Additional Microsoft Defender tools and services that provide security across various platforms and environments
No product can guarantee removal of every future trojan. The supported Microsoft second-line options are to use Microsoft Defender Antivirus, Microsoft Safety Scanner, the Malicious Software Removal Tool, and Microsoft Defender Offline for threats that hide and reinstall themselves.
Recommended cleanup path after a trojan download or installation:
- Run a Windows Security scan first.
- Open Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection.
- Run a scan and remove detected threats.
- If the threat was only partially removed, run the Malicious Software Removal Tool.
- Press Windows key + R.
- Run %windir%\system32\mrt.exe.
- Follow the prompts to scan and clean the PC.
- If the same malware comes back after restart, run Microsoft Defender Offline.
- Go to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection.
- Under Current threats, select Scan options.
- Select Windows Defender Offline scan > Scan now.
- Save work first, because the PC restarts before the scan.
- If the trojan arrived inside an app, uninstall the unwanted app after threats are cleaned.
- Go to Start > Settings > Apps.
- Select the suspicious app and choose Uninstall.
- Reboot if prompted.
- If uninstall is blocked or broken, use the Program Install and Uninstall troubleshooter.
- It can fix corrupted registry keys, incomplete uninstall data, and cases where a program cannot be fully uninstalled or updated.
- Update Windows after cleanup and avoid reinstalling software from the same source.
- Repeated detection can happen if the malware is downloaded again from the same website or email, or if a hidden component keeps reinstalling it.
For prevention, Microsoft recommends downloading software only from official websites or the Microsoft Store, using Microsoft Edge with SmartScreen, and keeping Microsoft Defender Antivirus enabled in Windows 10 and 11.