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Is it normal for a Windows Defender full scan to take so long?

December 17, 2025 2 answers
Asked by TechyGizmo42
I launched a full scan with Windows Defender to check for any malware on my system, and it's been running for 4 hours now. The progress bar shows it's only about 60% complete. Is this typically how long it takes, or should I consider stopping the scan?
full scan malware check System Operations system performance tech support Windows Defender

Answers

SmartDrive20
Totally normal! Full scans can drag on, particularly if you have a lot of files or multiple drives. If you're using two NVMe SSDs, the scan should be quicker than if you were on traditional HDDs, but don’t be surprised if it takes a few hours.
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CuriousCoder88
Yeah, long scans are pretty typical! Full scans can take a while, especially based on the size of your drives. If you're mainly using NVMe SSDs, they should be faster than HDDs, but it still might take several hours depending on how much data is on them.
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