Why use Windows Defender?

Windows Defender helps protect your PC against malware (malicious software) like viruses, spyware, and other potentially unwanted software. Malware can infect your PC without your knowledge: it might install itself from an email message, when you connect to the Internet, or when you install certain apps using a USB flash drive, CD, DVD, or other removable media. Some malware can also be programmed to run at unexpected times, not just when it's installed.

Windows Defender is included with Windows and helps keep malware from infecting your PC in two ways:

• Providing real-time protection.‍‍ Windows Defender notifies you when malware tries to install itself or run on your PC. It also notifies you when apps try to change important settings.

• Providing anytime scanning options. You can use Windows Defender to scan for malware that might be installed on your PC, to schedule scans on a regular basis, and to automatically remove (or temporarily quarantine) anything that's detected during a scan.

When you use Windows Defender, it's important to have up-to-date definitions. Definitions are files that act like an ever-growing encyclopedia of potential software threats. Windows Defender uses definitions to detect any malware and to notify you of potential risks. To help keep your definitions up to date, Windows Defender works with Windows Update to automatically install new definitions as they're released. You can also have Windows Defender check online for updated definitions before scanning.