How to Use DefenderUI to Configure Windows Defender
Choosing a good antivirus from a plethora of options on the market is easier said than done. Thankfully, Windows comes with an antivirus that is baked into the system called “Microsoft Defender”. And it’s pretty good.
Over the years, Microsoft Defender has evolved from a basic antivirus program to one of the best threat protection systems in the industry. What’s more, you can make Microsoft Defender even better with DefenderUI.
What Is DefenderUI?
DefenderUI, as the name suggests, is a UI overlay over Microsoft Defender. It provides a handy GUI to configure different Defender options.
DefenderUI also unlocks many hidden and hard-to-find features, allowing you to tweak many aspects of Microsoft Defender. For instance, with DefenderUI you can exclude specific files and folders from Defender scans without digging through the Windows Settings app.
How to Use DefenderUI to Configure Microsoft Defender
To begin,download DefenderUIand install it. Once the app is up and running, launch the program.
Once you launch DefenderUI for the first time, you will be presented with different security profiles to choose from. For instance, if you want the most control over Microsoft Defender with access to almost all hidden features, chooseAggressive.
Otherwise, chooseRecommended, as the profile offers many features above and beyond the default Defender configuration while remaining accessible to average users.
The Home Tab
The Home tab in the DefenderUI presents many default Microsoft Defender options. There are Realtime, Scan, Utility, and DefenderUI Settings.
In theRealtimesection, you may:
Moving on, theScansection allows you torun a quick scan, manually customize one, andperform an offline scan. You can also update and reset program signatures.
If you want toadd exclusions to Defenderto keep the antivirus from scanning certain folders or files, you can add one in theUtilitiessection by choosing an option from theAdd exclusiondropdown menu.
Similarly, you can also manageProtection Historysettings includingclearing and repairing the Defender Protection History.
Finally, in theDefenderUI Settings, you can change the language of DefenderUI, choose whether the program starts with Windows, and customize Dark mode appearance.
The Basic Features
TheBasictab is where more advanced DefenderUI features reside. You can fine-tune Window Defender protection mechanisms and customize privacy features from the General section. Additionally, you can also tweak how Defender notifications work.
Diving a little deeper intoGeneralsettings, you can:
Finally, you can also setCloud protection levelandCloud check timeoutto configureBlock at first sightbehavior. “Block at first sight” is a feature that blocks malware within seconds using cloud protection mechanisms.
Moving on to thePrivacysection and here you can whether Defender submits a sample automatically to Microsoft for threat detection or gets user consent first. Leave this option enabled if privacy isn’t critical to your work.
If you are worried about unintended people messing around with virus and threat protection settings on your PC, you can checkHide virus and threat protection in Windows securityandHide threat history from non-administrators. Both these options are available in the Privacy section of the Basic tab.
Last but not the least, DefenderUI also allows you to change the notification behavior of Microsoft Defender. In theNotificationssection, you can enable/disable notifications regarding threat warnings, scan results, and blocked files/activities.
The Advanced Features
One of the best things about DefenderUI is that the app gives you simple controls to tailor the Microsoft Defender options intended for advanced users.
First, you can tweak the Microsoft Defender’s scanning behavior by choosing which files/folders are scanned and which aren’t. For instance, unchecking theScan emailoption under theScan Optionssection will keep Defender from sifting through your emails.
Similarly, you can also stop Defender from scanning network files, scripts, removable drives, etc.
Secondly, the Advanced tab also offers settings to configure the performance and network impact Defender has on your PC. For example, if you turn offFile hash computation, Defender will no longer computer hashes for every .exe file on your computer.
Hash computation is a taxing process, so it may tank system performance significantly. Disabling the setting can have a positive impact on the overall system responsiveness.
Low CPU priorityhas a similar effect on the system performance. You can also setAverage CPU utilization while scanningandSignature update intervalto further optimize the resource usage.
Finally, it’s possible to also set custom Defender behavior in case of a threat in theThreat Default Actionssection. There are options to define the action taken by the Defender based on the threat level.
For instance, if Defender detects a “Low threat”, it blocks the file/script to stop it from running. This is Defender’s default behavior. You can change it by selecting one from theLow threatdropdown menu.
DefenderUI Makes Microsoft Defender Accessible… but It Can’t Resolve All of Its Issues
Although DefenderUI makes Microsoft Defender increasingly usable and its feature set more robust, there are issues that it can’t solve.
Microsoft Defender, like almost every Microsoft app, can become annoying to use even after you configure it extensively. In some cases, the app can enable itself after you disable it.
Fortunately, almost all such problems are relatively easy to fix.
Sometimes Windows Defender will re-enable itself even after you turned it off. Here’s how to keep it off on Windows 11.
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