'One of Windows Defender's biggest pros is that it runs automatically 'out of the box' – there's no setup required. In a local account, there just isn’t anything for viruses to latch onto.’ Which? Computing member Our expert says: I’ve done this on my Windows 10 and now 11 account for years and have never had any issues. 'When you have your main account set as a local account (with an admin account never used), then this is the way to go. ‘I’ve just read the April 2022 issue of Which? Computing and I’m staggered that you didn’t recommend Microsoft Defender as a free security software for Windows 10 and 11.

Question of the month: is Windows Security good enough? Join Which? Tech Support – stay on top of your tech and get unlimited expert 1-2-1 support by phone, email, remote fix and in print. Plus, we review some of the most popular free antivirus packages to see if you should swap.

Here, our Which? Tech Support experts take a closer look at the pre-installed security features on Windows. But although it is now widely accepted that Windows Security has improved, it doesn’t rate as highly as some third-party packages in our own independent antivirus tests. In fact, more than 50% of Windows 10 users rely on it. Microsoft has continued to improve its virus-busting software over the years. In previous iterations of Windows, it was well worth having a third-party antivirus package installed, but times change.

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