How to Enable Ransomware Protection on Windows 10

With the COVID-19 pandemic stretching globally, hundreds of millions of people have resorted to working from home. But there are certain risks associated with this extensive influx of data pouring across the internet. The first priority would be the safety of your device and, in this case, the more you rely on remote working and browsing the internet, the more vulnerable you are to security threats.

These threats could either just inflict some minor damage such as pop-up windows or could have drastic consequences like ransomware. But, you can easily get ransomware protection on Windows 10 and get yourself some additional security.

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In simpler words, ransomware is designed to encrypt your files and take over your PC’s data in exchange for a sum of money. But fortunately, Microsoft introduced a new security feature in the Windows 10 Fall Creators’ Update (Version 1709) that potentially guards you against ransomware.

Here’s how you can enable ransomware protection on Windows 10:

Open the Start menu and type settings in the search bar. Click on the Settings app to proceed.

In the Settings menu, select the Update & Security tab.

Click on the Windows Security panel in the Update & Security menu.

Select Virus & threat protection from the Windows Security panel.

Scroll down to reveal the Ransomware protection menu and then select the Manage ransomware protection option.

Simply toggle the Controlled folder access button to ON to enable ransomware protection on Windows 10. This basically restricts any unknown entities from making any changes to the files of your PC.

Once the Controlled folder access is turned ON, you can edit the Protected folders on the PC or Allow an app through Controlled folder access.

But, it is always recommended to have a failsafe as this does not guarantee your data’s safety entirely. To accomplish this task, you can simply create an online and offline backup of your data i.e. the external hard drive and OneDrive or any other cloud platform. In Windows 10, you can conveniently pair up with a OneDrive account for exclusive ransomware data recovery.

In the same tab, click on Set up OneDrive to continue.

Enter your OneDrive Email ID and Password, select Sign In to continue and Voila! You will be signed in within no time.

You can now view that your OneDrive account is paired with your computer.

What if your computer is already showing symptoms?

The above-mentioned steps can be counted as precautionary methods but what if your computer has been acting up lately. Here\’s what to do:

Head to the Virus & threat protection panel in the Windows Security tab and click on Quick Scan to identify any bugs or threats endangering your PC.

Windows 10 will commence a quick scan of your PC to look out for any suspicious activity or malware.

The system will notify you when the scan is completed and whether or not any risky elements have been reported. Generally, Windows Defender takes care of any threats automatically during the scan.

– Relevant: Time to ditch Windows 7 and upgrade to W10 for absolutely free, the official way