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In a world with swathes of excellent free antivirus programs, it can be hard to settle on one. Windows Defender comes with all Windows-based computers, but how does it compare to the competition, and is Windows Defender enough to protect you?
What Is Windows Defender?
It’s very easy to use a Windows computer without knowing what Windows Defender is. The operating system’s built-in antivirus program comes free with every modern Windows operating system. If you haven’t installed a third-party antivirus on your PC, there’s a very good chance that Windows Defender is keeping your PC safe right now.
In the past, Microsoft’s antivirus offering was sub-par, with people recommending that you download athird-party antivirus appinstead. However, in recent years, Microsoft has made Windows Defender a serious contender in the antivirus scene, with some going as far as to say you don’t need any other security software on your PC.
How Good Is Windows Defender?
So, is Windows Defender secure? Fortunately, you don’t need to download every antivirus and manually test how good it is at defending your computer. Research teams specialize in antivirus and supply the public with data on which suite is the best.
One of my favorite sources isAV-Test’s Windows antivirus list. AV-Test has been testing Windows antivirus software for a long time, putting each one through strenuous tests to see which ones suit your PC.
At the time of writing, the most recent AV-Test report isWindows Defender December 2023. In this report, Windows Defender puts up amazing numbers; it manages to better most of the antivirus industry averages for different factors.
For example, a true test of an antivirus is arguably how good it is at spotting and stoppingzero-day vulnerabilities. While the industry average caught 97.6% of all zero-day attacks, Windows Defender caught every single one. It also had a perfect track record of protecting people from well-known viruses.
Still, a good antivirus isn’t useful if it causes performance issues with your PC. Fortunately, Windows Defender managed to get under industry averages for performance hits. The only factor it lacked was checking the installation of well-known apps, which isn’t a big deal.
Windows Defender also had a perfect record when it comes to false positives. As such, Windows Defender won’t accidentally flag a legitimate app as a virus or prevent you from visiting a safe website.
One of the biggest complaints people have about Windows Defender is its UI, which may not be as intuitive as other third-party apps. Fortunately, you canuse DefenderUI to tweak Windows Defenderto your liking.
Is Windows Defender Enough?
You can’t go wrong with Windows Defender if you’re looking for a secure antivirus. Gone are the days when the first thing you did on a new PC was download a third-party antivirus to get proper protection; now you can feasibly use your PC with Windows Defender and receive top-tier protection.
However, that’s not to say that all third-party antivirus apps are useless. Different apps will have different features, so you might want to shop for something that suits your needs best.
For instance, while Windows Defender is very efficient, it’s not open-source. As such, people who like the trust that open-source software provides them will find better antivirus apps elsewhere. Other suites will offerantivirus with an integrated VPN, which is tempting for the more privacy-minded person. Be sure to check outhow to stop Windows Defender from blocking third-party antivirus softwareif you decide to go down this route.
As such, if you’re after an antivirus suite that’s both powerful and easy on the system, you can’t go wrong with Windows Defender. It beats industry standards in both its protection and efficiency, and you can happily use the app without concern. However, given what other antivirus apps are doing, it’s still worth checking out the competition to see if any of them feature tools that Windows Defender lacks.
