Windows Defender No Longer Performs AutoScan

Hasn't been working for me for quite a while. Defender autoscans once after each Windows 10 update I receive but not thereafter. After dealing with this issue for so long, I finally resolved just to scan manually each day. Not sure if this still affects others.

HokieMan said:

Hasn't been working for me for quite a while. Defender autoscans once after each Windows 10 update I receive but not thereafter. After dealing with this issue for so long, I finally resolved just to scan manually each day. Not sure if this still affects others.

Thanks, I'm having the same issue myself. I was on Norton's back when I received the first preview was released and installed. I had to uninstall that and then with Avira free. Then I recently had to uninstall that and Malwarebytes because my updates would fail. Turned Defender back on and now have to scan manually, but it never finds anything............never. That's like me saying I never sin, so naturally I do not trust Defender IMHO.

I did open up computer management and all it says in there for the scheduled scan is "Ready". Even after I put in the command that TairikuOkami posted.

Anyone have any ideas?

Mine is the same. Defender scheduled scan via automatic maintenance has never worked. See my thread.
I had to create a Scheduled Task to get the scan to work.

Jeddie said:

Mine is the same. Defender scheduled scan via automatic maintenance has never worked. See my thread.
I had to create a Scheduled Task to get the scan to work.

Well, it still works for some of us (as I said on your thread). A quick look at my Defender shows the latest scan ran 6 hours ago.

I think the main problem in relying on automatic maintenance to do the scan is that it will abort the scan if you start using your PC. My Task Scheduler history shows a lot more...

Task Scheduler stopped instance "{005bcb5f-8de7-4a17-81ec-3622d0060082}" of task "\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Defender\Windows Defender Scheduled Scan" because computer is no longer idle.

than...

Task Scheduler successfully finished "{eefa7d05-ea52-430e-a77b-8eef139ece41}" instance of the "\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Defender\Windows Defender Scheduled Scan" task for user "NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM".

Scheduling your own task that won't stop if you so much as breath on your mouse is the only reliable way to ensure regular scans. My PC was little used today and manage to complete three automatic scans, six hours apart. But the last successfully completed scan before that was two days ago. If you're a heavy user you may never see an automatic scan that runs to completion.

Bree said:

I think the main problem in relying on automatic maintenance to do the scan is that it will abort the scan if you start using your PC. My Task Scheduler history shows a lot more....

I have checked my history for auto maintenance. It says the scheduled scan completed. However it never does show in UI of Defender.

About the only thing Windows Defender does for me is notify me that Windows Defender needs to scan and I than have to manually scan.