How to Scan with Windows Defender (Windows Security) Even with Third-party Antivirus on Windows 11/10

Windows Defender or Microsoft Security is an impressive antivirus and security program built with Windows 11 and Windows 10. It does its job well and never slows down your Windows PC. However, there are many third antivirus programs available, and they are widely used. That gets you the question if you really need to disable Windows Security / Windows Defender program to use them, and what if you wanted to use two antivirus programme side by side. Technically you can run only one, but this new feature in Windows 10 lets you use defender on demand. So here is how you can scan with Windows Security or Windows Defender, even with another antivirus installed on Windows.

Scan with Windows Defender (Windows Security) Even with Third-party Antivirus on Windows

Starting with Windows 10, Windows Defender allows users to scan any file or folder with it even when another security software is available. This new feature is called Limited Periodic Scanning with Windows Security or Windows Defender.

The Automatic Maintenance program ensures that your PC doesn’t get infected if-party software fails. While nothing can be guaranteed, but having an extra layer of security always helps. This gets automatically enabled when you have a third-party antivirus program installed.

• Open Windows Security or Windows Defender by searching in the Start Menu.
• Notice that Virus & threat protection is changed to show the AV product’s status and provides a link to the product’s configuration options.
• A new link will appear under any third-party AV products as Microsoft Defender Antivirus options.
• Clicking this link will expand to show the toggle that enables limited periodic scanning.
• Please enable it. It will now show the standard Microsoft Defender AV options underneath the third party AV product.

Remember, this is different from Windows Defender offline feature, which is useful when you want to clean a malware or a virus which cannot be removed in usual ways. It restarts your PC, gets into offline mode, and then scans.

Is Windows Defender better than third-party antivirus?

While it has delivered an excellent experience for many, even if one doesn’t assume it’s good, it is definitely at par with most of the security software. Now that it is natively integrated with Windows, it offers even tighter security, such as protection against Ransomware. More here.

How to protect against Ransomware using Windows Defender or Windows Security?

Please read our detailed guide on how you can enable this protection. This feature ensures that a folder can only be accessed when the user verifies it personally, making it secure. You can configure through the software or Group Policy.

Where is Window defender?

Windows Defender was renamed to Windows Security. However, if you type in the Start menu, it will still work and reveal the rebranded security software from Microsoft.