Also, it should be noted that this option is only available when using a third-party antivirus. Periodic scanning has been introduced with the Anniversary Update, but starting the Creators Update, the feature has been moved from the Settings app to the Windows Defender Security Center. Windows Defender Antivirus periodic scanning settings Once you’ve completed the steps, your computer will continue to use your antivirus of choice, but now Windows Defender Antivirus will periodically run a scan without impacting your system performance to catch any threats that your third-party antivirus was not able to detect. How to enable periodic scanning when using third-party antivirus #

In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to enable periodic scan on Windows Defender Antivirus using the Windows Defender Security Center to have a second pair of eyes protecting your device from threats. However, because no matter the antivirus you choose, chances are that a malware can still sneak into your device, Windows Defender includes “periodic scanning” that allows the antivirus to remain disabled when a third-party security software is configured, but periodically scans and removes any threats that your antivirus was not able to detect.

Enable windows defender