Has Microsoft Defender Antivirus Found a Threat? How to Remove It
Have you received a notification that Microsoft Defender has detected a threat? Do you suspect that a virus has infiltrated your system that may corrupt your data or compromise your security? Microsoft Defender sends this notification when it detects a malicious program trying to enter your computer. You are notified beforehand, so you can take action immediately.
In this article, we’ll discuss why you received this notification, where the threat is, and how to get rid of it. In addition, we’ll discuss how to manage a threat effectively on Windows.
How to Check the Details of Threats Detected by Microsoft Defender
To jump into details about the threat that Microsoft Defender detected, click on the notification pop-up at the bottom-right of the screen. If the pop-up has already disappeared, follow the below steps to check the threat details:
In the Protection history section, you’ll find a list of all threats detected by the Microsoft Defender. There, you will find in-depth information about the most recent or older threats detected.
How to Analyze the Threat Detected by Microsoft Defender
For a more detailed threat analysis, click on the most recent threat listed at the top of the Protection history window. Verify the date and time to ensure it is the most recent threat detected by Microsoft Defender, whose notification you recently received. After you’ve confirmed that it’s the same threat, the following tips will help you analyze it better:
Now that you have a clear understanding of analyzing the threat, let’s explore how to remove it effectively.
How to Remove the Threat Detected by Microsoft Defender Antivirus
While you can remove the threat directly by clicking onRemovein theActionsdropdown menu of the threat window in the Protection history section, you shouldperform an offline scan with Microsoft Defenderto clean your device professionally.
Additionally, you should run a scan using your third-party antivirus to ensure your device is free of virus remnants - think of it as getting a second opinion on your medical reports. Hopefully, your device will be free of threats once the scans are complete.
After that, ensure that no damage has been done to your system files by the virus while it was on your computer. To do that, run an SFC scan using the steps mentioned in our guide forrepairing corrupt Windows files. After the scan is complete, perform any required actions, if necessary, to ensure that the corrupted files have been repaired.
How to Deal With False Positive Threats Detected by Microsoft Defender
Sometimes, safe-to-execute files and applications are assumed as threats by Microsoft Defender, and you get the same threat warning when downloading or installing them. This leads to the question: what can you do to ensure the file you’re downloading isn’t infected and isn’t falsely deemed a threat? Also, what can you do to avoid receiving threat alerts from Microsoft Defender while downloading it?
A reliable online virus scanner can help you determine whether the alert is real or a false alarm. So, copy the URL from which you’re downloading the file, paste it onVirusTotal’s URL scanner, and pressEnter.
If the scan shows no threats, the threat alert is false, and you may safely download the file; otherwise, do not do so.
If the false threat alert prevents you from downloading the file, openWindows Security, click on the threat window, and chooseAllowfrom theActionsmenu. Doing so will whitelist the file from Microsoft Defender’s scan. Once that has been done, you will not be prompted with a false threat alert when downloading the file again.
Microsoft Defender Keeps Saying Threats Found? What to Do About It
In some cases, Microsoft Defender keeps sending false notifications of threats found despite you taking adequate action. Moreover, when you check Microsoft Defender’s protection history, you’ll find it completely blank. Is that the case for you as well? If so, it’s certainly a false alarm caused by an issue with Microsoft Defender’s protection history.
The only way to stop receiving these annoying notifications is to clear Microsoft Defender’s protection history. Our guide onhow to clear the Microsoft Defender protection historywill show you how to do that. If you want to clear the protection history completely, we recommend applying all four methods mentioned in the linked article.
Defend Your System From Threats With Microsoft Defender
Viruses lurking on your device can compromise both your security and your data. Hence, you should make sure they are removed as soon as possible. Hopefully, our article will help you better understand how Microsoft Defender’s threat alerts work and how to manage them effectively. Moreover, you will now be able to distinguish real threats from false ones.
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