Windows Defender is a Microsoft product designed to protect your computer from viruses, spyware, and other malicious software. It is included with Windows 10 and is also available for download for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.
One of the ways you can use Windows Defender is to manually scan individual files or folders on your system. This article will explain how to do this.
Step 1: Open Windows Defender
The first thing you need to do is open Windows Defender. To do this, click the Start button and in the search box type “Windows Defender”. Click on the first result, the Windows Defender Security Center window.
Step 2: Click ‘Scan Now’
Once the Windows Defender Security Center window has opened, click on the ‘Virus & Threat Protection’ option in the navigation menu. Now, in the main window, click on the ‘Scan Now’ button.
Step 3: Choose the Scan Type
Now, in the ‘Choose the Scan Type’ window, select ‘Custom Scan’ from the available options.
Step 4: Select Which Files or Folders You Want to Scan
In the ‘Select Files and Folders to Scan’ window, you can now choose which files or folders you want to scan. You can either select individual files or entire folders. If you choose to scan only individual files, you can enter their file paths in the ‘Select File Path’ text box.
Step 5: Choose A Scanning Method
Now, in the ‘Scanning Method’ window, you need to select the type of scan you want to perform. There are three available options. You can choose to do a Quick Scan, which only examines essential system areas; a Full Scan which scans the entire hard drive; or a Custom Scan, which allows you to specify which files and folders to scan.
Step 6: Click ‘Scan Now’
Once you have chosen the type of scan, click the ‘Scan Now’ button and Windows Defender will start scanning the selected files or folders. If a virus is detected, it will be quarantined, or removed from the system.
Step 7: View the Results
When the scan is complete, you can view the results in the ‘Scan History’ page. Here, you can see if any threats were found and what action was taken.
Manually scanning individual files or folders on your system is an effective way to ensure that they are free from viruses and other threats. With Windows Defender, it is easy to do. Just follow the steps outlined above and your files and folders will be safe and secure.