How Good Is Windows Defender Antivirus

Our Verdict

Microsoft Defender is short on features and can't quite match the market leaders for protection, only it's easy to use, and does a decent mid-range job of keeping you lot safe.

For

Gratuitous
Better detection rates than some commercial antivirus
Built into Windows and then no setup hassles
Unlikely to conflict with other apps

Against

Very basic features
Antivirus covers Windows devices only
Few configuration options

TechRadar Verdict

Microsoft Defender is short on features and can't quite match the market leaders for protection, just it'south easy to apply, and does a decent mid-range job of keeping you rubber.

Pros

+
Free
+
Ameliorate detection rates than some commercial antivirus
+
Built into Windows so no setup hassles
+
Unlikely to conflict with other apps

Cons

-
Very basic features
-
Antivirus covers Windows devices only
-
Few configuration options

Microsoft Defender Antivirus (opens in new tab) doesn't get much security respect, just it'southward been effectually for a long time. Starting time released equally Windows Defender in 2006, then rebranded every bit Microsoft Defender, information technology'south been included in every version of Windows since Vista, and is now merely one of a set of built-in free security tools.

There'southward on-demand and real-time malware (opens in new tab) protection, for instance. Automatic detection and blocking of known malicious URLs and files. A unproblematic firewall (opens in new tab). And some very sophisticated depression-level exploit protection which makes it far more hard for malware to attack your organisation.

Desire to try Microsoft Defender? Check out the website here (opens in new tab)

Microsoft's parental controls are smarter than they used to exist, besides, with features including content filtering for Microsoft Edge (opens in new tab), the ability to control how much time your kids can spend on their devices, and the power to monitor all your family'due south devices from one place.

Can you really rely on Microsoft Defender Antivirus solitary, though? Permit'southward see.

Interface

1 of the major benefits of Microsoft Defender Antivirus is it comes built-in with Windows, no installation required, no hassles, very little chance that it'll conflict with anything else: it simply works.

One groovy advantage of this simplicity is most users never to see Defender'due south interface, beyond the occasional alert. Sensible default settings protect yous out of the box, automatic scanning on download and execution keeps you prophylactic from most threats, and idle and scheduled scans aim to detect everything else.

If you practise want to take a look, though, type Windows in the Search box, choose Windows Security and browse what's on offer.

Every bit with many other security apps, the principal dashboard displays your security status, while a sidebar gives you lot access to diverse functions: antivirus, account protection (how you log in), firewall and network protection, malicious URL and app blocking, parental controls and more.

This isn't always intuitive. While many antivirus (opens in new tab) apps have a Scan button on the dashboard, for instance, Defender's are ii clicks abroad at the bottom of the Scan Options panel.

Despite these initial hassles, it doesn't take long to figure out where everything is, and on rest Microsoft Defender Antivirus isn't difficult to employ.

Antivirus

Microsoft Defender has the full range of scanning options, and more: a quick scan, a full system browse, a custom scan to check the files and folders yous need, even a boot scan which runs before Windows fully loads, to remove the most stubborn threats.

Quick scans took around a minute on our test PC, but we couldn't get a consistent fourth dimension for other scans. Defender focuses more on reducing its organization impact than ramping up scan times. But does this work? It'southward unclear.

AV-Comparative'due south October 2021 Performance Test (opens in new tab) says no, placing Microsoft Defender a distant last place in a field of 17.

AV-Test's Windows tests have highlighted speed issues in the past, but they've mostly disappeared, and Defender at present typically scores a best-possible 6/six for speed in well-nigh AV-Test reports.

Protection

Protection is what really matters with whatever antivirus. Microsoft Defender has had mixed results from the independent labs in the past, but it'due south improved over the past few years, and now outperforms many commercial competitors.

AV-Comparatives' July-October 2021 Existent-World Protection Examination (opens in new tab) placed Microsoft equal eighth (with Bitdefender and VIPRE) out of 17, for example, with a protection rating of 99.vii%. Okay, that's not leading-border - Trend Micro, Panda and Norton all blocked 100% of threats - but we tin can't actually complain about an antivirus which 'only' does also as Bitdefender (especially when it's free.)

AV-Test's Windows Consumer reports awarded Defender a maximum 6/6 points for protection, speed and usability in all but one of its tests over the past twelvemonth (it dropped to 5.v/half dozen for one Usability score.) Only Avast and Norton scored higher.

SE-Labs' July-September 2021 Home Anti-Malware Protection (opens in new tab) report tells a like story, with Microsoft Defender ranked second out of nine on its Full Accurateness rating.

Threat Found — (Image credit: Microsoft)

Our own tests showed capable file detection, but footling in the way of beliefs monitoring.

For case, i group of tests involves using trusted Windows apps to download malicious files, a common scripting fox. Bitdefender and Kaspersky realized there was a trouble purely from the behavior, and killed the process earlier it could download the file. Microsoft Defender accepted the behavior, immune the download, and simply raised the warning when it realized the file was malicious. It still protected usa, this fourth dimension, but perhaps wouldn't take done if the threat were brand new.

We pitted Microsoft Defender against our custom ransomware, merely information technology missed that, as well, allowing it to encrypt thousands of exam files.

Controlled Folder Access — (Image credit: Microsoft)

Fortunately, Defender has a 2d layer of protection in its Controlled Folders characteristic (Security Middle > Virus & Threat Protection > Manage Ransomware Protection.) Turn this on and it automatically blocks unauthorized apps from accessing key document folders (Documents, Pictures, Videos, Music, more) and yous tin hands 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 alarm when our ransomware tried to access the folder, and it wasn't able to encrypt whatever documents.

This isn't exactly sophisticated. Controlled Folders simply blocks everything information technology doesn't recognize, and previously nosotros've found some legitimate programs refused to run until we manually added them to an Exceptions list.

Avast's Ransomware Shield is smarter, more like a firewall; when information technology detects an unauthorized access to a binder, it alerts you lot, only also asks if the procedure is legitimate. Confirm it, Ransomware Shield adds the app to your Exceptions list itself and there's cipher else to do.

Controlled Folders could exist better, then, but it did its cadre job, keeping us safe from a threat that the antivirus engine missed.

We're not going to discuss it in depth here, but Windows' OneDrive (opens in new tab) integration helps a trivial, too. The standard 5GB of gratis online storage space isn't a lot, but information technology'due south gratis, it's 5GB more than than you'll get with most security apps, and it could help you lot protect your most important data from assault.

More than features

Windows security doesn't stop with antivirus, and in that location are several other features to explore.

Pinnacle of the list is probably the firewall. This does a fair task of protecting you from incoming network attacks, but information technology's less interested in controlling outbound admission; if an app is able to run as an administrator, information technology's able to customize the firewall by adding its own rules.

Malware Alert — (Image credit: Microsoft)

Defender's reputation-based SmartScreen protection allows it to cake access to malicious websites, files and apps. Its URL filtering is consistently less accurate than the contest in our tests, and, worse, it only works with Microsoft Edge. SmartScreen's file and download checks work organization-wide, though, and they're a useful extra layer of protection.

Exploit Protection — (Image credit: Microsoft)

Windows has a bunch of extremely low-level exploit and device security features, largely focused on how the operating organization handles retention. They're important, but they're best left solitary, even by skilful users - playing with CFG, DEP, ASLR and Retentiveness Integrity settings can in some situations interruption your PC to the indicate that it won't even boot.

Finally, there'southward the Family Options page, a collection of parental controls features.

The good: you get quite a few options, including the power to filter websites by content, control when your kids can use their devices and which apps they can buy, then get regular activity reports on what they've been doing.

The bad: these are mostly very bones, and the Windows browser options are Edge-only. Bypassing them is as easy as downloading Chrome (opens in new tab).

You can install a free Microsoft Family Safety app on Android (opens in new tab) and iOS, to help control screen time, web and app utilise across other platforms. Information technology only covers the very basics, but it's nonetheless a welcome addition to the package, and if yous're looking for parental controls then information technology's worth checking out.

Final verdict

Microsoft Defender isn't as characteristic-packed as the acme antivirus competition, but information technology's more accurate than some big-name commercial products, and is much less likely to cause bug with your other applications. If simplicity (or price) is acme of your priority list, it's a reasonable choice.

We've also highlighted the best antivirus (opens in new tab)

Mike began his career as a lead software developer in the engineering world, where his creations were used by big-proper name companies from Rolls Royce to British Nuclear Fuels and British Aerospace. He at present covers VPNs, antivirus and all things security for TechRadar, although he still has a undercover dearest of quirky open-source and freeware apps which observe make new means to solve common problems.