Microsoft Defender is a free, built-in antivirus software for Windows 11 which is part of Windows security, protecting your data and devices in real-time. It scans your computer regularly to keep your device safe from viruses and malware. The scan takes place while your computer is not actively being used or when it’s idle so as not to interfere with your work. If you want Microsoft Defender to scan at a specific time, the post shows you how to schedule it to scan at the time of your choice. When scheduled, Microsoft Defender will always run during the time you defined and scan at a time and frequency that you choose. Microsoft Defender will scan at specific times instead of randomly scanning your PC. This will mean less interference with your work. When you’re ready to schedule Microsoft Defender, follow the steps below.
Schedule Microsoft Defender Scan
To schedule the Microsoft Defender Antivirus program to only scan your computer at the time and frequency you choose, click Start => then search for Task Scheduler as shown in the image below. Select and open Task Scheduler. Alternatively, you can use the search box on the taskbar and search for Task Scheduler. Then select to open it. When Schedule Tasks opens, in the left pane, expand Task Scheduler Library > Microsoft > Windows, and then scroll down and double-click (or press) the Windows Defender folder. In the top center pane, double-click (or press twice) Windows Defender Scheduled Scan. This should open the task properties. In the Windows Defender Scheduled Scan Properties (Local Computer) window, select the Triggers tab, go to the bottom of the window, and then tap or click New. On the task setting pane, specify how often you want the scans to run and when you’d like them to start. This should always run at the exact time you define here. But your computer must be powered on and running for this to work. If your computer is shutdown, this task will fail to run The trigger above runs daily at midnight and stops the task if it runs for more than 2 hours. You can configure more advanced settings like repeat every 1 or 4 or 8 hours. You can also delay the task randomly, but the basic settings should work fine. When you’re done with your settings, click OK, and then OK to close. That’s it! Conclusion: This post showed you how to schedule Microsoft Defender to scan at specific times. If you find an error above, please use the comment form below to report it.
