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Add Windows Defender to Desktop Context Menu in Windows 8

Windows Defender was introduced as an anti-spyware program in Windows Vista and remained thus in Windows 7. In Windows 8, Microsoft upgraded Defender into a full fledged antivirus software comparable to Microsoft Security Essentials. In fact, Windows Defender is Microsoft Security Essentials and is intended to function as the default anti-virus program on Windows 8 computers. Although not immediately apparent, because it doesn’t have an icon in the notification area, the antivirus program is indeed running and protecting you against malware infection.

windows-defender

Windows Defender can be launched by double clicking the program icon on the Control Panel. If you want to scan your computer or a thumb drive, you have to start the program either from the control panel or by searching it on the Start Screen. Unlike most anti-virus program, Windows Defender has no shell extension, i.e., you cannot right-click a file or a drive in Windows Explorer and select “scan” from the context-menu. But this can be easily fixed by adding some registry keys.

Over at EightForums.com, a forum member has shared a tutorial that show you how to add or remove a cascading (expandable) Windows Defender menu to the desktop context menu for all users in Windows 8 that enables users to quickly open Windows Defender to settings, update, update and quick scan, quick scan, or full scan.

windows-defender-context-menu

The easiest way to do this is to download this file, unzip the contents and run Add_Windows-Defender_to_Desktop.reg to add the necessary keys to the registry. To remove the Windows Defender entry from the context menu, run the corresponding Remove_Windows-Defender_from_Desktop.reg file.

For those who like to get their hands dirty, here are the contents of both files.

Add Windows Defender to Desktop Context Menu

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\WindowsDefender]

"MUIVerb"="Windows Defender"
"SubCommands"="WD-Settings;WD-Update;WD-Update-QS;WD-QuickScan;WD-FullScan"
"Icon"="%ProgramFiles%\\Windows Defender\\EppManifest.dll"
"Position"=-

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\
CommandStore\shell\WD-Settings]

@="Settings"
"HasLUAShield"=""
"Icon"="%ProgramFiles%\\Windows Defender\\EppManifest.dll"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\
CommandStore\shell\WD-Settings\command]

@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Windows Defender\\MSASCui.exe\" -Settings"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\
CommandStore\shell\WD-Update]

@="Update"
"Icon"="%ProgramFiles%\\Windows Defender\\EppManifest.dll"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\
CommandStore\shell\WD-Update\command]

@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Windows Defender\\MSASCui.exe\" -Update"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\
CommandStore\shell\WD-Update-QS]

@="Update and Quick Scan"
"Icon"="%ProgramFiles%\\Windows Defender\\EppManifest.dll"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\
CommandStore\shell\WD-Update-QS\command]

@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Windows Defender\\MSASCui.exe\" -UpdateAndQuickScan"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\
CommandStore\shell\WD-QuickScan]

@="Quick Scan"
"Icon"="%ProgramFiles%\\Windows Defender\\EppManifest.dll"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\
CommandStore\shell\WD-QuickScan\command]

@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Windows Defender\\MSASCui.exe\" -QuickScan"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\
CommandStore\shell\WD-FullScan]

@="Full Scan"
"Icon"="%ProgramFiles%\\Windows Defender\\EppManifest.dll"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\
CommandStore\shell\WD-FullScan\command]

@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Windows Defender\\MSASCui.exe\" -FullScan"

Remove Windows Defender From Desktop Context Menu

[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\DesktopBackground\Shell\WindowsDefender]

[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\
CommandStore\shell\WD-Settings]

[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\
CommandStore\shell\WD-Update]

[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\
CommandStore\shell\WD-Update-QS]

[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\
CommandStore\shell\WD-QuickScan]

[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\
CommandStore\shell\WD-FullScan]

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