In Windows 10 or Windows 11, several features have been added to prevent attacks. For example, both Windows versions are equipped with Windows Security, a set of apps that protect Windows against attacks, ransomware en malware.
These apps protect Windows preventively. If your computer is already infected with malware, you can use the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool.
So, the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool helps remove a set of specific malware.
It only removes a list of the most common malicious software and is designed to do this while the malware is active. It receives updates quarterly and runs automatically once a month.
It is not a substitute for one anti-malware program or a traditional antivirus.
Windows malicious software removal tool
You can also run this app manually. You can then choose from three different scans that check the computer for malware that is already present and start it.
Right-click on the Start button. In the menu click on Run. In the run window type: mrt.exe
The malicious software removal tool will start. Clicking on the link “The list of malicious software that this tool detects and removes” will open a list of the malicious software that this tool can detect and remove.
If you then click Next, you can choose from three different scans.
This is the quick scan, the full scan and the custom scan. Each has its pros or cons. If you suspect that your computer is infected with malware, I recommend running the full scan.
The tool searches your computer for widespread malicious software and removes it. When the scan is complete, a report will be displayed showing which malicious software was found and removed.
When the scan (“search”) is completed, you will see whether malicious software has been detected or not. Click on the “Show detailed search results” link to see for each “malicious software” whether it has been found on your computer or not.
All results of “mrt” are saved to the following location: c:\windows\debug\mrt.log
You can consult the above file at any time to review the past scans that were performed automatically or manually.
Also read: Everything you want to know about Windows defender antivirus.
I hope this helped you. Thank you for reading!