Windows Defender is an antivirus program that is pre-installed on Windows 10, 8.1 and 7 machines, and when enabled it runs in the background of your computer to detect and protect against malicious software. It works to identify, monitor and control any suspicious activity on your computer system, as well as alerting you to potential threats.
If Windows Defender is working correctly, you may receive notifications about new threats or viruses that have been detected. These notifications can be seen in the Taskbar or Action Center. You can also check the Windows Defender Security Center to see if Windows Defender is running.
One way to make sure Windows Defender is protecting your computer is to look at the Windows Security Center. To do this, open your Start menu, type “Windows Security” into the search field, and select the app. Once you open Windows Security, find the “Virus & threat protection” button on the left side and click on it. You’ll be able to see the current status of Windows Defender and the last time it ran a scan. If Windows Defender is set up and working properly, it should show a green check mark with the message “Protection for your device is up to date.”
In addition to checking the Windows Security Center, you can also check the Event Viewer, which is a log of system events. To do this, open your Start menu, type “Event Viewer” into the search field, and select the app. In the Event Viewer window, find the log named “Microsoft-Windows-Windows Defender/Operational” and open it. Here you will be able to see detailed information about the current scans, such as the time they were run, what types of threats they detected, and whether they were successful. If Windows Defender has recently performed a scan, you should see recent entries in this log.
Finally, it’s important to remember that Windows Defender needs to be up-to-date in order to protect your computer. To make sure the program is up-to-date, open your Start menu, type “Windows Update” into the search field, and select the app. When you open Windows Update, there should be an option to check for updates. If Windows Defender has any updates available, make sure to install them.
By following these steps, you can easily verify that Windows Defender is working correctly and protecting your computer from malicious software.