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Windows: everyday security checks

A few checks can make your Windows PC easier to keep secure. Start with updates and built-in protection, then check who can sign in and whether your files can be recovered.

Who it helps: Myself and other adults, Everyone

What to have ready

Know which Windows your PC runs (Settings > System > About). Never send passwords, recovery keys or files to Umbrello.

Who it helps

Anyone using a Windows PC at home, and anyone helping a relative with theirs.

Check which Windows you're running

  1. 1Open Settings, then System, then About, and look under Windows specifications for the edition and version.
  2. 2This guide focuses on Windows 11. If you're on Windows 10, there's a dedicated section at the end — the basics are similar, but long-term support is different.

Updates

  1. 1Open Settings, then Windows Update, and choose Check for updates. Install what's offered and restart when the PC asks.
  2. 2Avoid pausing updates indefinitely. If timing is the problem, set your active hours so restarts happen while you're not working, and let updates install.
  3. 3Update the rest of your software through official routes: your browser's own settings page, Microsoft Store (open the Store, then Library, then Get updates) and each app's own update option. Out-of-date browsers and apps are a common way in for attackers.

Built-in protection

Windows includes Microsoft Defender Antivirus and a firewall as standard. You don't need to buy a paid antivirus product just to complete this guide. If your household already uses a legitimate alternative antivirus product, that's fine too — but don't run two real-time antivirus products at once, because they can interfere with each other. Choose one and let it do its job.

  1. 1Search the Start menu for Windows Security and open it.
  2. 2Check Virus & threat protection shows active protection with no warnings.
  3. 3Check Firewall & network protection is switched on for the network you're using.

Accounts and locking

  1. 1Give everyone in the household their own account: Settings, then Accounts, then Other user. Children and everyday use should be standard users, not administrators.
  2. 2Turn on Windows Hello (face, fingerprint or PIN) where your device offers it.
  3. 3Lock the PC instantly with the Windows key + L, and check how quickly it locks itself when idle — you can adjust this in the sign-in settings.

Encryption and recovery

Encryption protects your files if the PC itself is lost or stolen. It's a different problem from backup, which protects your files if the PC fails or a file is deleted — most households benefit from both.

  1. 1Check the status: Settings, then Privacy & security, then Device encryption (on Windows 11 Home; some devices don't offer it) — or the BitLocker settings on Pro editions.
  2. 2Before changing any encryption setting, confirm you can access the recovery key — typically saved to a Microsoft account, or printed or saved when encryption was turned on. If you can't find it, sort that out first; you could otherwise be locked out of your own PC.
  3. 3Never send an encryption recovery key to anyone, including Umbrello. We will never ask for one.

Software and permissions

  1. 1Review installed apps and browser extensions, and remove anything you don't recognise or no longer use.
  2. 2Check camera and microphone permissions: Settings, then Privacy & security, then Camera and Microphone.
  3. 3Download software from the official source — the maker's own site or the Microsoft Store. Don't switch off security protections to install something; if a download asks for that, step away.

Backup

  1. 1Set up or check File History using Microsoft's guide below, and confirm your important folders are included.
  2. 2Restore a sample file from the backup and open it. A backup you haven't tested isn't yet a backup.

Windows 10: support has ended

Ordinary support for Windows 10 ended on 14 October 2025. A Windows 10 PC still works, but that's not the same as still receiving security updates — being operational doesn't establish ongoing security-update coverage.

Microsoft offers Extended Security Updates (ESU) for consumers and free upgrade options for eligible PCs. Eligibility, dates and how enrolment works vary by region, including within the European Economic Area, and the terms have changed before — check Microsoft's current pages below rather than relying on older summaries, including any prices or dates you may have read elsewhere.

  1. 1Open Microsoft's Windows 10 end-of-support and consumer ESU pages (below) for current eligibility and enrolment options.
  2. 2If the PC can be upgraded, Settings, then Windows Update shows whether a free Windows 11 upgrade is available. If it can't, weigh up ESU enrolment against replacing or retiring the device.

Checklist

Ticks are saved in this browser for the current session only — nothing is sent to us.

Windows is up to date and no restarts are pending.

Virus and firewall protection is active.

Everyone has their own account; children's accounts are standard users.

I can access the encryption recovery key.

I've restored a sample file from a backup.

A conversation worth having

If this PC stopped working tomorrow, what would we lose — and is our backup actually covering it?

Limits and things to watch for

These checks reduce common risks but can't make a PC perfectly secure, and menu names vary between Windows versions. If something looks different on your device, use Microsoft's official pages. Umbrello never asks for passwords or recovery keys.

Official sources

Official sources last checked: 6 October 2026. Steps and menu names can vary between devices and software versions — if something looks different, use the manufacturer's official page.

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