Author Topic: How to Perform Windows Defender Offline Scan in Windows 10  (Read 171 times)

Offline javajolt

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How to Perform Windows Defender Offline Scan in Windows 10
« on: October 28, 2019, 10:21:26 AM »
If you use Windows and browse the internet regularly, it is strongly recommended to use antivirus/security protection software.

Windows 10 comes with built-in antivirus protection called Windows Defender/Security and it has matured into a good security solution over the past few years.

Windows Defender is one of the easiest ways to check your device for security issues and it allows you to perform the following scans:

   • Quick scan: This mode scans for threats and security issues in locations where malicious
      content is commonly found.

   • Full Scan: This mode scans your entire PC for threats and security issues. It could take more
      than one hour depending on the number of files you have and hardware configuration. For example,
      the process is faster on PCs with SSD storage.

   • Custom Scan: This mode allows you to scan a folder of your choice for threats and security
      issues.

   • Windows Defender offline scan: This mode can help you detect viruses that can be difficult to
      remove during regular scans.

When and why you should use Windows Defender Offline Scan

If your PC is infected with persistent malware such as rootkits or especially stubborn malware, you should consider using Windows Defender Offline scan feature. This is because Windows Defender Offline is run when Windows is not started and thus the malware is not active and blocking security software.

During regular scans, you might also be prompted that malware was detected and that you should use the offline scan feature to remove it.

You can also manually trigger Windows Defender Offline scan if the Windows Security app doesn't issue an alert message.

Before you run Windows Defender Offline scan, connect the device to power, ensure that your user account has administrator rights and that you have closed all apps and programs after saving the files.

Perform Windows Defender Offline scan

To perform a Windows Defender Offline scan you need to perform the following steps:

   1. Open the Start menu and select Settings.

   2. Navigate to Update & Security  -> Windows Security.

   3. Click on Virus & threat protection.



   4. Under Current threads, select Scan options.



   5. On the next page, select Windows Defender Offline scan.



6. Select Scan now and Windows will prompt you to save any work before restarting the computer.

Windows 10 and your PC will now restart and boot into the Windows Recovery Environment where it will perform a quick scan using Windows Defender. This process will take up to 15 minutes to finish.


Windows Defender Offline Scan

After the scan is finished, Windows will restart to the desktop where you can check the scan results by following these steps:

1. Open the Windows Security app.

2. Click on Virus & threat protection.

3. Under Current threats, select Scan options, and then open Threat history.

4. Threat history page will have the scan results.

Windows Defender offline scan could be extremely helpful when detecting rootkits, a malicious program that cannot be seen on the computer during normal security scans or manual scans. If the scan detects a rootkit on your computer but is unable to remove it,  you can also try recommended anti-rootkit software.

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