Not so long ago, running a Windows PC without some kind of special antivirus would have all but ensured that your PC got infected with malware. Now, however, the situation is different. Microsoft has made huge improvements to the operating system, and you probably don’t need to pay up for antivirus.
Why Did You Need Third-Party Antivirus Originally?
If you remember any version of Windows from the early 2000s, you’ll remember just how rampant malware was. Downloading and trying out new programs often felt like tiptoeing through a virtual minefield.
The problem boiled down to two big things:
- Windows gives users a lot of freedom to download and install whatever they want from wherever they want.
- Windows didn’t have comprehensive integrated anti-malware
The combination of a fairly open operating system, combined with no native antivirus, made Windows an easy target. The fact that the number of people using Windows to access the internet was growing exponentially made it an extremely appealing target.
As a result, you basically had to run some kind of third-party antivirus, or you’d quickly find your PC inundated with more malware than you can shake a stick of RAM at.
Windows Defender Changed It All
Despite those initial setbacks, I haven’t run any kind of third-party antivirus on Windows in more than 10 years, and I don’t recommend it for most people either. It’s unnecessary.
Microsoft, seeing a pressing need to better protect the operating system “out of the box,” eventually created Windows Defender and integrated it into Windows 8.
Subsequent Windows versions, so far Windows 10 and Windows 11, have included Windows Defender BT default, though with a different name. After a few tweaks, Microsoft finally settled on renaming Windows Defender to Microsoft Defender Antivirus, which is included in Windows Security.
Despite the branding mess, it is actually a fantastic piece of software.
Windows Security Is Great
Despite the fact that it is completely free, Microsoft Defender Antivirus is actually fantastic. It provides both real-time protection, which scans downloads and apps as you open them, or they run for malware, and provides the ability to run a traditional virus scan whenever you want.
When you look at data from AV-Test that analyzes how effectively it detects and blocks viruses compared to competitors, it is usually at least on par, and regularly nudges them out to claim top place.
Critically, the performance impact on most PCs is pretty negligible. I quickly shut it off and played a few games, launched Blender to mess around with a bit of rendering, unpacked a few large ZIP files, and ran a local AI (Gemma 3 12b) to see if there was any noticeable performance gain with it disabled.I noticed absolutely no difference at all—which is exactly how it should be.
Windows Security also makes all the usual important settings, like setting up exclusions and your preferred default actions if malware is detected, quite easy. All you need to do is (settings).
If you want to run a scan, all you need to do is head to Virus & Threat Protection and hit “Scan.” If you want more control, you can customize what files, folders, and drives are included in the scan, and how thoroughly it’ll go through files by clicking “Scan options.”
Though you won’t usually need it, it also provides the ability to run a malware scan at boot time, which can be invaluable if you find you have a particularly difficult piece of malware, like a rootkit, on your PC.
Windows Security also includes integrated ransomware protection in the form of Controlled Folder Access. Controller Folder Access, as the name suggests, just limits which applications can modify important folders on your PC.
Of course, there are some times where third-party antivirus can be helpful.
If you need something with more granular control, or if you just dislike the interface for Windows Security, then some of the third-party options might appeal to you more. Additionally, while Windows Firewall is perfectly functional, interacting with it feels like fighting with a Windows XP computer—clunky. Many third-party antivirus solutions also include packages that provide a more helpful, intuitive interface for Windows’ integrated firewall.
Additionally, some antimalware software functions well just as an extra scanner if you want “another set of eyes” to check your PC after an infection. Malwarebytes has been my go-to option for a second opinion for years, and it is completely free to use that way.