Clear Windows Security Protection History: How to Keep Your System Secure

Windows is one of the most widely used operating systems in the world, and it offers a range of security features to help protect users from malware and other threats. One of these features is the security protection history, which logs all security-related events on your system. While this is useful for troubleshooting, it can also be a potential security risk, as it can reveal sensitive information to attackers. In this article, we will show you how to clear Windows security protection history and keep your system secure.

Why you should Clear Windows Security Protection History ?

Clearing your Windows Security Protection History is important for several reasons. Firstly, it can help protect your privacy by removing sensitive information from your system. This includes information such as malware detection events, which could be used by attackers to identify vulnerabilities in your system. Secondly, clearing your Security Protection History can help improve system performance by freeing up space on your hard drive. Finally, it can help ensure that your system stays secure by removing potentially compromising information.

What is Windows Security Protection History?

Windows Security Protection History is a feature that logs all security-related events on your system. This includes events such as malware detection, updates, and user actions related to security. The information stored in the Security Protection History can be useful for troubleshooting and identifying potential security issues. However, it can also be a potential security risk, as it can reveal sensitive information to attackers.

How to Clear Windows Security Protection History

(1) Manually Clear Windows Security Protection History

If you wish to manually clear Windows Security Protection history, you can follow these straightforward steps.

• 1. Open the File Explorer on your Windows operating system and navigate to the following directory:

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Scans\History

• 2. Once you have arrived at the “History” folder, double-click on the “Service” folder.

• 3. Afterward, right-click on the “History” file in the “Service” folder and select “Delete” from the options available.

By following these steps, you can easily clear Windows Protection History on your computer manually.

(2) Clear Windows Security Protection History using the Event Viewer tool

1. To get started, click on the Windows 11 search bar and type in “Event Viewer”. Afterward, select the Event Viewer application from the options list.
2. Once the Event Viewer opens up, choose the “Event Viewer (Local)” option and expand the “Applications and Services Logs” menu.
3. Select the “Microsoft” folder.
4. Double-click on the “Windows” option located on the right-hand side.
5. Scroll down and double-click on “Windows Defender”.
6. Double-click on “Operational” on the Windows Defender.
7. In the right pane, click on the “Clear log” button.
8. You will now be prompted to confirm the action. Click on the “Save and Clear” button to delete the log.

That’s it! Following these steps will clear Windows Protection History on your computer.

(3) Clear Windows Protection History using Local Group Policy

To clear Windows Protection History , you can make use of the Local Group Policy editor. The process is straightforward, and we have shared the steps below.

1. First, click on the Windows 11 search and type in ‘Local Group Policy.’ From the results, open the Local Group Policy Editor.
2. On the Local Group Policy Editor, navigate to the following path:

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Microsoft Defender Antivirus > Scan.

3. On the right side of the window, find the ‘Turn on removing items from scan history’ option, and double-click on it.
4. In the new window that appears, select the ‘Enabled’ option and enter the time frame in days. Avoid setting the number of days to zero because that will imply forever. Enter the number of days you desire the Windows security to clear the protection history. Once done, click on the Ok button.

That’s it! By following these steps, the Windows Security Protection History will automatically get cleared on Windows.

(4) Clear Windows Protection History using PowerShell

You can clear Windows Protection History using the PowerShell utility also. Follow the simple steps shared below to achieve this.

1. Click on the Windows search and type “PowerShell”. Next, right-click on PowerShell and select “Run as administrator”.
2. On the PowerShell Window, paste the following command and press Enter:

Set-MpPreference -ScanPurgeItemsAfterDelay 5

Note: The number “5” at the end of the command represents the number of days after which Windows security History will be cleared automatically. You can modify this number as per your preference.

Above mentioned methods are best to clear Windows Security or Defender Protection History. If you require further assistance with removing the Windows Protection History, please let us know in the comments section below.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• Q. Will clearing Windows security protection history affect my computer’s performance?
• A. No, clearing Windows security protection history will not affect your computer’s performance. In fact, it may improve the performance of your system by freeing up space.
• Q. Will clearing Windows security protection history delete my personal files?
• A. No, clearing Windows security protection history will not delete your personal files. It will only delete your browsing history, download history, and cached data and files.
• Q. Can I customize what data is cleared in Windows security protection history?
• A. Yes, you can customize what data is cleared in Windows security protection history. Simply check the boxes next to the items you want to clear, such as Browsing history, Download history, and Cached data and files.
• Q. Can I schedule automatic clearings of Windows security protection history?
• A. Yes, you can schedule automatic clearings of Windows security protection history by using power-shell. However, it is recommended to manually clear your history on a regular basis.

Conclusion:

Clearing Windows security protection history is an essential step in keeping your system safe and secure from potential threats. By following our step-by-step guide & Video Tutorial, you can easily clear Windows Protection history, and cached data and files. It is important to regularly clear Windows Protection history to protect your privacy and prevent potential data breaches. With these simple steps, you can ensure that your system is always protected from cyber threats.

Will these methods work on other Windows Versions?

yes, all the above methods works on Windows 10 and Windows 11. So, you don’t need to be worry about that.