RELATED: What's the Best Antivirus for Windows 10? (Is Windows Defender Good Enough?)Īfter you click this button, your computer will automatically reboot and begin scanning your PC for malware. Select “Microsoft Defender Offline scan” to choose an offline scan. Then select Virus & threat protection, click “Scan options” under Current threat. Click the Start button, then type “Settings” into the search bar, and hit Enter or click “Open.” Open the Windows Security application by clicking on the blue shield icon on the task bar, or through the Settings app. Windows 11, like its predecessor, comes packaged with Microsoft Defender.
How to Run Microsoft Defender Offline on Windows 11 Tip: If you’re on Windows 7 or 8.1, you can make a disc and run it yourself. This tool is essentially an antivirus boot disc, but integrated into Windows 10 and Windows 11, and easier to run. Some malware may hook so deep into Windows that it can’t be removed while Windows is running, but can be removed if you run a standalone scan outside the OS. Some rootkits may hide from Windows during the bootup process, but be detectable when running a scan from outside Windows. Since the tool scans while Windows isn’t running, any malware that might be running inside Windows can’t interfere. Note: If the drive you want to scan is encrypted - like with BitLocker - the offline scanner probably will not work without you providing a recovery key. Rather than attempting to run from within Windows and scan your computer while Windows is running–and malware could be running in the background–it restarts your computer into a clean environment and scans from outside of Windows. This tool is called “Microsoft Defender Offline” because it scans when Windows isn’t running.
RELATED: How to Use An Antivirus Boot Disc or USB Drive to Ensure Your Computer is Clean