What does microsoft security essentials protect you from

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. Note: Because of streamlined security, this process isn't available if you're running Windows 10 or 11 in S mode. Even though Windows Security is regularly scanning your device to keep it safe, you can also set when and how often the scans occur. Select the Start button, type schedule tasks in the Search box, and in the list of results, select Task Scheduler. In the top-center pane, select Windows Defender Scheduled Scan. Point to the choices to see the full names.

In the Actions pane on the right, scroll down and then select Properties. In the window that opens, select the Triggers tab, and then select New. For more information, see Support is ending soon. Get more information about upgrading to Windows 7 and Windows 8.

Find out what operating system your computer is running. Skip to main content. February 21, How do I know if I already have antivirus software?

Eve Blakemore. We can ensure this page stays updated with the most relevant information on how to help protect your PC with Windows Defender. If your computer is running Windows 8 If your computer is running Windows 8, you already have antivirus software.

If your computer is running Windows 7 Windows 7 includes spyware protection, but to protect against viruses you can download Microsoft Security Essentials for free. Click the arrow button next to Security to expand the section. It even includes simple PC performance and health reports as well as parental controls with content filtering, usage limitations, and location tracking.

Because Windows Defender now includes all of these useful features, users are wondering whether they can rely on Defender alone to protect their computers or need to use a third-party antivirus. I ran Defender through the same rigorous tests that I use for all third-party antivirus products. I downloaded around a thousand malware files — including viruses, trojans, ransomware, adware, cryptojackers, keyloggers, and rootkits — in order to test the disk scanning and real-time protection functions.

In addition to all of this testing, I measured CPU performance during various situations — like while using high-powered programs during disk scans — as well as testing every single feature to assess its overall ease of use. If you value the security of your PC and all of your online accounts, you need to invest in higher-quality internet security software.

Norton is better than Windows Defender in every aspect — it has higher malware detection rates, better internet security protections, more additional features, and coverage for more platforms. Norton also has a really good password manager with all of the essentials, like auto-saving, auto-filling, and biometric login, as well as extras such as a password auto-changer which only the best password managers like Dashlane and LastPass have.

Norton is available in a variety of p ackages. Norton is also easier to use than Windows Defender, has a variety of pricing plans for every budget, and offers a generous day money-back guarantee. Download Norton Now. Even though Windows Defender is also partially cloud-based, it still slowed down my system during scans. Bitdefender has some of the strongest web protections of any antivirus on the market. Bitdefender has anti-phishing, a VPN, parental controls, a password manager, system tuneup tools, and lots more, all inside a well-laid-out and intuitive dashboard.

Download Bitdefender Now. TotalAV also includes some really good extra features which Windows fails to include in its built-in protections — including a VPN, system tuneup tools, and identity theft protections. TotalAV is much easier to use than Windows Defender and comes with good malware protection and great PC optimization tools to enhance device performance. Download TotalAV Now. Avira Prime comes with a day money-back guarantee.

Download Avira Now. McAfee also has an excellent Wi-Fi scanner that actively scans your network to let you know which devices are currently logged into your Wi-Fi network. The Wi-Fi scanner even offers notifications if new users try to gain access to your network. Download McAfee Now. BullGuard has a very good game booster that both suspends scans and notifications while gaming and reallocates system processes across multi-core processors — so that your CPU can put as much power as possible into running your games.

In my testing , this game booster significantly increased my frame rate and load times across a wide variety of games. But BullGuard is reasonably priced, offering the game booster with all 3 of its antivirus packages. BullGuard provides advanced anti-malware protection and a unique game booster for PC gamers. BullGuard also offers some helpful internet security tools, but the VPN is only available as a separate purchase. All BullGuard premium plans are backed by a day money-back guarantee.