Windows Defender: Scan Your Computer Using Windows Defender

How to scan your computer for spyware using Windows Defender

With Windows Defender, you can run a "quick scan" or "full system scan" of your computer. If you suspect spyware has infected a specific area of your computer, you can customize a scan by selecting only the drives and folders that you want to check.

A quick scan checks the places on your computer's hard disk that spyware is most likely to infect. A full scan checks all files on your hard disk and all currently running programs, but the scan might cause your computer to run slowly until the scan is complete. Microsoft recommends that you schedule a daily quick scan. If you ever suspect that spyware has infected your computer, run a full scan.

To run a quick scan

1. Open Windows Defender (click Start, type Windows Defender in the search field, and press Enter).

2. Click Scan.

To scan all areas of your computer

1. Open Windows Defender (click Start, type Windows Defender in the search field, and press Enter).

2. Click the Down arrow next to Scan, and then click Full Scan.

To scan specific areas of your computer only

1. Open Windows Defender (click Start, type Windows Defender in the search field, and press Enter).

2. Click the Down arrow next to Scan, and then click Custom Scan.

3. Click Scan selected drives and folders, and then click Select.

4. Select the files or folders that you want to scan, and then click OK.