Protection is what really matters with any antivirus, and Microsoft Defender's rating, like just about everything else about the package, is mixed. Still, Defender wasn't far behind Bitdefender For example, one group of tests involves using trusted Windows apps to download malicious files, a common scripting trick.
Bitdefender and Kaspersky realized there was a problem purely from the behavior, and killed the process before it could download the file.
Microsoft Defender accepted the behavior, allowed the download, and only raised the alarm when it realized the file was malicious. It still protected us, this time, but perhaps wouldn't have done if the threat were brand new.
We pitted Microsoft Defender against our custom ransomware, but it missed that, too, allowing it to encrypt thousands of test files. Turn this on and it automatically blocks unauthorized apps from accessing key document folders Documents, Pictures, Videos, Music, more and you can easily add more. We turned Controlled Folders on, added our test folder to the list, and ran the ransomware simulator again. This time, Defender displayed an alert when our ransomware tried to access the folder, and it wasn't able to encrypt any documents.
This isn't exactly sophisticated. Controlled Folders simply blocks everything it doesn't recognize, and we found a couple of legitimate programs refused to run until we'd manually added them to an Exceptions list. Avast's Ransomware Shield is smarter, more like a firewall; when it detects an unauthorized access to a folder, it alerts you, but also asks if the process is legitimate. Confirm it, Ransomware Shield adds the app to your Exceptions list itself and there's nothing else to do.
Controlled Folders could be better, then, but it did its core job, keeping us safe from a threat that the antivirus engine missed. If you value the security of your PC and all of your online accounts, you need to invest in higher-quality internet security software. Norton is better than Windows Defender in every aspect — it has higher malware detection rates, better internet security protections, more additional features, and coverage for more platforms.
Norton also has a really good password manager with all of the essentials, like auto-saving, auto-filling, and biometric login, as well as extras such as a password auto-changer which only the best password managers like Dashlane and LastPass have.
Norton is available in a variety of p ackages. Norton Standard is a good choice for users looking to protect only 1 device. Norton Deluxe covers 5 devices and includes excellent parental controls, which offer location tracking as well as the ability to block and schedule usage for specific apps.
Norton is also easier to use than Windows Defender, has a variety of pricing plans for every budget, and offers a generous day money-back guarantee. Download Norton Now. Even though Windows Defender is also partially cloud-based, it still slowed down my system during scans. Bitdefender has some of the strongest web protections of any antivirus on the market. Bitdefender has anti-phishing, a VPN, parental controls, a password manager, system tuneup tools, and lots more, all inside a well-laid-out and intuitive dashboard.
Download Bitdefender Now. TotalAV also includes some really good extra features which Windows fails to include in its built-in protections — including a VPN, system tuneup tools, and identity theft protections. TotalAV is much easier to use than Windows Defender and comes with good malware protection and great PC optimization tools to enhance device performance.
Download TotalAV Now. Users looking for a VPN with unlimited browsing data, advanced system optimization, and mobile protections should check out Avira Prime — it offers coverage for up to 5 users across all operating systems. Avira Prime comes with a day money-back guarantee. Download Avira Now. McAfee also has an excellent Wi-Fi scanner that actively scans your network to let you know which devices are currently logged into your Wi-Fi network.
The Wi-Fi scanner even offers notifications if new users try to gain access to your network. Download McAfee Now. BullGuard has a very good game booster that both suspends scans and notifications while gaming and reallocates system processes across multi-core processors — so that your CPU can put as much power as possible into running your games.
In my testing , this game booster significantly increased my frame rate and load times across a wide variety of games. But BullGuard is reasonably priced, offering the game booster with all 3 of its antivirus packages. The screen-time limits work with Windows or Xbox One, but not a Mac. The browser filters screen what kids see in Edge and Internet Explorer, but not in Chrome or Firefox.
These two features do work with Android devices, but the devices need to have the Microsoft Launcher app installed. Windows Defender's mandatory protection makes computing safer, but it complicates our testing because it means that Defender is always running in the background and there's no easy way to generate a pre-installation baseline score comparable to those of other antivirus brands.
For what it's worth, installing Kaspersky Security Cloud Free actually sped up our system by 0. To gauge performance, we used our Excel-based benchmark, which measures how long it takes to match 20, names and addresses in a spreadsheet. This notebook ran Windows 10 with the latest updates. Windows Defender took an average of 1 hour and 34 minutes to complete a full scan of our test system, the slowest of the free malware apps to examine an entire computer.
The quick scan took an average of 3 minutes and 38 seconds, well behind Avast Free Antivirus' 1 minute and 36 seconds.
With no active scans running, our benchmark test took Windows Defender's quick-scan results were better, with the benchmark finishing in 15 seconds. The Windows Security Center can be reached by clicking the shield icon in the System Tray that slides out from the little up arrow in the bottom right of the desktop interface.
Device Security lets you activate core isolation and memory integrity to help stop fileless-malware attacks. Family Options just links to your online Microsoft account, where you can set up the aforementioned parental controls. One big drawback: There's no easy way to schedule scans with Windows Defender. Instead, you need to set up scans in the Task Scheduler, which hasn't changed much since Windows Vista and will try the resourcefulness and patience of most users.
Because it's part of Windows, there's nothing to install or turn on with Windows Defender. It's there whether you want it or not. There are also a lot of resources online, including set-up tips, reports of new malware and detailed instructions. Windows Defender now provides world-class malware protection and makes a good argument for not replacing it with a third-party antivirus program.
Its only flaws are that some of its protective tasks, like scheduling scans, are hard to set up, and that some of the associated Windows protections apply only to Microsoft's own browsers.
If you do not only want to check vulnerable folders, but for example the entire computer, click on Scan options , with the choice of one Full scan or a Custom scan. The first scans all files on all drives and that can take a long time. The latter offers after a click on Scan now the ability to choose a folder or file. In the meantime, the computer can be used as usual; other activity does affect the speed of the scan. So if you want to scan the entire computer and be sure as soon as possible whether there is an infection, leave the computer untouched during the scan.
If malware is found and it is difficult to remove, try it via the Microsoft Defender Offline Scan , the bottom of the scan options. First close all other programs and then click Scan now.
Confirm the choice that you want to scan and let Windows Defender restart the computer. Windows will now reboot but in protected mode, in which it can really scan the computer from the outside.
This makes Windows Defender even more powerful in recognizing and especially removing malware. It is advisable to perform this action regularly even without any malware being found. An important weapon in the prevention of malware is protection against unwanted software, files and malicious websites.
Windows Defender provides the part for this App and browser management. Windows uses file reputation for this, which can vary from user to user. To configure these and other options, click Reputation security settings and, if desired, also switch the Blocking potentially unwanted apps in.
The last choice is the safest. Leave the other options checked! What you also want to prevent is that ransomware encrypts files and then demands a ransom. Like more and more anti-malware programs, Windows Defender offers the ability to protect important folders and files. Make sure the feature is turned on. There is no option to select folders yourself, but Windows itself selects all important folders, such as Documents, Pictures, Videos and also OneDrive.
Windows Defender Antivirus, like all other anti-malware programs, requires regular updates for its protection against malware.
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