- Apr 25, 2013
- 5,357

Windows Defender replaces Microsoft Security Essentials in Windows 8, but it does not include the ability to quickly right-click folders and scan them. However, you can add this option yourself with a quick registry hack.
This trick adds a “Scan with Windows Defender” option to the context menu that appears when you right-click a folder. It works similarly to the “Scan with Microsoft Security Essentials” option on previous versions of Windows.
Unfortunately, there is no command that launches Windows Defender in graphical mode and initiates a scan, so we will have to launch Windows Defender in a Command Prompt window.
Option 1: Download and Run a .reg File
You can add this option to your registry by downloading and running the file below. This will do everything for you – just download the .zip file, open it, and double-click the AddWindowsDefenderToContextMenu.reg file it contains.
Download WindowsDefenderContextMenu.zip

If you want to remove this option later, run the included RemoveWindowsDefenderFromContextMenu.reg file.
If you would rather add this context menu option manually, follow the instructions below.
Option 2: Add the Context Menu Entry Manually
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