Set up Windows Defender Scheduled Scan on Windows 10/11

Windows Defender, also known as Windows Security in recent versions, is the built-in antivirus in Windows 10 and 11. It runs silently in the background and protects your system from viruses, malware, and other malicious software. The best thing is, Windows Defender is just as good as third-party antivirus software. Moreover, you don’t have to worry about upgrade prompts and other unnecessary notifications.

To get the most out of your built-in antivirus application, you can schedule Windows Defender on a specific day and time. That way, you can run scans on non-peak hours or when you know the computer is not in use.

In this article, I will show you how to set up Windows Defender scheduled scan in two different methods. i.e., using the Task Scheduler and Group Policy Editor. Both methods are easy to configure and follow. Follow the one you like.

Table of contents:

1. Schedule Windows Defender using Task Scheduler
2. Schedule Windows Defender using Group Policy Editor
3. Why set up Windows Defender scheduled scan?
4. Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
5. Conclusion

Important Note: You need administrative privileges to set up a Windows defender scheduled scan.

The steps below work the same in Windows 10 and 11.

Schedule Windows Defender using Task Scheduler

We can use the “Scan” and “ScanType” parameters to create a scheduled task to run Windows Defender scan on a schedule. This method is very useful for controlling when and how Windows Defender scans your computer.

Here’s how to set up Windows Defender scheduled scan using Task Scheduler:

1. Click on the “Start icon” on the taskbar.
2. Search and open “Task Scheduler.”
3. Click on “Create Basic Task.”
4. Type a name in the “Name” field, and click “Next.”
5. Select when to start the task and click “Next.”
6. Set up the Start date & time and Recurring weekday.
7. Click on the “Next” button.
8. Select “Start a program” and click “Next.”
9. Paste the below path in the “Program/Script” field. "%ProgramFiles%\Windows Defender\MpCmdRun.exe"
10. Type “-Scan -ScanType 2” in the “Arguments” field.
11. Click on the “Next” button.
12. Select the “Open the properties dialog from this task when I click finish” checkbox.
13. Press the “Finish” button.
14. Go to the “General” tab.
15. Select the “Run whether the user is logged on or not” option.
16. Check the “Run with highest privileges” checkbox.
17. Press the “Ok” button.
18. Type the user account name and password when prompted.
19. Click on the “Ok” button.
20. You are done scheduling the Windows Defender scan using Task Scheduler.

Steps with more details:

First, we must open the Task Scheduler. For that, click on the taskbar Start icon, search for “Task Scheduler,” and click on the result. This action opens the Task Scheduler application in Windows 10 and 11.

Once the Task Scheduler opens, click on the “Create Basic Task” option on the right sidebar. It allows you to create a new scheduled taskbar.

In the task creation wizard, type a name and description for the task and click on the “Next” button. The name will appear in the Task Scheduler’s task list.

Now, select when you want to start the task. In my case, I want to run it once every week. So, I chose the “Weekly” option. You can select any one of the first three options. i.e., Daily, Weekly, and Monthly.

Next, set the starting date & time, and recurring frequency and weekday to run the task. Click “Next” to continue. In my case, I’m configuring the task to run at 12 PM every Sunday starting Sep 22nd.

Select the “Start a program” radio option in the “Action” panel and click on the “Next” button to proceed.

Now, we need to add Windows Defender to Task Scheduler. To do that, paste "%ProgramFiles%\Windows Defender\MpCmdRun.exe" in the Program/script field. As you can guess, this path points to the Windows Defender command line tool.

Next, enter one of the following arguments in the “Add Arguments” field.

• For a full system scan. It will scan the entire system but takes a long time to complete and consumes a lot of system resources.

-Scan -ScanType 2

• For quick scan. It will only scan important system files and components but is light on system resources and completes quickly.

-Scan -ScanType 1

• For a custom scan. Use this flag to scan a specific folder (replace FOLDER/PATH with the actual folder path you’d like to scan).

-Scan -ScanType 3 -File "FOLDER/PATH"

Now, select the “Open properties dialog for this task when I finish” checkbox and click on the “Finish” button.

The above action will open the task properties window. Select the “Run whether the user is logged on or not” option and check the “Run with highest privileges” checkbox in the Properties window.

(optional) If you are configuring this task on a laptop, it is important that the task only runs when the laptop is connected to a power outlet. That way, you don’t drain the battery unnecessarily. To do that, go to the “Conditions” tab and select the “Start the task only if the computer is on AC power” and “Stop if the computer switches to battery power” checkboxes.

Click on the “Ok” button.

Since the task needs to run with admin privileges, you will be prompted for an admin username and password. Enter the authentication details and click on the “Ok” button to continue.

That is it. From now on, Windows Defender will scan your system on schedule. Since this is a simple scheduled task, you can change the Windows Defender scan schedule or disable it as and when needed.

Schedule Windows Defender using Group Policy Editor

On Windows 10 & 11 Pro and Enterprise editions, you can use the Group Policy Editor to set up a GPO for Windows Defender scheduled scan. This method is helpful to make sure and enforce the Windows Defender scheduled scan.

Here’s how to schedule a Windows Defender scan using Group Policy:

1. Press the “Start key” on your keyboard.
2. Search and open “Edit Group Policy.”
3. Go to the “Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates” folder.
4. Go to the “Microsoft Defender Antivirus -> Scan” folder.
5. Double-click on the “Specify the scan type to use for a scheduled scan” policy.
6. Select “Enabled” in the policy window.
7. Select the “Scan Type” from the Options dropdown.
8. Click on the “Ok” button.
9. Double-click on the “Specify the day of the week to run a scheduled scan” policy.
10. Select the “Enabled” option.
11. Choose the day of the week to run the scheduled Windows Defender scan.
12. Click on the “Ok” button.
13. Double-click on the “Specify the time of day to run a scheduled scan” policy.
14. Select the “Enabled” option.
15. Enter the time of the day in number of minutes from midnight in the field under “Options.”
16. Click on the “Ok” button.
17. Close the Group Policy Editor.
18. Reboot the Windows computer.
19. This will apply the policy changes to your system.
20. With that, the Windows Defender will scan your computer on schedule.

Steps with more details:

Press the “Windows key + R” on your keyboard to open Run. Type “gpedit.msc” in the available field, and click on the “Ok” button. You can also search for “Edit Group Policy” in the Start menu and open the Group Policy Editor from there.

Once the Group Policy Editor opens, go to the “Computer Configuration/Administrative Templates/Microsoft Defender Antivirus/Scan” folder. This is where all the policies to manage Windows Defender scanning are located.

Once in this folder, you need to configure three policies to set up a scheduled Windows Defender scan.

To start, find and double-click on the “Specify the scan type to use for a scheduled scan” policy. This policy allows you to choose the scan type.

Once the policy opens, select the “Enabled” radio option. After that, choose “Quick Scan” or “Full system scan” from the “Options” dropdown. Click on the “Ok” button to save policy changes.

Next, find and double-click on the “Specify the day of the week to run a scheduled scan” policy. This policy allows you to select a weekday to run the scheduled scan.

Select the “Enabled” radio option and then choose a weekday from the “Options” dropdown. To run the scheduled scan every day, choose “Every Day.” Click on the “Ok” button to save policy changes.

After that, find and double-click on the “Specify the time of day to run a scheduled scan” policy. This policy allows you to set a time of the day to run the scan.

Now, select the “Enabled” option to enable the policy. Next, type the time of the day in the number of minutes from midnight (00:00). For example, to run a scheduled at 04:00 PM; you should enter 960 (16 x 60).

Click on the “Ok” button to save the changes.

Finally, close the Group Policy Editor. Next, reboot the computer. Once the system is rebooted, the policy changes are applied, and Windows Defender will scan the system following the schedule.

Why set up Windows Defender scheduled scan?

It is a good idea to set up a scheduled scan using Windows Defender Antivirus for several reasons. One of the main benefits is that it allows you to automatically scan your computer at regular intervals, ensuring that any potential threats are detected and removed promptly.

Now, Windows Defender does automatically scan your system occasionally. However, it is a Quick Scan. That means it doesn’t scan the entire system. Instead, it only scans system files and other important components for threats and infections.

Generally, a quick scan is good enough in most cases. However, you should always do deep scans from time to time. As such, if Windows Defender is your primary antivirus software, you must schedule a full system scan.

This can be especially important for users who may not be able to manually scan their computer regularly, such as those who are often away from their desks or who have a busy schedule.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Here are a few frequently asked questions regarding Windows Defender scheduled scan on Windows 10 and 11:

Windows Defender Scheduled Scan – Wrapping Up

In conclusion, scheduling regular scans with Windows Defender Antivirus can help ensure that your computer is protected against potential threats at all times. You can either use the Task Scheduler or Group Policy Editor to schedule Windows Defender. No matter which method you choose to run a scheduled scan using Windows Defender, it gets the job done in simple steps and provides peace of mind.

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I hope this simple and easy Windows how-to guide helped you.

If you are stuck or need help, send an email, and I will try to help as much as possible.

Here are a couple more articles on Windows Defender.

• How to enable Windows Defender sandbox in Windows 10/11
• How to disable Windows Defender in Windows 10/11
• How to enable Windows Defender tamper protection