Windows Defender is a built-in antivirus solution in Windows 10. It is designed to protect your device from malicious software and online threats. To ensure optimal protection, it is recommended to manually scan your device with Windows Defender at least once a month. Depending on how often you use your computer, you may want to consider performing more frequent scans.
To manually scan your device with Windows Defender, open the Start menu, type “Windows Security” and select the first result. On the Windows Security home page, click on Virus & threat protection, then click Scan options. You can choose from a Quick scan, Full scan, or Custom scan. The Quick scan will only check for known viruses and threats, while the Full scan will search your device more thoroughly, including system memory and folders that are usually hidden. A Custom scan allows you to select specific folders or drives to scan. After choosing your desired scan, click Scan now.
Windows Defender is a useful tool, but it is still important to practice safe computing habits and to use other antivirus solutions as a supplementary layer of protection. It’s also important to ensure that your system and all programs are up to date with the latest security patches and updates.