{"id":5332,"date":"2026-08-30T15:30:36","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T06:30:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/server-tech\/win11-night-full-scan-automation-2\/"},"modified":"2026-08-30T15:30:37","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T06:30:37","slug":"win11-night-full-scan-automation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/en\/server-tech\/software-os-settings\/win11-night-full-scan-automation\/","title":{"rendered":"[Windows 11] How to Automatically Run Full Scans at Night"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>While Windows&#8217; built-in &#8220;Microsoft Defender&#8221; is an excellent security tool, its downside is that running a full scan makes the PC extremely sluggish. Unlike the &#8220;quick scan&#8221; that normally runs in the background, a full scan inspects deep into the system and inside compressed files, resulting in the reading of millions of files.<\/p>\n<p>Because modern PCs feature large-capacity drives, it&#8217;s common for a full scan to take several hours to complete. During that time, CPU and storage loads remain constantly maxed out, making it impossible to get any real work done.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I want to run full scans just to be safe, but I don&#8217;t want them getting in my way.&#8221; We can solve this problem by having them &#8220;run automatically at night.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Objective: Balancing Security and Usability<\/h2>\n<p>The goal here is to perform maximum security checks without sacrificing the user&#8217;s working hours.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Current State: Relying only on default settings (quick scans) or performing full scans manually.<\/li>\n<li>Challenges: Manual full scans are easy to forget, and the PC becomes too slow to use during execution.<\/li>\n<li>Goal:\n<ul>\n<li>Execution Timing: Set to nighttime when the PC is not in use (e.g., 22:00).<\/li>\n<li>Scan Scope: All drives (Full Scan).<\/li>\n<li>Operation: Fully automated (including wake from sleep).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Work hard during the day, maintain thoroughly at night. We&#8217;re going to automate this balance.<\/p>\n<h2>Solution: Using Task Scheduler<\/h2>\n<p>The Windows 11 settings menu does not have an option called &#8220;Schedule Full Scan.&#8221; Therefore, we will use Windows&#8217; built-in management tool, the &#8220;Task Scheduler.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>By directly calling Defender&#8217;s actual executable program (MpCmdRun.exe), flexible scheduling options not found in the GUI become possible.<\/p>\n<p>*Administrator privileges are required for this configuration.<\/p>\n<h3>Configuration Steps<\/h3>\n<p>There are 3 steps. Although the interface looks a bit technical, the inputs are straightforward so it&#8217;s not difficult.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Opening Task Scheduler<br \/>\nSearch for &#8220;Task&#8221; in the Start menu and open &#8220;Task Scheduler&#8221; with &#8220;Run as administrator.&#8221; *Without administrator privileges, you cannot control security software.<\/li>\n<li>Creating a Task<br \/>\nClick &#8220;Create Task&#8221; from the actions panel on the right. Configure the following 4 tabs.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>General Tab<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/c0e159b2801e2b63d6febadf13fd1c20.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2651\" src=\"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/c0e159b2801e2b63d6febadf13fd1c20.png\" alt=\"General Tab\" width=\"542\" height=\"390\" srcset=\"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/c0e159b2801e2b63d6febadf13fd1c20.png 542w, https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/c0e159b2801e2b63d6febadf13fd1c20-300x216.png 300w, https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/c0e159b2801e2b63d6febadf13fd1c20-530x381.png 530w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 542px) 100vw, 542px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Name: Any preferred name, such as Defender Night Full Scan.<\/li>\n<li>Security Options:\n<ul>\n<li>Check &#8220;Run whether user is logged on or not.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Check &#8220;Run with highest privileges&#8221; (Required).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Triggers Tab<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ada757af8b15c11094b617437ba1aad3.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2646\" src=\"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ada757af8b15c11094b617437ba1aad3.png\" alt=\"Triggers Tab\" width=\"606\" height=\"516\" srcset=\"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ada757af8b15c11094b617437ba1aad3.png 606w, https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ada757af8b15c11094b617437ba1aad3-300x255.png 300w, https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ada757af8b15c11094b617437ba1aad3-530x451.png 530w, https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ada757af8b15c11094b617437ba1aad3-565x481.png 565w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 606px) 100vw, 606px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nDetermine &#8220;when to run.&#8221; Click &#8220;New.&#8221;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Begin the task: &#8220;On a schedule&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Settings: &#8220;Weekly&#8221;\n<ul>\n<li>Start time: Friday at 22:00:00, for example.<\/li>\n<li>*Running this every day puts a heavy load on the SSD, so &#8220;once a week&#8221; is recommended to start.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Actions Tab<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/788381ef7c9884b54454e6a25cd3a224.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2647\" src=\"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/788381ef7c9884b54454e6a25cd3a224.png\" alt=\"Actions Tab\" width=\"454\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/788381ef7c9884b54454e6a25cd3a224.png 454w, https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/788381ef7c9884b54454e6a25cd3a224-272x300.png 272w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 454px) 100vw, 454px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nDetermine &#8220;what to run.&#8221; Click &#8220;New.&#8221;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Program\/script: <code>\"%ProgramFiles%\\Windows Defender\\MpCmdRun.exe\"<\/code> (*If the path doesn&#8217;t resolve, enter <code>C:\\Program Files\\Windows Defender\\MpCmdRun.exe<\/code>)<\/li>\n<li>Add arguments: -Scan -ScanType 2 (* 2 is the parameter specifying a full scan)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Conditions Tab<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cd08c5d83e9bd1e4c26ca7ea682860e3.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2648\" src=\"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cd08c5d83e9bd1e4c26ca7ea682860e3.png\" alt=\"Conditions Tab\" width=\"542\" height=\"390\" srcset=\"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cd08c5d83e9bd1e4c26ca7ea682860e3.png 542w, https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cd08c5d83e9bd1e4c26ca7ea682860e3-300x216.png 300w, https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cd08c5d83e9bd1e4c26ca7ea682860e3-530x381.png 530w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 542px) 100vw, 542px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nThis is a mandatory setting for running tasks at night.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Power: Check &#8220;Start the task only if the computer is on AC power.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Power: Check &#8220;Wake the computer to run this task.&#8221;<br \/>\nWithout this, the task will not execute if the PC is in sleep mode.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li>Save and Complete<br \/>\nClicking &#8220;OK&#8221; will prompt you to enter your password. Once the task appears in the task list, you are all done.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Summary<\/h2>\n<p>When 22:00 arrives on the designated day of the week, the PC will automatically wake up from sleep and begin a thorough check. By the time you open your PC the next morning, the scan will already be complete.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Daytime: Keep things snappy with quick scans.<\/li>\n<li>Nighttime: Inspect thoroughly with full scans.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>By putting this configuration in place, you won&#8217;t have to let alerts saying &#8220;Full scan required&#8221; interrupt your workflow. Automate those heavy maintenance tasks while you sleep.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While Windows&#8217; built-in &#8220;Microsoft Defender&#8221; is an excellent security tool, its downside is  [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2652,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/?p=2643","footnotes":""},"categories":[1173],"tags":[1005,739,741,310,1040],"class_list":["post-5332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-software-os-settings","tag-windows","tag-windows11","tag-741","tag-310","tag-1040","en-US"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5332"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5332\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5335,"href":"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5332\/revisions\/5335"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/donguri3.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}