Exclusions By default, Microsoft Defender Antivirus runs in the background, scanning files and processes that you open or download looking for malware. There might be instances when you have a particular file or process that you don't want scanned in real-time. When that occurs, you can add an exclusion for that file, file type, folder or process.

These files should not be scanned because antivirus software might not correctly treat them as proprietary database files. These are the recommended exclusions. There might be other file types that are not included in this article that should be excluded. Turn off scanning of Group Policy-related files Group Policy user registry information.

If you experience frequent game crashes or instability while playing State of Decay 2, Sea of Thieves, or Crackdown 3 on Windows 10, this may mean that your antivirus software is scanning the game. You can set file exclusions to prevent this from happening. Collapse all

These folders may have to be excluded from antivirus scanning when you use file-level antivirus software in SharePoint. If these folders are not excluded, you may see unexpected behavior.

Select Windows Security from the results Go to the Virus & threat protection > Virus & threat protection settings > Add or remove exclusions. Select Add an exclusion and follow the steps to set up an exclusion for a file, folder, file type or process. For more information see What are exclusions in Windows Security? What are "definitions"?

Scroll to Exclusions and select Add or remove exclusions. Select Add an exclusion, then choose the affected file or folder. For more information, see Virus and threat protection in the Windows Security App. Microsoft is committed to improving the user experience across all products, including Microsoft Defender Antivirus.

Does Smart App Control replace my antivirus software? Smart App Control works alongside your other security software, such as Microsoft Defender or non-Microsoft antivirus tools, for added protection. How can I tell Smart App Control to let this one specific app through?

Solve problems with detecting and removing malware with Windows Security, including incomplete scans, detection errors, and persistent malware.

Windows Firewall helps protect your device by filtering network traffic and blocking unauthorized access. It lowers the risk of network security threats by allowing or restricting connections based on specific criteria such as IP addresses, network ports, and application program paths. You can use the Windows Security app to view and manage the status of Windows Firewall. You can turn the ...

One of the Windows Security app features is protection history, which provides a comprehensive list of actions that Microsoft Defender Antivirus has taken on your behalf, potentially unwanted apps that have been removed, and key services that are turned off.