Microsoft Defender, security software built into Windows, has come a long way since its inception as “Security Essentials” and has improved its capability and level of detection, system load and usability to catch up with other free solutions.

If in the days of Windows 7 it was Microsoft’s solution «worst antivirus»The available and specialized media did not recommend its use, the situation has changed and today is an effective solution against most cybersecurity threats, viruses, worms, Trojan horses and all kinds of malware that accumulate week by week trying to infect computers and networks.

Simply put, Microsoft Defender today has enough features for the user to walk no need to buy third party solutions. And we’re talking about the free ones, because commercial comprehensive security solutions continue to provide a higher level in all scenarios.

Microsoft Defender on Windows 11

Microsoft is improving its security software and we expect more innovations in the next update of Windows 11 22H2, with changes at the user interface level to be more integrated into the system and with greater cross-platform capacity for Windows 11, iOS, Android and macOS. .

Until it comes Defender is included with Windows 11 as part of the same system, is integrated with the system and, like other installed solutions, anticipates the introduction of malware, detects it and possibly eliminates it thanks to its proactive capabilities. But it can also be used by the user to actively check internal and external attached storage units for malware. In this practical basis, we will review uses that do not differ from the rest of the free antivirus.

basic scanning

• Open the application using the icon on the taskbar. (Or any other method, such as the Start menu).

• You will enter the “Windows Security” section, which is part of the general System Configuration Utility.

• Click on the “Virus and threat protection” section.
• Simply click on “Quick Test”.

This type of malware scan only scans startup folders and the registry. It’s a good choice because it’s easy and fast when we have the system under control or we’ve already done some of the options we’ll see below.

advanced scanning

• On the “Virus and Threat Protection” screen, click “Scan Options”.
• You will see four options, which are explained by their name: quick from the previous step; the complete one that scans everything; personalized examination and an examination corresponding to the off-line mode.

If you are accessing these features for the first time, we recommend that you perform a full scan. It will depend on the equipment, but it usually takes a long time, even if it works in the background and allows you to continue using the equipment.

The fourth option “Microsoft Defender Offline Scan”, restarts the computer and scans it before loading the system. This mode is responsible for detecting the type of persistent malware loaded at system startup or addressing security threats that even prevent the computer from starting. Windows runs in a special recovery environment and, like any antivirus, updates the virus base, scans the system, and if it detects malware, it will require user intervention to remove it.

You can try it though for these “off-line” tasks there are more effective solutions such as the 10 free rescue antiviruses against infected Windows computers that we recently offered you.

Yes, Microsoft Defender has improved so much that most users do not need to install third-party software. If you don’t … because there are free solutions that – in my opinion – are still more capable than this Defender. In this case, Microsoft antivirus will be disabled to avoid penalizing system resources, although you can use it whenever you want, in the way we’ve seen.