After all the Windows 11 security touting, Microsoft Defender comes last in AV-TEST's result

Ever since Windows 11 came out, Microsoft has made a big fuss over why its new operating system is the most secure Windows OS ever. The company constantly nudges users who are on older Windows versions, like Windows 10 21H1 or Windows 8.1, to move over to Windows 11.

However, anti-malware assessment firm AV-TEST found that the performance of Microsoft Defender was pretty mediocre in its latest August 2022 report. This was the first such test conducted on Windows 11 and Defender came in last place as it scored just 16 points. Thankfully for Microsoft, it was not alone here, as PC Matic also got the same score.

You can view the full breakdown of the scores as well as the product certification they received in the images below:

The results are certainly a little surprising since Defender generally did really well on Windows 10. In fact, it often came in first place with the full 18 points. Over on Windows 11 however, it received 5.5 out of 6 in "protection" and 4.5 in "performance". Only in the "usability" category did it manage to get the full 6 out of 6 points. As such, it got the AV-TEST Certified rating whereas previously on Windows 10, it generally received Top Product certification.

According to AV-TEST, Defender saw the biggest impact when copying files, both locally and in a network environment. This is why it scored so low in the performance section of the test, and it is not the first time for Microsoft Defender either, as AV-Comparatives too had discovered similar issues before.

Source: AV-TEST

After all the Windows 11 security touting, Microsoft Defender comes last in AV-TEST's result