How to manually run malware scans using Windows Defender
If you suspect the presence of malware on your Windows computer, you may use the built in anti-virus tool Windows Defender to scan for and remove malware from your machine.
- To open the Security Center, look for the shield icon in the system tray on the bottom right corner of your screen.
- In the Windows Security screen, click on "Virus & threat protection"
- You may start by performing a "Quick scan." Quick scans should be running at regular intervals and the dashboard will indicate when the last automated scan took place.
- If there was a recent automatic scan, or you complete a quick scan, and nothing has been found but you still believe there may be malware on your machine, you may run a Full scan to do a deeper dive. Click on "Scan options" under the Quick scan button and then select the "Full scan" option and click "Scan now"
- If malware is found through either scan method recommended actions will be displayed in the Virus & threat protection dashboard. You may follow the given prompts to address the infection.
- If nothing is found after completing a Full scan but you still feel there may be malware on your machine you can step up to the Microsoft Defender Offline scan option. This is a more disruptive scan option as it restarts your computer into an offline mode to scan your device and you will not be able to continue with other work as with the quick or full scan options. We recommend this only if you still have reason to believe there is malware on your machine after attempting the other two scan options without finding anything.
As always, if you require any assistance, are unsure about any of the steps listed, or don't feel comfortable taking the recommended remediation actions, please submit a ticket with the JAARS service desk at service.jaars.org.