the offline, useful to combat and eliminate viruses that are activated and draw strength from the network connection.