With online threats getting more advanced day by day, it is important to prioritize the safety of your web browsing. Microsoft Edge offers several features and practices that can enhance your online security and protect your personal information.

Tip: If you're a Microsoft 365 Family or Personal subscriber you get Microsoft Defender, our advanced security software for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, as part of your subscription.Learn more at Getting started with Microsoft Defender.

Note: If you see the icon next to the On/Off toggle for an app, you can select it to see the registry location that contains the path for the app. Apps installed through Microsoft Store (.MSIX apps) don’t have these icons. If you select the icon for these apps, File Explorer opens and highlights the executable file.

Here's more info on what permissions allow an app to do: Access all your files, peripheral devices, apps, programs, and registry: The app has the ability to read or write to all your files (including documents, pictures, and music) and registry settings, which allows the app to make changes to your computer and settings. It can use any peripheral devices that are either attached or part of ...

To pin apps to the taskbar. Select Start , select the arrow next to All apps, right-click the app, then select More > Pin to taskbar.

Note: You might not be able to change the power mode when a custom power plan is selected.If you can’t set the power mode in Power & battery settings, open Control Panel, select System and Security > Power Options, then choose a Balanced power plan.

When you get a new device and start up Windows 10 for the first time, the antivirus protection that comes installed with the device is your default security app.

Microsoft generally releases the MSRT on a monthly cadence as part of Windows Update or as a standalone tool. (For exceptions, see Skipped releases.)Use this tool to find and remove specific prevalent threats and reverse the changes that they made (see Covered malware families).For comprehensive malware detection and removal, consider using Windows Defender Offline or Microsoft Safety Scanner.

Updates to the default screen and sleep settings now help you use energy more efficiently and extend battery life. You can find efficiency settings in Windows 11 at Settings > System > Power & battery.. For a guided walkthrough of how each of the power and battery settings can improve your device's performance, click the button to open the Get Help app:

Important: If your device is out of support, it is no longer receiving security updates from Microsoft and may become more vulnerable to security risks and viruses.Therefore, we strongly recommend that you update to the latest version of Windows. Each version of Windows is supported for 18 months.