Tip: Run (and Automate) Windows Defender from the Command Line
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Windows Defender includes a command-line utility, MpCmdRun.exe, which can be handy if you want to automate the use of Windows Defender. The utility is located on Windows 7 at %ProgramFiles%\Windows Defender\MpCmdRun.exe.
The basic usage at the command prompt is:
MpCmdRun.exe [command] [-options]
Here’s an overview of available commands:
Command | Description |
-? | Displays all available options for the tool |
-Trace [-Grouping #] [-Level #] | Starts diagnostic tracing |
-RemoveDefinitions [-All] | Restores the installed signature definitions to a previous backup copy or to the original default set of signatures |
-RestoreDefaults | Resets the registry values for Windows Defender settings to known good defaults |
-SignatureUpdate | Checks for new definition updates |
-Scan [-ScanType] | Scans for malicious software |
-GetFiles | Collects support information |
Tip by Matthew Graven, TechNet Tips Editor.
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