Windows machines that are having malware or virus issues can download it and run a scan to find malware and try to reverse changes made by identified threats. The software is only available for use for 10 days after download and then expires. This is done so that you always download the latest version to find the newest threats. Windows 11 comes with a built-in antivirus and antimalware security app called Microsoft Defender (Windows Security). Microsoft Safety Scanner does not replace your antimalware product. The safety scanner should only be used when other malware software is not available. The safety scanner can also be downloaded onto an external drive, then manually trigger on the infected computer to find and remove unwanted programs. To get started with downloading and using Microsoft Safety Scanner in Windows 11, follow the steps below:
How to download Microsoft Safety Scanner in Windows 11
Again, as mentioned above, Microsoft Safety Scanner is for situations where the infected computer is unable to run other security scanners and tools or can not connect to the internet to download the latest definitions. Go to the website below to download Microsoft Safety Scanner to an infected computer or use another computer. Microsoft Safety Scanner Download Download the 64-bit version for Windows 11. Once downloaded, go to your Downloads folder and double-click the downloaded file, and begin the installation. When launched, accept the license agreement. There are multiple scan types available after installation. These are the types of scans available: Quick scan – Scans areas of the system most likely to contain viruses, spyware, and other potentially unwanted software. This is quick and may not be the best option in most situations. Full scan – Scans the entire system. This could take several hours to complete depending on the system being scanned. Customized scan – This uses the Quick scan settings, but also targets additional folders identified. For this post, we chose the Full scan to scan the entire system. When you click Next, the scan action should begin scanning your system for unwanted software. Again, a Full scan could take hours to complete. Review the scan results displayed on the screen. For detailed detection results, view the log at %SYSTEMROOT%\debug\msert.log. That’s should do it! Conclusion: This post showed you how to download, install and use Microsoft Safety Scanner to scan for potentially unwanted software in Windows 11. If you find any error above, please use the comment form below to report.
