Windows 10 Creators Update: Windows Defender Security Center and Antivirus

In the recently released Windows 10 Creators Update, Microsoft's eight months of work on this third feature update comes to an end and while it does not have any major UI changes that are visible as you use the OS, it does have a lot of fit and finish improvements.

These updates, and the ones we do not see under the proverbial hood, make the Creators Update a solid upgrade for Windows 10 users.

Over the course of our Windows 10 Creators Update coverage here at the SuperSite we will dive into the changes that are spread throughout the upgrade and today we take a closer look at the new Windows Defender Security Center and Windows Defender Antivirus.

The roots of Windows Defender go back to Windows XP when it was a separate download that helped protect against spyware. Then, in Windows Vista and Windows 7, it shipped as part of the operating system for the same purpose.

Those anti-spyware features were then integrated into a new program called Microsoft Security Essentials where it became a full anti-virus/spyware product. It once again became known as Windows Defender in Windows 8/8.1 and the initial release and two feature updates for Windows 10.

Windows Defender Classic UI

In the Windows 10 Creators Update not only does Windows Defender get a new name of sorts but it also receives an entire UI makeover. The freshly minted Windows Defender Security Center and Windows Defender Antivirus consolidates security related options from other areas of the OS so that everything is in one handy location.

This gallery will show off that new look and a new companion app from the Windows Security team, called the Windows Defender Hub, that brings you fresh security related content to stay up to date on what the security team is doing about the stream of threats against our systems.

Along with the updated UI, the Windows Defender Security Center also has a new system tray icon that shows a live status of your systems protection state and an option to get alerts and routine notices delivered to the Action Center.

Windows Defender Security Center System Tray Icon

Windows Defender Antivirus Alert in Action Center

Microsoft's early attempts at antivirus/spyware usually got laughed out of any discussion when it came to serious security protection however, over the last few years it has really started to become a reliable tool to protect Windows.

Of course, software is not the only solution here because people still need to engage the gray matter between their ears before clicking or tapping on their devices but these two elements can make for a marked improvement in device security.

I protect all of my Windows 10 devices with Defender and before that Security Essentials so between that and good common-sense computing habits we have been well protected.

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