Microsoft Security Essentials Free Antivirus Software | Free Antivirus Software

Microsoft Security Essentials - one of the best available free antivirus software programs. It's created by Microsoft and it's easy to see if the program is protecting you the way it should. This tool performs quick scans for threats in common areas where viruses are hiding, but you can also run a full scan to check all or a custom scan to search for specific folders or drives.

Microsoft Security Essentials provides built-in antivirus and malware protection for Windows 7 and Windows Vista. Windows 8 and Windows 10 use Windows Defender.

Microsoft Security Essentials features

What we like

Provides continuous protection against viruses, spyware, and other malware.

Virus definitions are updated automatically and regularly.

Small download size.

It is fast and very easy to install.

Installs no unrelated software.

Works with Windows 7 and Vista.

What we don't like

Does not include silent mode (so you might be disturbed while playing games).

Can't access the settings from the notification area icon.

Since it supports legacy operating systems, it was last updated in 2016.

Like any antivirus program, MSE offers several features to combat threats. It does a good job of balancing ease of use with functionality:

Microsoft Security Essentials works in Windows 7 and Windows Vista ( Windows Defender is built into Windows 10 and Windows 8).

It includes fully functional mechanisms to protect against viruses and most other types of malware .

The program is an easy-to-use on-demand scanner for manual malware scans, or it schedules a scan (quick or full) to run daily or any day of the week at any specified time of day.

Files, locations, file types and processes can be excluded from scanning.

Simple green and red indicator make it easy to see if you are protected.

Microsoft Security Essentials is regularly updated to keep malware knowledge up to date. Review the last time the MSE definitions were updated and the current version number of spyware and virus definitions.

This antivirus software allows you to limit the amount of CPU used for scanning from 10% to 100%.

Archives and removable drives can be configured to scan in full.

Use the MSE to automatically enable Windows Firewall, if not included other firewall program.

The History tab keeps records of quarantined and allowed items so you can check how the program works. Select the default action MSE takes (for example, to remove or resolve a threat) when the threat is identified as having a Severe, High, Medium, or Low alert. Quarantined items can be configured to be automatically deleted or kept permanently. If you decide to remove these items after the specified time, you can choose one day after up to three months later.

Use it to create restore points before performing specific actions on detected items.

Microsoft Security Essentials provides continuous antivirus protection, also called on-access protection or resident protection, for free. This means Microsoft Security Essentials can replace antivirus software from companies like McAfee and Norton, Protegent360, which charge for their software and get access to updates annually.

Thoughts on Microsoft Security Fundamentals

Security Essentials is Microsoft's first attempt at an antivirus program, free or otherwise. Overall, the program works well and performs its task excellently.

It's easy to install and even easier to understand and use. Microsoft Security Essentials also outperforms most of the popular and expensive Free Antivirus Software options.

Despite the robust nature of the program, MSE is a legacy solution for legacy operating systems. Particularly in high-load environments, it is best to upgrade to Windows 10 with Windows Defender and an end-to-end protection approach using a combination of hardware and software protections.