Windows defender auto update schedule

I want to update defender automatically - auto updates turned off.
Looking through the web I find several solutions, including the MS one using GPE which does not work!
The advice for schedule task is:
C:\Program Files\Windows Defender\MpCmdRun.exe –SignatureUpdate
or
C:\Program Files\Windows Defender\MpCmdRun.exe –Update
or
"C:\Program Files\Windows Defender\MpCmdRun.exe" –SignatureUpdate

But schedule task manager refuses to accept any of these saying the perameter is invalid.

Any Ideas please

win 10/64 pro Version: 10.0.19043

Hi Snodon,

When you create the new task. You go to action and select program or script, Then click the browse button and go select.

C:\Program Files\Windows Defender\MpCmdRun.exe

Then in the Add argument field type in –signatureupdate

Save the task.

Test if the task runs, right click on it and select Run, wait it completes and Press F5 to review the Last run result and confirm it works.

If you want the task to run hidden, in general select Run whether user is logged on or not, and enable do not store password.

Thanks for the reply
The task this creates is the same as the ones I have created.
What then happens is:
If you select the task and say run, a cmd box very briefly appears, so the task appears to have been created and run, except that Defender is not updated.

If I then edit the task I get the message "an error has occured for task defender update. Error message: one or more of the specified arguments are not valid".

This is the same message for either of the arguments.

This is happening on both of my systems, the other one has an older version of win10 so its not something that MS have just broken.

Any more suggestions would be appreciated, thanks.

Ok,

Open a command prompt (not admin) and trow this in:

Code:

"%ProgramFiles%\Windows Defender\MpCmdRun.exe" –signatureupdate

Pls Reply with Windows response.

Thanks

Signature update started ...
about 5 minutes
Signature update finished.

Defender has indeed updated - Why ????

Snodon said:

Thanks

Signature update started ...
about 5 minutes
Signature update finished.

Defender has indeed updated - Why ????

Your task are not correctly created. Post Screen shots of the new action screen when you create the task.

schedular.rar

I don't understand why... I'm unable to replicate your problem...

Try to create a cmd file to bypass the argumentation process.

UpdtDefend.cmd

Code:

"%ProgramFiles%\Windows Defender\MpCmdRun.exe" –signatureupdate

Save it in c:\windows\

Create a task that point to that cmd file and try to run it from task manager...

C:\windows\UpdtDefend.cmd

Sometimes there are things that makes me go...

Thanks
I will give it a try later and let you know

No problem, we have a pretty good jet lag between us... I'll wait for your conclusions.