Yes, Windows Defender offers many settings that you can tweak to customize how it works and how it scans your system.
First, you should go to the Settings menu of Windows Defender and make sure that the real-time protection is enabled. This will help ensure that your system is continuously monitored for any malicious activity. You can also enable cloud-based protection, which will upload files to Microsoft’s cloud in order to detect any potential threats that may exist.
Windows Defender also includes options for scanning your system regularly. You can set the frequency of when the scan is performed, whether it’s hourly or weekly. You can also decide what types of items are scanned, such as files and folders, registry entries, email attachments, and other areas of your computer. Additionally, you can pick specific file extensions to be excluded from the scan.
In addition to regular scans, you can enable the Threat History feature, which will keep a log of any malware that has been detected on your system. This can be used to view past incidents, learn more about the threats, and see which files were affected.
You can also configure Windows Defender to clean up malicious files. This will allow the program to delete any infections that it finds on your system and make sure that your PC stays secure.
Additionally, Windows Defender has an option to scan removable storage devices, such as USB drives. This feature is especially helpful if you often plug in external storage devices as it will help ensure that no malicious files are transferred from the device to your system.
Finally, Windows Defender also allows you to add exclusions for certain files or programs. This will prevent the program from scanning those specific items, which can be useful if you have an app or file that you know is safe.
Overall, Windows Defender provides many settings that you can tweak in order to customize how it works and protect your system from potential threats. With these settings, you can make sure that your computer is secure and remain protected from any malicious activity.