How can I schedule scans in the Windows 8 Windows Defender?

Question

In the previous Windows versions (XP, Vista and 7), Windows Defender included the option to schedule when Windows Defender scans your computer.

However, Windows Defender on Windows 8 doesn't seem to have that feature. I don't see a scans scheduler or an option to enable scheduled scans.

How can I schedule scans in Windows Defender running on Windows 8?

Answer 1

Although it's not exposed in the WIndows Defender UI, scheduled scans are still there; you can find them in Task Scheduler.

1. Type sched in the Start Screen and look under Settings to open Task Scheduler. (You can also find it under Administrative Tools)
2. In the tree on the left side, go to Microsoft, Windows, Windows Defender.
3. Double-click on Windows Defender Scheduled Scan
4. Go to the Triggers tab.