If you’re using a Windows PC, you’ll find an integrated click to investigate security program that protects you from viruses and malware. Microsoft Defender or Windows Security is a software that offers a unified interface for managing security, firewall, and antivirus performance features. It also allows you to assess the health of your device, and protect your data by using hardware encryption and password management. Installing an antivirus program from a third party will disable the Microsoft Defender Antivirus engine, but it won’t alter the capabilities of Windows Security itself.

One of the most significant features of Windows Security is Microsoft Defender’s real-time security. This feature scans the entire system and blocks malicious software in real-time. It also allows you to identify and restore malicious applications which were incorrectly blocked. It’s important to keep in mind that the Microsoft Defender scanner relies on cloud and online malware definitions, which could make it lag behind paid competitors in malware and virus detection rates in certain cases.

Other settings that you can access through Windows Security include User Account Control, which warns you when a person or thing attempts to change system-level settings, locking the screen until an administrator can confirm the change. It also allows you to decide how often the system will conduct a background scan and look for updates.

You can also make backups of important files from the Microsoft OneDrive folder using Windows Security and even use it to secure erase your hard drive and start over fresh. It’s a handy method of keeping your computer’s operating system and your personal data secure and it’s a great alternative for those who don’t want to shell out for a security program that isn’t included.