Windows Defender Antivirus is built-in to Windows 10. This antivirus provides real-time protection against software threats such as viruses, malware, and spyware in email, applications, the cloud, and the web. You can enable and disable this antivirus at any point. You must uninstall all other antivirus software you have on your computer before installing Windows 10. You can check for any under Programs and Features and uninstall them through this window.

If you need any help uninstalling antivirus software on your device, please contact the Service Desk at (401) 874-4357.

When uninstalling this software, you may receive a notification indicating the virus protection is turned off. You can either click this notification to navigate to the Security page or follow these steps.

  1. Click Start and then Settings
  2. Click Update & Security
  3. Windows Defender should be listed on the left sidebar, click on it.
  4. If Windows Defender is disables, you will be prompted to turn it on and doing so will enable the program for you.
  5. You will now have access to Windows Defender Security Center which can either be found through the Windows Defender page from Update & Security or by searching for the application in the search bar
  6. There are multiple options on this page for you, make sure to navigate to the Virus & Threat protection page to run a scan of your computer.
    • You can also check the status of your firewall and network protection through this security center

You should now be protected on your Windows 10 device through your Windows Defender Antivirus. Make sure to continuously scan your computer and check for any threats to your device.