If you're interested in shopping around, we've tested a wide range of free and paid-for software to help you choose. Our review of Windows 10 Defender has all the details, and if you suspect you're not getting the level of protection you need, there are plenty of free and paid-for alternatives that have next to no impact on the speed of your computer and will provide additional protection.įree and paid-for antivirus for 2021 on test That's not to say it can't be enhanced by using antivirus software we found several antivirus packages that were more effective than Edge at stopping phishing attempts. Not only is Edge an effective anti-phishing tool, it actually beats both Google Chrome and comes in just a smidge behind Mozilla Firefox when it comes to thwarting phishing attacks, according to our lab tests. If you use another browser, you won't get the added protection of Windows' own phishing protection if you happen to end up on a scam website trying to steal your data. It's also effective at blocking phishing attacks, although only in the Edge web browser. Without an internet connection, it can't do this and therefore doesn't have much to go on when choosing whether to block a program. There is a caveat to this, though it's only effective when your computer has an internet connection because it sends tiny fingerprints of suspect programs to its online database to see if it matches known threats. Our tests show that in some circumstances, it's an effective partner for keeping you safe online, but in others there's need for improvement.įirst, the good: its Smart Screen technology is very effective at blocking malware that tries to start running on your computer. There has always been a big question mark hanging over Windows Defender (part of what's now called Windows Security) and whether it's enough to keep your computer safe.

Does Windows Defender offer enough protection?

Is windows defender a good antivirus