When Windows Defender finds a virus or potentially unwanted item, it puts it into quarantine, where it cannot run unless you give it express permission. This brings up a list of available drives – select the one you’ve plugged in and click OK to check that particular location for any signs of malware. Plug the device into your PC, then, from the Home tab of Windows Defender, tick the Custom option on the right-hand side, then hit the Scan Now button. If you have an external hard drive that you only plug in occasionally, or if someone gives you a USB thumb drive with music or video onboard, it’s worth doing a check for viruses before you open the USB drive. You can choose to run a Quick Scan or Full Scan from the options on the right-side of the home page.Ī quick scan examines only the drives and folders most likely to contain bugs, while a full scan can take a long time, but will look in every nook and cranny or your PC for malware. Want to see how Windows 10 Defender compares to Norton, Kaspersky and McAfee? Read our Which? reviews of the best antivirus software.Ĭlick on the Start button in the bottom left of Windows 10 and then click on All Apps, then Windows System and Windows Defender, or type Defenderinto the search panel and select Windows Defender to bring up the software’s control panel. This official protection should be turned on when you buy a new computer or install Windows 10 for the first time, although it will deactivate itself if you install another antivirus package. This protects you against viruses and scans for malware on your PC.

Windows 10 (and the older 8.1) includes an antivirus tool called Windows Defender.

Windows antivirus scan