Removing Spyware

Spyware and other intrusive programs can gain access to your computer, gather information about you, and bombard you with pop-up ads. Windows Defender is designed to find and remove these types of programs by periodically scanning your files. You can specify when you want this scanning to occur or, if you detect suspicious activity, you can run a scan immediately. However, some spyware programs aren't easily identifiable. If you suspect that there's unidentified spyware on your computer, use another commercially available spyware program to run a second scan of the computer.

Change Defender Settings

Click the Start button, type defend in the Search box of the Start menu, and click Windows Defender. In the Windows Defender window that appears, click Tools, and then click Options to display the Options window of Windows Defender.

To use Windows Defender, select this check box.

Make any adjustments you want to the schedule.

Select these check boxes if they aren't selected.

Look through all the other options, adjusting them so that you get the best possible protection.

Click Save.

Click the down arrow next to the Scan button, and select the type of scan you want to run now.

Close Windows Defender when you've finished.

Tip

Defender uses information files, called definitions, to identify spyware. To identify the most recent spyware programs that might be on your computer, you need updated definitions. Make sure your computer is set to automatically download updated definitions.