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The Windows Defender Security Center is an experience that comes built into Windows 10 since the release of the Creators Update. It combines the most common security features of Windows into an easy-to-use app allowing technical and non-technical users to view and protect their devices and data against many types of malware, including viruses and ransomware, hacker attacks, security threats, and more.
In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to get started and perform everyday tasks with the Windows Defender Security Center app to keep your system and data safe.
Windows Defender Security Center vs. Windows Defender Antivirus
Before we dive into this guide, it's important to clarify the difference between 'Windows Defender Antivirus' and 'Windows Defender Security Center,' because while their names are similar, they serve different purposes.
'Trust me, Windows Defender uses less system resource and works better that any other Antivirus. However, you can make your own decision.' We all know that using other antivirus, Defender does not work. Would like to hear some opinions from the Computing Net people. Windows Defender will immediately scan any external device that is placed on your computer, it is a nice idea, but then I think the developer should upgrade the software to identify devices that it has previously scanned, so it doesn’t keep scanning a device more than once daily.
Windows Defender Vs Antivirus 2019
Windows Defender Security Center is an application that provides a unified experience to view status and control security features, such as firewall, antivirus, performance monitor, and other products.
On the other hand, Windows Defender Antivirus is the default anti-malware engine of Windows 10 that offers real-time protection against viruses and security threats.
Installing a third-party antivirus will disable the Windows Defender Antivirus automatically, but it'll not affect the functionality of the Windows Defender Security Center. In the same way, disabling Windows Defender Antivirus or Windows Defender Firewall will not disable Security Center.
How to navigate Windows Defender Security Center
To get started, you can launch the app from the Start menu, or you can double-click the shield icon from the notification area in the taskbar.
Although 'Home' doesn't include any setting that you can manage, it's a good place to get started, as it provides an overview of the protection of your device.
In this page, you can view the status of all the security features and alerts of any action that needs to be taken to keep your computer secure. Also, at the top of the page, you'll be able to find antivirus information, such as when the last scan was performed and when the last definition was installed.
The shield icon in the notification area is also capable of alerting you when an action needs to be taken. If there is more than one alert, only the most severe warning will be displayed.
Windows Defender Security Center includes five areas of protection that you can manage and monitor.
- Virus & threat protection: includes the Windows Defender Antivirus settings, and it allows you to monitor the malware protection, scan your device for threats, and set up its advanced anti-ransomware feature.
- Device performance & health: allows you to check the health and performance of your computer, and provides a mechanism to clean up your device to fix errors and slowdown problems.
- Firewall & network protection: lets you monitor the status of network connections, and you can configure various Windows Defender Firewall settings.
- App and browser control: helps you to protect your device and data from malicious code hidden on apps, files, and websites.
- Family options: offers easy access to manage your devices and kids online experience using a Microsoft account.
How to scan your PC for malware using Windows Defender Antivirus
Windows 10 automatically updates and scans your computer for malware regularly, but if you can also perform a scan manually.
Quick scan
A quick scan happens fast, and it only scans the parts of the system where malware are known to hide.
- Open Windows Defender Security Center.
- Click on Virus & threat protection.
- Click the Quick scan button.
If you suspect that a virus is still on your computer, you should try to perform a full scan.
Full scan
A full scan takes longer, but it checks your files and running applications. You can run a full virus scan on your computer using the following steps:
- Open Windows Defender Security Center.
- Click on Virus & threat protection.
- Click the Advanced scans link.
- Select the Full scan option.
- Click the Scan now button.
Custom scan
If you simply want to scan a folder or another specific location, you can perform a custom scan using these steps:
- Open Windows Defender Security Center.
- Click on Virus & threat protection.
- Click the Advanced scans link.
- Select the Custom scan option.
- Select the location to be scanned, and click the Select Folder button.
Alternatively, you can just right-click a drive, folder, or file and select the Scan with Windows Defender option from the context menu to perform a custom scan.
Offline scan
Sometimes if you're dealing with a tough virus or another type of malware, the antivirus may not be able to remove it while Windows 10 is running. If this is the case, save your work, close any running application, and run an offline scan using the following steps:
- Open Windows Defender Security Center.
- Click on Virus & threat protection.
- Click the Advanced scans link.
- Select the Windows Defender Offline scan option.
- Click the Scan now button.
- Click the Scan button to continue.
When you start an offline scan, your device will restart and boot using the Windows Defender Antivirus environment. The latest definition update will be installed (if an internet connection is available), a scan will be performed, and if a malicious software is detected, it'll be removed or quarantined automatically.
How to view scan history using Windows Defender Antivirus
During a scan for malware there are many things that it could happen, and to understand the threats and scan details, Windows Defender Antivirus includes a history area, which you can access using these steps:
- Open Windows Defender Security Center.
- Click on Virus & threat protection.
- Click on Scan history.
In the 'Scan history' page, you'll be able to see any threats that have been detected, quarantined items that couldn't be removed, and those items that were detected as threats, but were allowed to run by you.
How to temporarily disable Windows Defender Antivirus
Although it's not recommended to use a device without a malware protection, sometimes the antivirus can be the reason you can't install an application or update. In this case, you can disable the antivirus temporarily to complete an installation.
To disable Windows Defender, do the following:
- Open Windows Defender Security Center.
- Click on Virus & threat protection.
- Click the Virus & threat protection settings option.
- Turn off the Real-time protection toggle switch.
Once you've completed the steps, you can perform tasks that may conflict with the antivirus. If you don't re-enable the antivirus, it'll restart automatically the next time you reboot your computer.
If you have a good reason, you can disable Windows Defender Antivirus permanently using these advanced instructions.
How to view health and performance report of your PC
Windows Defender Security Center also includes an area that surfaces information about the health and performance of your computer.
To view your PC health and performance report, do the following:
- Open Windows Defender Security Center.
- Click on Device performance & health.
The report includes status for Windows Update, storage, device driver, and battery. If action needs to be taken, you'll see an alert with a recommendation on how to remedy the issue.
Here are the meanings for each possible status state:
- Green: everything is OK.
- Yellow: recommendation is available.
- Red: warning that requires immediate attention.
Fresh start
If your PC is having performance problems, such as issues with memory, shutting down, or everything is working very slow, you can click the Additional info link under 'Fresh start' to re-install Windows 10 with the latest updates.
The process to start with a fresh copy of Windows 10 is straightforward:
- Click the Get started button.
- Click the Next button.
- Review the apps that will be removed.
- Click the Next button.
- Click the Start button to begin the process.
This process won't delete your files, it'll keep some Windows settings, but it'll remove everything else to help fix performance issues with your device.
How to manage network security with Windows Defender Firewall
The experience also includes an area to monitor and manage Windows Defender Firewall settings, which you can access with the following steps:
- Open Windows Defender Security Center.
- Click on Firewall & network protection.
In the page, you can view at a glance in which network profile the firewall is currently enabled and protecting you from unauthorized access. The one marked as 'active' is the network profile currently in use.
You can also click any of the networks to disable the firewall and block all incoming network connections for a particular profile.
'Firewall & network protection' includes access to a number of other advanced firewall settings, but these are just links to Control Panel.
How to protect your PC against malicious code
The 'App & browser control' page is the place to configure the Windows Defender SmartScreen settings that can help you to protect your computer against sites, apps, and files that may contain malicious code.
The default settings are the recommended configuration you should be using. Of course, that is unless you have a specific reason to change them.
To change the default SmartScreen settings do the following:
- Open Windows Defender Security Center.
- Click on App & browser control.
- Select the level of protection you want for apps and files, Microsoft Edge, and Microsoft Store apps.
You'll also notice the Exploit protection at the bottom of the page. This is an advanced feature that can help to mitigate malware and vulnerabilities without having to wait for a malware or system update.
Windows 10 includes the most optimal settings for Exploit protection, and you shouldn't be making any changes to these settings unless you know what you're doing.
How to manage parental control and keep track of your PCs
Windows Defender Security Center also has a 'Family options' area, but it's not a place where you can manage any settings. Instead, it offers access to manage parental control from your Microsoft account if your device includes accounts for children.
If you need to set up a kid-friendly device, check out this guide.
In the case you have multiple devices connected to the Microsoft account, you can click the View devices link to see your inventory along with health information and more.
Wrapping things up
On Windows 10, you can always choose to install any third-party suite of security tools. However, Windows Defender Security Center offers an user friendly experience that allows anyone to manage advanced security features, and it helps you to stay more informed about the protection of your device and data.
Best of all, it's totally free, and it works with other antivirus products too.
More Windows 10 resources
For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:
Many people compare or read a comparison between Windows Defender with third-party's Internet Security, Total Security and so on. Most of these comparisons are not equitable because these tools have antivirus as well as other security tools such as Firewalls, Internet security and others, while Windows Defender is just an antivirus program.
What Windows built-in security services are included and enabled by default?
Windows Defender is an antivirus software that protects your system against viruses, malware, spywares and network threats. It is a Windows Service that works with other Microsoft security and maintenance services such as Windows Firewall and Microsoft SmartScreen (which is Internet security: phishing and malware filter used in several Microsoft products including Internet Explorer, Hotmail and Microsoft Edge). All of these services are enabled by default and starts at system startup, of course, if you do not have installed a third-party security software.
When you install a third party security tool, Windows turns off its corresponding security service. For instance, Windows turns off Windows Defender automatically when you install a third party antivirus and you cannot turn it back on because Windows Defender settings become inactive unless you uninstall the third party antivirus.
In addition, security updates and critical updates protect against vulnerabilities to malware and security exploits. By default these updates are downloaded and installed by Windows Update service automatically.
Moreover, Windows Update takes care of updating Windows Defender automatically. Updating Windows Defender does not require system restart.
Finally, take in your consideration that Microsoft security tools are built into the Windows operating system and fully compatible, reliable and working smoothly with fewest bugs and side effects.
Windows Defender Vs Antivirus 2018
How to schedule Windows Defender to run system scan?
By default, Windows Defender is scheduled to run quick scan as part of daily basis Windows Automatic Maintenance job when the system is in idle status. When the task is missed or interrupted by the user (when the user returned to use the computer), the system re-runs the scan the next time the system goes to idle status (re-runs the scan from beginning and does not resume it from the point it stopped last time).
To see what tasks are included in the system Automatic Maintenance, change the time or run the system maintenance manually in Windows 10, open 'Security and Maintenance' window in Windows Control Panel (or type Security and Maintenance in the search box near to the Start menu). Then expand Maintenance section to see the Automatic Maintenance.
Security and Maintenance -> Maintenance -> Automatic Maintenance
Windows Task Scheduler service is used to schedule a Windows Defender system scan. Do not change the default quick scan to full system scan. Microsoft, the system builder and developer, sets all necessary settings of security and maintenance tasks to give you the best over-all system security and performance for most consumers to perform their normal daily works.
Windows 10: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/schedule-a-scan-in-windows-defender
Windows 8 (More detailed with screenshots - Same procedures for Windows 10):
There is no need for, and I do not recommend, a daily full system scan. This (full scan) takes more computer resources for a long time and slows down your system performance. In my opinion, the best practice to perform a full system scan is when you feel that your system is infected by a virus or when you clicked on a suspicious link online or in an email message and the quick scan did not solve the problem. In these cases, run the full system scan manually. If you want, you can run the full system scan from time to time (once a month for instance) manually.
Although, you don’t need to schedule a full system scan, you can setup your own scheduled task to perform a full system scan and, again, don’t change the Microsoft default settings. For this purpose, use Windows Task Scheduler tool.
To run a Quick, Full or Custom scan manually, open Windows Defender then from the main page (Home) select a scan option and click 'Scan now' button to start the scan.
Windows Defender Or Other Antivirus
Who needs to change built-in security tools?
Maybe, you need to change some of default settings, built-in tools and/or use additional security tools using higher-rated 3rd-party software, if you are working on public place and using many of others possibly infected external memories (such as Flash drives and External HDDs), connecting to an unsafe public Wi-Fi frequently, opening unknown and dangerous websites, playing with hackers or visiting their websites (maybe for downloading, installing or testing some illegal apps), visiting porn websites, and/or downloading and testing apps from unknown sources. In these cases, you are exposing to viruses and external attacks from hackers more than usual.
Although, for many of these cases, Windows built-in security tools with default settings are good enough to block these external attacks, you can use higher-rated 3rd-party tools and/or antiviruses depending on the case you have.
To increase your system security, if you want, you can install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware as a precaution.
Why we prefer third-party antiviruses?
There are some key points that most consumers prefer third-party antiviruses:
- Virus and Spyware Protection:Most of higher rated third-party antiviruses, as I saw, give you around 5% to 15% more virus detection capability than Windows Defender. If you want to play with hackers or visit unknown and dangerous websites, then you need higher rated antivirus and firewall to protect your computer. The thing that most of people do not.
- Virus Scan SpeedMany of higher rated antiviruses scans for viruses faster than Windows Defender. However this is an advantage, but you will not do a full scan for viruses every day. There are situations that you need to scan a driver or full computer scan such as when you feel that your system not working properly and the quick scan did not solve the problem. Maybe, this happens once in several months and sometimes a quick-scan solves the problem, if your antivirus includes this option.
- Resource UsageSome antiviruses needs less system CPU and memory usage to protect your pc. Although, Windows Defender has good system resource usage, some third-party software give higher rating in some tests.
What are the advantages of Windows Defender and Windows security system?
If you want to choose between Windows built-in security and a third-party security software, take the following points into consideration that many people do not think about.
- Windows security tools including Windows Defender, Windows Firewall and Microsoft SmartScreen are fully integrated in Windows operating system and working in the background. You will not even feel that they exist in normal conditions.
- When you upgrade your Windows to a newer version or install an update of current version, Windows security services are updated as well. Many third-party antiviruses have some issues when you upgrade your Windows or, sometimes, when you apply some updates to current version, and some of them stop working completely.
- Quick-scan checks the places on your computer's hard disk that spyware is most likely to infect.
- Windows Defender has a feature called Real-Time Protection (RTP). RTP is running in the context of the logged-on user. It monitors the registry and file system on the computer by using agents that monitor auto-start extensibility points (ASEP). RTP continuously monitors your computer and scans everything you download or run on your PC.
Although, many other third-party systems have this feature (RTP) and/or quick-scan option, RTP in Windows Defender with the default scheduled quick-scan kills some advantages of other higher rated third-party antiviruses such as lower system resource usage, and higher scan speed. With the existence of RTP and scheduled quick-scan, you do not need full system scan and startup scan because the RTP and quick-scan do the job. Therefore, the higher rated “higher speed of full system scan” and “lower system resource usage” are no longer advantages of third-party antiviruses. This is because you do not need startup scan and full system scan anymore except in some situations, such as when you feel that you system is infected and quick scan did not solve the problem, you perform a custom or full system scan depending on the case you face.
Summary:
If you want to compare or read a comparison between Microsoft security system with other third-party security systems, such as Internet Security and Total Security tools, you have to consider Windows Defender along with Windows Firewall, Microsoft SmartScreen, Windows Update, and Windows Schedule Tasks all together to get accurate and reliable results.
Recommendations:
If you want to give a priority to higher security, then choose a higher-rated third-party security software. In the other hand, if you want to use your computer for your daily business and give the priority to higher over-all system performance and reliability with good security level, then the best choice for you is Windows built-ins security including Windows Defender, Windows Firewall and Microsoft SmartScreen.
If you are not on a public Wi-Fi, Windows Firewall does its job efficiently and you don't need to install a third party firewall. If you chose to use a third-party product and you are not on a public Wi-Fi and you do not need extra services included in the third-party security systems, it is enough to get an anti-virus rather than a complete security set. For example, use ESET NOD32 Antivirus instead of ESET SmartSecurity or Bitdefender Antivirus instead of Bitdefender Internet/Total Security. Moreover, these extra tools usually slow down the system.
In my personal opinion, I recommend to stay on Microsoft built-in security system for a while, and do not purchase any third-party product because, as I see, most of them (if not all) have issues on windows 10 and they are not fully stable on the newly released operating system. After a couple of weeks, maybe you will find more stable security systems in the market. Then you can decide whether you want to use one of them or stay on Windows built-in security system – the most stable security system.
Quora Windows Defender Vs Other Antiviruses
If you decided to stay on Windows built-in systems, you can improve your system security by using some of additional free tools. When you feel your system is infected or attacked:
- Scan your system with ESET Online Scanner (free) to scan for malwares (viruses, spywares and Trojans) that Windows Defender could not catch.You can use any other vendor’s equivalent system you trust.
Best Free Antivirus For Windows 10
- Use Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (free edition), or any equivalent software, to scan for spywares in your system on demand. The premium version (paid) has Real-Time-Protection that monitors you system along with Windows security systems with no conflicts, according to Malwarebytes website.