Windows Defender in Windows 11 and Windows 10 is set to automatically download and install the definition updates using Windows Update, once a day. If for some reason, your Windows Defender will not update automatically, or if you wish to download and save the definition updates in order to maybe update Windows Defender offline, on different installations of Windows 11/10, then this post will be of interest to you.
We have already seen how to download Windows Update manually. Today, we will see how you can manually update Windows Defender in Windows 11 and Windows 10. I will also give links for downloading updates for Windows Defender in the post.
How to manually update Windows Defender
First, check whether you use a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows 11/10. Once you know the version of Windows installed on your device, download the installers from the following links:
- Download definition updates for Windows Defender in Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8.1/8: 32-bit | 64-bit | ARM.
- Download definition updates for Windows Defender in Windows 7 and Windows Vista: 32-bit | 64-bit.
- Download definition updates for Microsoft Security Essentials: 32-bit | 64-bit.
Once the file has finished downloading, go to your download location and double-click the file mpam–fe.exe. Follow the prompts to install the update.
You can also update Windows Defender definitions using Windows PowerShell.
If you think some malware is preventing the installation of Windows Defender definition updates, you may want to run a scan with Microsoft Safety Scanner or for more stubborn malware, use Windows Defender Offline.
TIP: See how to update Windows offline.
Why can’t I update my Windows Defender?
Suppose you have installed some third-party antivirus tool. In that case, that security program can interfere with Microsoft Defender Antivirus, which could be why you can’t update it. In that case, you should disable any third-party security tool and then try to update the Microsoft Defender Antivirus. You can also run the Windows Update troubleshooter to find and fix issues related to virus definition updates.
How to update Defender using CMD?
To update Windows Defender or Microsoft Defender Antivirus using CMD, first, run Command Prompt as administrator and access the Windows Defender directory. After that, clear the current cache for the update, and then start the update using the following commands:
MpCmdRun.exe -removedefinitions -dynamicsignatures
MpCmdRun.exe -SignatureUpdate
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