▶Is Windows Defender good enough for your PC?

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Is Windows Defender Good Enough For Your PC?

Windows Defender is the built-in antivirus solution in Windows 10. In other words, Windows Defender provides antivirus defenses immediately after installation, which is obviously very useful. That's fine in theory, but if you just read this article, you're probably wondering about the quality of Windows 10's built-in antivirus protection. So, is Windows Defender any good, or should you not trust Windows 10's built-in antivirus app? Microsoft to protect your PC from all malware?

Past story

Now, in the past, the answer to this question was that you shouldn't trust her. The common wisdom was that Windows Defender might be better than nothing, but only, and you should replace it with a third-party antivirus alternative as soon as possible. But we are happy to announce that this is no longer the case. In fact, things have changed so much that Windows Defender was rated the best antivirus solution by an independent testing lab in 2019 (although AV-Test ranked it on top with three other products, but these solutions were paid). not a free antivirus like Microsoft's efforts). But don't get carried away here. The most recent independent test lab reports on Windows Defender aren't all that glowing, but overall, it's still average to good, and there's no denying that it offers a solid level of protection against all viruses out there. Defender also offers anti-ransomware protection these days and even has basic parental controls to help keep your kids safe online.

Problemas de Windows 10

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Reputed hangover

So that's fine, but part of the problem with Microsoft's antivirus solution today is the hangover from its past reputation and the perception that it's still an antivirus app in some way. unstable malware, despite these impressive recent results. Unfortunately, there's still a reputation issue here, although it's no longer related to Defender's anti-malware capabilities. The problem is with Microsoft itself and its bad habit of constantly breaking things with Windows 10; bugs that would have sometimes had the ripple effect of throwing keys in the works of Windows Defender. Or we've seen simple cases of Microsoft just breaking things down with Defender updates, and none of this instills particularly confidence. Also note that there are drawbacks with Windows Defender features that are not very well developed. For example, the parental controls we mentioned are not exhaustive: the browser filter only works with Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer, but unfortunately not with other browsers like Chrome or Firefox. Generally speaking, configuration options are also missing with Defender, as explained in our most recent Windows Defender review.

Weigh everything

Overall, Microsoft's antivirus gives you a robust level of protection against malware (it performs very well in some independent tests) and there's nothing wrong with using it as your main line of defense. It's very convenient to integrate into Windows 10, and it's certainly a good thing that Microsoft offers this protection by default for less tech-savvy users who don't know much about online protection. Windows Defender now keeps pace with the best options in the free antivirus suite, but that said, it's still not the best option in terms of features, and the issues remain around its reputation, or rather Microsoft's broader reputation. More and more mistakes. . And therein lies the rub: Those willing to put in the little effort to switch and install an alternative will find better free protection, and more features, from the major free antivirus providers.