Windows 11 ships with a built-in security solution called Microsoft Defender (formerly known as Windows Defender), which protects your data from viruses and malware.
The Microsoft Defender in Windows 11 uses big data analysis, machine learning, Microsoft cloud infrastructure, and threat resistance research to safeguard your data from threats.
With default installation settings, Microsoft Defender Antivirus is turned on and automatically updated in the background, unless you have disabled it or installed a third-party antivirus solution. Therefore, you do not need to manually update Microsoft Defender.
That said, if you are using Microsoft Defender Antivirus, you may want to periodically check and update the security intelligence to the latest version to ensure you are protected.
Windows 11 provides two methods for checking and manually updating Microsoft Defender Antivirus security intelligence.
Method 1 of 2
Update Microsoft Defender Antivirus intelligence from the Windows Security app in Windows 11
Step 1: Launch the Windows Security app using the search function.
Step 2: Once launched, click the Virus & threat protection option located in the left pane.
Step 3: On the Virus and threat protection page, scroll down to see the Virus & threat protection updates section. Here, click the Protection updates link.
The section displays when security intelligence was last updated. If the antivirus signature was updated in the last few hours, you do not need to manually update it.
Step 4: Finally, on the Protection updates page, click the Check for updates button to check and install updates.
As you can see in the picture, if updates were available and installed, you get a “Update successful” message.
Method 2 of 2
Use Command Prompt to update Microsoft Defender Antivirus intelligence to the latest version in Windows 11
Step 1: Launch Command Prompt as an administrator. To do that, type ‘CMD’ in the Start or taskbar search, right-click the Command Prompt entry in the search result, and then click the Run as administrator option.
Step 2: Type or copy and paste the following command:
cd C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Platform\4.18*
NOTE: You need to replace the letter “C” with the drive letter of the Windows 11 installation drive (open This PC to see the drive letter).
Step 3: Finally, copy and paste the following command into the Command Prompt and hit the Enter key to update Microsoft Defender Antivirus security intelligence to the latest version.
MpCmdRun –SignatureUpdate
Once done, a “Signature update finished” message (refer to the picture below). You may close the Command Prompt window now.
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