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-->Microsoft Safety Scanner is a scan tool designed to find and remove malware from Windows computers. Simply download it and run a scan to find malware and try to reverse changes made by identified threats.
Note
Starting November 2019, Safety Scanner will be SHA-2 signed exclusively. Your devices must be updated to support SHA-2 in order to run Safety Scanner. To learn more, see 2019 SHA-2 Code Signing Support requirement for Windows and WSUS.
Important information
- The security intelligence update version of the Microsoft Safety Scanner matches the version described in this web page.
- Safety Scanner only scans when manually triggered and is available for use 10 days after being downloaded. We recommend that you always download the latest version of this tool before each scan.
- Safety scanner is a portable executable and does not appear in the Windows Start menu or as an icon on the desktop. Note where you saved this download.
- This tool does not replace your antimalware product. For real-time protection with automatic updates, use Windows Defender Antivirus on Windows 10 and Windows 8 or Microsoft Security Essentials on Windows 7. These antimalware products also provide powerful malware removal capabilities. If you are having difficulties removing malware with these products, you can refer to our help on removing difficult threats.
System requirements
Safety Scanner helps remove malicious software from computers running Windows 10, Windows 10 Tech Preview, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server Tech Preview, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server 2008. Please refer to the Microsoft Lifecycle Policy.
How to run a scan
- Download this tool and open it.
- Select the type of scan you want run and start the scan.
- Review the scan results displayed on screen. For detailed detection results, view the log at %SYSTEMROOT%debugmsert.log.
To remove this tool, delete the executable file (msert.exe by default).
For more information about the Safety Scanner, see the support article on how to troubleshoot problems using Safety Scanner.
Related resources
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By now, you likely have upgraded your Windows 7 installation to Windows 10 by using the free upgrade offer from Microsoft and probably wondering why Microsoft Security Essentials is not available for Windows 10.
Microsoft Security Essentials program doesn’t support Windows 10, meaning that you can’t install Security Essentials in Windows 10. In fact, it doesn’t even support the previously released Windows 8/8.1 as well.
When you upgraded your Windows 7 installation to Windows 10, the program was removed because Windows 10 ships with a good antimalware program out of the box.
Windows Defender is Security Essentials in Windows 10
Like its predecessor Windows 8, Windows 10 also ships with Windows Defender. For users coming from Windows 7, the Windows Defender in Windows 10 is not just the Defender of Windows 7. Rather, Windows Defender in Windows 10 comprises all the features of Microsoft Security Essentials and this is the reason why Security Essentials is not available for Windows 10.
The UI of Windows Defender in Windows 10, as you can see in the above picture, looks more or less like the Security Essentials. You can launch Windows Defender by typing the same in Start menu or taskbar search box.
The Windows Defender in Windows 10 helps users protect their PCs from viruses, malware, and other threats. Like Security Essentials, it offers real-time protection and uses Windows Update service to automatically download latest definition updates.
To access some of its settings (like), you need to navigate to the Security section of Settings app.
Although the native security solution is not as powerful as some other third-party antivirus software out there for Windows operating system, it does offer good basic protection.
Finally, if you aren’t satisfied with Windows Defender in Windows 10 and would like to use a third-party antivirus program instead, use free programs like Avast Free Antivirus.