5 Microsoft Defender Tips and Tricks to Get Started

Microsoft has renamed Windows Defender to Microsoft Defender with the Windows 10 update for November 2019. It is now part of Windows Security. Microsoft Defender (formerly Windows Defender) has improved by leaps and bounds in recent years with lower false positives, better usability, and better performance in detecting malware and viruses. This is why I do not recommend disabling Defender as I did before, and I recommend it over other paid alternatives on the market. I’m going to share some effective tips and tricks to help you get started with Defender.

Microsoft Defender is also coming soon to Android and iOS devices. It will be interesting to see how it goes. Anyway, let’s move on to our Defender tips and tricks.

Note: We believe Windows Defender will appear as Microsoft Defender on Windows after one of the Windows 10 updates expected in the coming months.

1. How to deactivate / activate Microsoft Defender

There are several reasons why you should know how to do this. One reason is the software or application conflict. Another may be troubleshooting, something I do regularly. I already explained how to turn off Windows Defender (linked again for those who skipped the intro), but I still don’t recommend it unless you’re using a reliable alternative.

Microsoft Defender should be enabled by default, unless you are using a third-party antivirus application. In this case, the rules will be governed by the installed application. More often than not, the installed antivirus application will disable Microsoft Defender and that is how it should be. It is not advisable to run two antivirus applications on the same machine at the same time. Note that uninstalling a third-party antivirus application should automatically activate Microsoft Defender. Otherwise, you can activate it manually. Business users should consult the official guide.

Windows security has four options. We will review each to make sure that you activate all of the possible forms of protection available to you. Open Windows security and click Virus and threat protection.

Click Managed Settings.

You’ll activate real-time protection, cloud-provided protection, automatic sample submission, and tampering protection.