How To Schedule A Scan In Microsoft Defender Antivirus [Windows 10]

Your built-in Microsoft Defender Antivirus regularly scans your PC to help keep fight the viruses and malware. It also keeps you safe from threats attacking your PC from the internet. It does this when you are not using your Windows PC, it has real-time scanning that protects throughout the usage, when you download a file, when you copy data, install software or programs, or insert a device via USB ports.

While it protects you in real-time, you can manually scan the PC if you think it has virus, trojan or malware inside. You can also schedule Microsoft Defender Antivirus to scan at a time and frequency that you choose. In this guide, we will show you how to schedule a scan in Microsoft Defender Antivirus on your Windows 10 PC.

How To Schedule A Scan In Microsoft Defender Antivirus [Windows 10]

• Hit the search box on your taskbar and type in Task Scheduler to launch the task scheduler app.
• In the left side pane, expand Task Scheduler Library -> Microsoft > Windows, and then scroll down to select the Windows Defender folder.
• Now in the top center, double-click the Windows Defender Scheduled Scan to schedule a scan. You can also right-click on it and select Run.
• In the Windows Defender Scheduled Scan Properties (Local Computer) window, select the Triggers tab, go to the bottom of the window, and then select New.
• Here, you have the option to specify how often you want scans to run, and when you would like them to start. You can select from One time, Daily, Weekly, or Monthly with a specific date and time.
• When done, select OK to save the scheduled scan in Microsoft Defender.

This way you can schedule a scan for a folder or a file that you think it’s infected. You can also scan the whole PC to see if your PC has any hidden threats. In case you want to disable the Microsoft Defender real-time protection, you can temporarily disable its real-time protection to stop scanning automatically which may increase a little performance while you are gaming or doing a heavy task like video editing. The Microsoft Defender real-time protection locates and stops viruses and malware from installing or running on your device. 

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