Speed Up Microsoft Security Essentials Scans | Exclusion Tips

Optimizing Microsoft Security Essentials Scan Speed

Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) is a favored anti-malware solution at How-To Geek due to its minimal impact on system performance and robust protection. This article details a simple method to accelerate MSE scans by excluding specific file types.

Excluding File Types for Faster Scans

To begin, launch MSE and navigate to the Settings tab. From the left-hand menu, select “Excluded file types.” This will allow you to specify file formats that will be bypassed during scans.

Excluding file types can significantly reduce scan times, particularly for large media collections. Consider starting with multimedia files if you are confident they are free of malware.

For instance, if you have a substantial library of audio samples used for recording, repeatedly scanning these files is inefficient. MSE’s resources are better allocated to potentially vulnerable areas.

You can exclude individual files with their extensions, or utilize the wildcard (*) character in conjunction with an extension to exclude all files of that type. Here are some examples:

• *.MP3

• *.AVI

• *.FLAC

Be aware that employing the wildcard character applies the exclusion universally to all files matching that type. Therefore, it’s advisable to limit exclusions to media files you are certain are safe.

If you routinely download media from untrusted sources, it’s prudent to scan those files individually before opening them. This can be done by right-clicking the file and selecting “Scan” from the context menu.

By implementing these techniques, you can streamline your malware scans and reclaim valuable time.