Windows 10, How do I set Windows Defender's scan schedule?

Anonymous
2015-08-08T19:45:15+00:00

I installed the Windows 10 on the 29th of July, 2015 Windows Defender hasn't ran a scan.

I started getting alerts that a scan is necessary to keep Windows 10 protected.

In the settings there's no scan setting like there was on Windows 7

I can manually scan, but I want it to be a full automatic scan every day.

How do I set Windows Defender to run a full auto scan every day?

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Security and privacy

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
Anonymous
2015-08-20T18:39:24+00:00

The location of the Automatic Maintenance settings actually did change in Windows 10:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/change-security-and-maintenance-settings-in-windows-10

So this is where you have to go now to change the schedule for the Windows Defender Scheduled Scan task: Right-click on the Start button and choose Control Panel > Security and Maintenance > Maintenance > Change maintenance settings.

It’s been 3 years now, and there are still way too many people (including Microsoft documentation authors) who just can’t quite seem to get a grip on how this works. The fact that the controls for the scheduled scan went missing in the new Windows Defender user interface doesn’t mean that the feature was dropped and that you’ve been left to your own devices – it means that the scheduled scan was reengineered so that it now runs reliably without any user configuration. It’s now fully automatic just like the definition updates. So you don’t have to change any settings at all to get the scan up and running; and you certainly don’t need to add a trigger, or otherwise reconfigure the Windows Defender Scheduled Scan task. This is a system task, and you would be well advised to just leave it alone. Full Scans don’t need to be scheduled, but if that’s something that you really want to do, you can use the Create Basic Task Wizard.

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/protect/forum/protect\_defender-protect\_scanning/scan-schedule-for-windows-10/c53a0110-04eb-431e-9bc5-9d6db0ffcff7

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/protect/forum/protect\_defender-protect\_start/how-to-schedule-automatic-virus-scan-in-win-10/64640690-f0f0-4a11-bc7d-c47f232cd9ec

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/protect/forum/protect\_defender-protect\_start/how-do-i-make-windows-defender-start-automatically/b4948f9f-60bb-4829-aecc-cdf646d098a2

GreginMich

Was this answer helpful?

100+ people found this answer helpful.
0 comments

55 additional answers

Sort by: Oldest
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Anonymous
    2017-01-20T23:43:52+00:00

    i understand the reasoning behind the win defender changes but thats not the issue entirely,the problem for myself and others i know, is the message that pops up in notifications panel {win defender needs to scan your computer).It  freezes games,it is the only message that does this. p.s.what i would like to know is where the definitions are coming from i.e.australia-us-europe-asia etc because 1 of the districts i just listed simply cannot be trusted in NZ no matter who they claim to be.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  2. Anonymous
    2017-02-20T00:17:44+00:00

    That's the point of the original question.

    Windows Defender in Windows 10 does not run reliably without any user configuration. It’s not now fully automatic just like the definition updates. Action Center sends out a daily "your computer is unprotected" notice because Windows Defender has not done its daily update.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  3. Anonymous
    2017-02-20T01:06:03+00:00

    That's the point of the original question.

    Windows Defender in Windows 10 does not run reliably without any user configuration. It’s not now fully automatic just like the definition updates. Action Center sends out a daily "your computer is unprotected" notice because Windows Defender has not done its daily update.

    Tell me about it. But so far, I haven’t been offered the lead on any of the development teams, and the development teams have consistently ignored my complaints in recent years – so the best I can do here is try to explain how things are supposed to work, or how they should work; and then provide workarounds for issues that don’t get fixed. The Startup Shortcut method that I just described in my last reply is my workaround for reliable scans and updates – but if you want your issue fixed properly, then you’ll have to start your own thread; or if you don’t want to bother with that, then you can just install a third-party AV app (best workaround ever for Windows Defender issues). If you just want to let the developers know how bad things are, then you can click on the Start button and choose Feedback Hub.

    GreginMich

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments
  4. Anonymous
    2017-02-20T18:50:56+00:00

    Action Center sends out a daily "your computer is unprotected" notice because Windows Defender has not done its daily update.

    Cannot reproduce here.

    Note that this thread predates the release of Win10 Anniversary Update (AKA Win10 1607) by nearly a year (i.e., 08 Aug-15 vs. 02 Aug-16).

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments