How to Scan File/Folder/Drive in Windows 8 using Windows Defender

Windows Security Essentials is being taunted as Windows Defender in Windows 8. This is the built-in anti-virus option that comes loaded when you install Windows 8. Earlier in Windows 7, it was possible to just right-click a file or folder and do a custom scan of the same. This has changed in 8 which has made the same process little tedious.

How to Custom Scan a Drive or Folder in Windows 8 using Windows Defender GUI?

The process is straight-forward. Just open the Defender GUI and select the file or folder and do the custom scan. To do so, follow the next steps.

1.  Go To Start Screen by pressing the Win key.

2.   Type “windows”. This will automatically use the Search option in Charms bar.

3.    From the list click on “Windows Defender”.

4.  This will open the GUI.

5.  On the right hand side, choose the “Custom” option and click on Scan now button. This will open the browse option to select the drive or folders.

6.   Click on OK. This will finish the scan and display the results.

How to Scan a File using Context Menu with Windows Defender in Windows 8?

Obviously this was the default style available in earlier versions of Windows and that everyone prefers. There is no direct method that is provided in Windows 8 as it is. You need to download a batch file to add the scan option in the right-click context menu.

Download Batch File to add “Scan” in Context Menu

Follow the following steps to add the “Scan” option in the context menu.

Press the Windows + R keyboard combination to open a run box and type:

shell:sendto

Then press enter. Now unzip the batch file you downloaded earlier and copy its contents into the SendTo folder.

Now when you right click on a file or folder, you will be able to scan items using the “Send to” menu. The con of this method is that it uses the command line scanner to finish the job.

As you can see above Windows Defender makes a good job to custom scan your files/folders/drives in Windows 8 using both GUI and Command line methods. Though GUI method is easy, the command-line method is the fastest. Just comment in the section below on how you use Windows Defender as the built-in anti-virus for Windows 8.