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You canopen and use Windows Defenderto scan and remove malware or virus on your PC.
Microsoft Defender Antivirus offers 4 scanning options.
Check the detailed explanation below.
Virus & threat protection in Windows Security helps you scan for threats on your Windows 10/11 computer.
Check the details in this post.
Windows Defender Quick Scan
The first scan option of Microsoft Defender is Quick Scan.
In most cases, you’re able to just run a quick scan and it is sufficient.
The combination of real-time protection and a quick scan offers strong protection against malware.
It is also the recommended option for the scheduled scan.
This option scans folders in your Windows system where threats are commonly found, e.g.
the Downloads folder, the Windows folder, the Windows Startup folder, the registry keys, etc.
It offers strong protection against malware that starts with the system and kernel-level malware.
you could click theQuick Scanbutton on the Virus & Threat Protection screen to instantly start scanning your system.
Windows Defender Quick Scan only takes a few minutes.
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Choose your preferred free antivirus software for Windows 10/11 to protect your PCs safety.
The Full Scan mode checks all files and running programs on your hard disk.
It runs a quick scan and then continues running a sequential file scan of all mounted disks.
Since it takes a long time, Microsoft doesnt recommend scheduling a full scan.
you’re able to manually execute the full scan when you want.
Check the detailed guides below.
From parameters
If everything is OK after the scan, you will see a message saying No Current Threats.
If it detects any threats, you might click theStart actionsbutton and Windows Defender will automatically remove the threats.
This scan mode lets you choose a specific file, folder, or location and runs a quick scan.
You have two easy ways to run a custom scan with Windows Defender.
From Virus & Threat Protection Screen
This way only lets you scan folders but not a specific file.
It uses up-to-date threat definitions.
This scan mode will kickstart your setup and will take about 15 minutes.
Related:Fix Windows Defender Offline Scan Not Working.
It checks the whole computer system.
Windows Defender Quick Scan only checks for common file types and locations where the malware or virus could be.
However, the malicious files can be stored in locations that are not included in a quick scan.
As stated above, the Custom Scan lets you choose and scan any file, folder, or location.
Only Quick Scan and Custom Scan modes support removable drive scan.
Does Microsoft Defender Automatically Scan?
Windows Defender offers real-time protection for your rig if you have enabled the real-time protection feature.
It also regularly scans your box to keep it safe.
If you want, you might alsoset a preferred schedule to perform the scan with Windows Defender.
Does Windows Defender Scan External Drive?
By default, Windows Defender Antivirus doesnt scan external drives in full scan.
It can scan external drives during the quick scan and custom scan.
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Also read:Learn the best trick fordata recovery hard driveon Windows 11/10/8/7
