{"id":138546,"date":"2023-03-20T06:00:43","date_gmt":"2023-03-20T10:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pureinfotech.com\/?p=138546"},"modified":"2026-03-02T08:43:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T13:43:33","slug":"do-offline-virus-scan-microsoft-defender-windows-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pureinfotech.com\/do-offline-virus-scan-microsoft-defender-windows-11\/","title":{"rendered":"How to do offline virus scan with Microsoft Defender on Windows 11"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul class=\"sum\">\n<li>To offline virus scan on Windows 11, open <strong>Windows Security<\/strong> &gt; <strong>Virus &amp; threat protection<\/strong>, click <strong>&#8220;Scan options,&#8221;<\/strong> select <strong>&#8220;Microsoft Defender Offline&#8221;<\/strong> scan.<\/li>\n<li>After the scan, you can find the Microsoft Defender Offline scan results on <strong>Windows Security<\/strong> &gt; <strong>Virus &amp; threat protection<\/strong> &gt; <strong>Protection history<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Although <a href=\"https:\/\/pureinfotech.com\/tag\/windows-11\">Windows 11<\/a> is a secure system, you may sometimes come across malware or other malicious software that would be difficult to remove while the operating system is running.<\/p>\n<p>If this is the case, you can use the &#8220;Microsoft Defender Offline&#8221; feature to scan and remove virtually any type of malware, including viruses, rootkits, ransomware, and other malicious software that may be hard to delete while Windows 11 is running.<\/p>\n<p>This <a href=\"https:\/\/pureinfotech.com\/tag\/how-to\">guide<\/a> will teach you how to use the Microsoft Defender Offline scan to detect and remove highly persistent malware. (The <a href=\"https:\/\/pureinfotech.com\/offline-virus-scan-microsoft-defender-windows-10\/\">offline scan feature is also available on Windows 10<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<h2>Perform offline virus scan on Windows 11<\/h2>\n<p>To perform a full offline virus scan on Windows 11, use these steps:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>\n<p>Open <strong>Windows Security<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Click on <strong>Virus &amp; threat protection<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Under the &#8220;Current threats&#8221; section, click on <strong>Scan options<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-153468\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pureinfotech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/defender-scan-options-windows-11.webp?resize=827%2C501&#038;quality=78&#038;strip=all&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Open scan options\" width=\"827\" height=\"501\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pureinfotech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/defender-scan-options-windows-11.webp?w=828&amp;quality=78&amp;strip=all&amp;ssl=1 828w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pureinfotech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/defender-scan-options-windows-11.webp?resize=300%2C182&amp;quality=78&amp;strip=all&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pureinfotech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/defender-scan-options-windows-11.webp?resize=150%2C91&amp;quality=78&amp;strip=all&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 827px) 100vw, 827px\" \/><\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Check the <strong>&#8220;Microsoft Defender Offline scan&#8221;<\/strong> option.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-153470\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pureinfotech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/microsoft-defender-offline-windows-11.webp?resize=827%2C501&#038;quality=78&#038;strip=all&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Microsoft Defender Offline scan\" width=\"827\" height=\"501\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pureinfotech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/microsoft-defender-offline-windows-11.webp?w=828&amp;quality=78&amp;strip=all&amp;ssl=1 828w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pureinfotech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/microsoft-defender-offline-windows-11.webp?resize=300%2C182&amp;quality=78&amp;strip=all&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pureinfotech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/microsoft-defender-offline-windows-11.webp?resize=150%2C91&amp;quality=78&amp;strip=all&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 827px) 100vw, 827px\" \/><\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Click the <strong>Scan now<\/strong> button.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Click the <strong>Scan<\/strong> button.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Once you complete the steps, the computer will restart automatically in the recovery environment, and Microsoft Defender will start the full virus scan. If the Windows 11 antivirus detects any virus, rootkit, or any other type of malware, it&#8217;ll remove it automatically.<\/p>\n    <div class=\"responsive-youtube-container\">\n        <iframe\n            src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yO1zdy0VuQM?rel=0&showinfo=0\"\n            frameborder=\"0\"\n            allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\"\n            allowfullscreen\n            loading=\"lazy\"\n        ><\/iframe>\n    <\/div>\n<p>After the scan, you can find the Microsoft Defender Offline scan results on <strong>Windows Security<\/strong> &gt; <strong>Virus &amp; threat protection<\/strong> &gt; <strong>Protection history<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If your device gets hit by a nasty malware, Microsoft Defender Offline can detect and remove it \u2013 here&#8217;s how on Windows 11.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":153469,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2426,23],"tags":[677,95,19,2703,2715,2576],"class_list":["post-138546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-windows","tag-antivirus","tag-difficulty-level-beginner","tag-how-to","tag-microsoft-defender","tag-windows-11","tag-windows-help"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to do offline virus scan with Microsoft Defender on Windows 11 - Pureinfotech<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"On Windows 11, Microsoft Defender Offline feature can remove difficult viruses, rootkit, and other malware quickly, and here&#039;s how.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pureinfotech.com\/do-offline-virus-scan-microsoft-defender-windows-11\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to do offline virus scan with Microsoft Defender on Windows 11 - Pureinfotech\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On Windows 11, Microsoft Defender Offline feature can remove difficult viruses, rootkit, and other malware quickly, and here&#039;s how.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/pureinfotech.com\/do-offline-virus-scan-microsoft-defender-windows-11\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pureinfotech \u2022 Windows 10 &amp; Windows 11 help for humans\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/pureinfotech\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-03-20T10:00:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-02T13:43:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/pureinfotech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/windows-11-defender-offline-scan-hero.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1682\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1046\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mauro Huculak\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Pureinfotech\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Pureinfotech\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mauro Huculak\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pureinfotech.com\/do-offline-virus-scan-microsoft-defender-windows-11\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pureinfotech.com\/do-offline-virus-scan-microsoft-defender-windows-11\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Mauro Huculak\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pureinfotech.com\/#\/schema\/person\/bf4921a81eb4380865af70691a93af43\"},\"headline\":\"How to do offline virus scan with Microsoft Defender on Windows 11\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-20T10:00:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-02T13:43:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pureinfotech.com\/do-offline-virus-scan-microsoft-defender-windows-11\/\"},\"wordCount\":276,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pureinfotech.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pureinfotech.com\/do-offline-virus-scan-microsoft-defender-windows-11\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pureinfotech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/windows-11-defender-offline-scan-hero.webp?fit=1682%2C1046&quality=78&strip=all&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"Antivirus\",\"Difficulty level: Beginner\",\"How-To\",\"Microsoft Defender\",\"Windows 11\",\"Windows Help\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Features\",\"Windows\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pureinfotech.com\/do-offline-virus-scan-microsoft-defender-windows-11\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pureinfotech.com\/do-offline-virus-scan-microsoft-defender-windows-11\/\",\"name\":\"How to do offline virus scan with Microsoft Defender on Windows 11 - Pureinfotech\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pureinfotech.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pureinfotech.com\/do-offline-virus-scan-microsoft-defender-windows-11\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pureinfotech.com\/do-offline-virus-scan-microsoft-defender-windows-11\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pureinfotech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/windows-11-defender-offline-scan-hero.webp?fit=1682%2C1046&quality=78&strip=all&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-20T10:00:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-02T13:43:33+00:00\",\"description\":\"On Windows 11, Microsoft Defender Offline feature can remove difficult viruses, rootkit, and other malware quickly, and here's how.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pureinfotech.com\/do-offline-virus-scan-microsoft-defender-windows-11\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/pureinfotech.com\/do-offline-virus-scan-microsoft-defender-windows-11\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pureinfotech.com\/do-offline-virus-scan-microsoft-defender-windows-11\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pureinfotech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/windows-11-defender-offline-scan-hero.webp?fit=1682%2C1046&quality=78&strip=all&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pureinfotech.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/windows-11-defender-offline-scan-hero.webp?fit=1682%2C1046&quality=78&strip=all&ssl=1\",\"width\":1682,\"height\":1046,\"caption\":\"Windows 11 Defender Offline scan\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pureinfotech.com\/do-offline-virus-scan-microsoft-defender-windows-11\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/pureinfotech.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to do offline virus scan with Microsoft Defender on Windows 11\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/pureinfotech.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/pureinfotech.com\/\",\"name\":\"Pureinfotech \u2022 Windows 10 &amp; 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With over 21 years as a technology writer and IT Specialist, Mauro specializes in Windows, software, and cross-platform systems such as Linux, Android, and macOS. Certifications he holds include Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA), Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP), VMware Certified Professional (VCP), and CompTIA A+ and Network+. Mauro is a recognized Microsoft MVP and has also been a long-time contributor to Windows Central. You can follow him on YouTube, Threads, BlueSky, X (Twitter), LinkedIn and About.me. 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