A free antivirus that provides fair protection
Windows Defender is a built-in anti-malware software that is included with every Windows 10 or 11 device. It’s performed well in tests by three independent organisations and has a few important features that make it stand out, like cloud backup and parental controls. It’s not a complete solution to protect against all threats, but. Other top antivirus software packages offer extras such as a VPN and password manager along with an array of device security and malware.
The Windows Security dashboard shows how everything’s running on your system, with green ticks indicating all is good and red ticks indicating things that require attention. It’s easy for you to see the things you need to take care of however, navigating through the various settings screens can be a little difficult.
Microsoft Defender includes a variety of protection features that are standard, such as real-time scans and blocking suspicious connections. It can also block malicious apps from changing settings on your system and block malware from running in memory. It also provides advice regarding password changes and account issues. There are other OS security features, such as virtualisation, code isolation and hardware protections.
Windows Security also has a knowledgebase that offers solutions to common issues, as well as an online search engine in case it isn’t able to locate the answer you’re looking for. There are also community videos that teach you how to make why not find out more use of the various features. Two sessions of technical support are included for free and are able to pay for additional support if needed.