Microsoft Defender still protects Windows workstations from malware and viruses even if you use Chrome or some other productivity applications.

PaulEdlund said:As someone who focuses on cybersecurity for Microsoft, I can attest that this article is factually untrue.

The upside is that, unlike a few years ago, Defender is now a serious option that's well worth considering. Choosing any antivirus software first involves figuring out what you need. That seems like an evasive answer, but it's not. Ultimately, deciding on whether Microsoft Defender Antivirus is good enough depends on you. Some also toss in identity theft protection services, VPNs, backup software and cloud storage. If you have a multi-platform household and are willing to spend a bit more, you can shell out for one of the best internet security suites, which bundle in antivirus software for Mac and Android devices and generally come with parental controls and password managers as well. You don't need to spend a lot, or even anything at all - one of the most impressive antivirus programs we've seen is Kaspersky Security Cloud Free. These third-party antivirus programs protect all browsers equally well, and detect threats in all kinds of applications, not just Microsoft's. If you're comfortable with all this - and in our experience, Edge is lighter and faster than Chrome - then Microsoft Defender Antivirus and the related protections built into Windows 10 and 11 should absolutely be good enough to protect you from malware and give you a few useful extra security features as well.īut if you'd rather use Chrome or Firefox, Slack or Zoom, Google Workspace or LibreOffice instead of the corresponding Microsoft products, then it would be best to get one of the best Windows 10 (and 11) antivirus programs. You can also put Microsoft Family Safety apps on your children’s Android and iOS devices but this requires a paid subscription to Microsoft Office 365. Likewise, for the parental controls to work properly, your kids have to use Edge and no other browser on Windows.

Microsoft does have browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox but they’re limited to machines running the Pro, Enterprise or Education versions of Windows 10 and Windows 11. To be fair though, the protection offered by Chrome and Firefox is pretty good on its own. As a result, if your Chrome or Firefox browser is used to visit a malicious website, you’ll have to rely on the browser’s own protection, not Microsoft’s.

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