Subscribe to Microsoft 365? Expect a New App to Be Installed Automatically

If you subscribe to Microsoft 365, expect Microsoft Defender to be installed automatically in the coming days or weeks.

As Neowin reports(Opens in a new window), some 365 users have noticed(Opens in a new window) Microsoft Defender appearing as an installed app, but have no recollection of agreeing to it being installed. A quick check of the support page(Opens in a new window) for Defender reveals Microsoft decided to start installing it automatically.

According to the support page:

“Starting in late February of 2023, the Microsoft Defender app will be included in the Microsoft 365 installer. That means that when you install the Microsoft 365 apps on your Windows device, the Microsoft Defender app will automatically be installed for you along with the other apps.”

Anyone who already has Microsoft 365 installed won’t avoid the automatic installation because “the Microsoft Defender app will be automatically installed for you with the next update.”

Microsoft is sending out an email to existing 365 subscribers explaining the benefits of using Defender, and the email does also confirm that Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices will have the app automatically installed “during a routine update.” If you don’t want to wait, it’s possible to download Defender manually(Opens in a new window) from the Microsoft Store, but it will require an active Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscription to work.

Defender is an additional layer of security offered by Microsoft that functions alongside the built-in Windows Security protection. It works on Windows, but can also be deployed on Android, iOS, and macOS devices, with Microsoft allowing up to five devices per person to use it. If you already have a security suite running on your system, Defender should detect it and adjust how it runs accordingly so as not to interfere with its operation.

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