Can I use Windows Defender on my PC to scan my smart phone?

Hello Maja. Thanks for getting back. If you backup your smartphone using Samsung Smart Switch and transfer that data to your PC, Windows Defender and MRT do not actively scan or search for malware within that backed up data when transferred to your device. This is because those backup files (app data, media, and system settings) are in proprietary storage formats or compressed archives which, by default, Defender and MRT do not actively inspect, unless the malware is unpacked and running on your PC.

Windows Defender is focused on threats targeting Windows as an operating system and MRT is for use after infection that checks for known commonly used malware based only on the Windows OS, it does not check mobile backups or protect from Android targeted threats. All the malware may need to do is get inside the APK or app data in the backup and you won't get any alerts unless that data is executed or extracted in a way that tricks your device into thinking it is a Windows threat.

Hello Maja. Regarding your question, unfortunately, you cannot use Windows Defender on your PC to scan your smartphone via USB. Defender is built to protect Windows systems and cannot access or analyze a mobile device's full operating system, apps, or data over USB.

Also, MRT Malicious Software Removal Tool only works on Windows PCs and has no capability to scan smartphones.

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Best regards,