Defender Full Scans are very short and quick


  1. Posts : 812
    Win10
       #1

    Defender Full Scans are very short and quick


    Is this normal? My most recent Full Defender scan took 5 minutes. Why is this?
    Does Defender save or cache the already scanned files and mark them as safe so it does not need to re-scan them again?
    Would this be the reasoning?

    If yes, how could I remove the already scanned cache? Where does Defender store these already scanned files if this would be the case?
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Defender Full Scans are very short and quick-capture.png  
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 7,871
    Windows 11 Pro 64 bit
       #2

    How much data is being scanned?
      My Computers


  3. Posts : 5,048
    Windows 10/11 Pro x64, Various Linux Builds, Networking, Storage, Cybersecurity Specialty.
       #3

    Do you have an SSD?
    That could really speed things up!

      My Computer


  4. Posts : 812
    Win10
    Thread Starter
       #4

    Yes I do, I have SSD and plus 16GB of RAM.
    Plus, I do not have much apps installed.
    Is there a way to clear the Defender cache of older scans?
    Just like to start a new fresh full scan for all files.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 579
    Windows10 Home 64 bit v. 22H2 bld. 19045.2604
       #5

    Yes Defender does store the results of previous scans in a cache to make it run faster. It only scans file it hasn’t done before. I suspect it also uses date last changed to determine if the file needs scanning. I googled “Windows Defender cache” and got several MS articles on how to clear Defender cache. If it’s any consolation, it takes 11 hours to do a full system scan of my system. It auto starts at 10:30P on Friday night and finishes about 9:30A on Saturday morning, but it’s scanning every file on the system.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 16,781
    Windows 10 Home x64 Version 22H2 Build 19045.4170
       #6
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 985
    Windows 10 Home 21H1
       #7

    I have 8 GB RAM with a 128 GB SSD and a 1 terabyte HDD too. After a clean installation and no other software installed a Full Scan takes approximately 5 minutes
      My Computer


 

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