Microsoft Defender for Mac

Microsoft Defender for Mac

Overview

How to install Microsoft Defender on a Mac

Instructions

Note:  Microsoft Defender on Mac requires macOS 10.14 or later. 

 

How To Download and Install Defender on you Mac

  1. Open https://aka.ms/MacDefender on your device to download the WDAV.PKG installation file. 

  1. Open the WDAV package file on your Mac and follow the installation steps. 

  1. After installing, click on “switch to enterprise app” 

When you first sign into Microsoft Defender on Mac, you must go through a few easy steps to set up anti-malware protection on your device. During this process, we need you to give Microsoft Defender a couple of permissions to protect your system. 

System Access 

You will need to open the Security settings, then follow these steps: 

  1. Select the padlock at the bottom left to make changes. You'll be prompted to enter your password or other authentication. 
  2. You should see a prompt that says  Some system software requires your attention before it can be used.  Select the Details button. Uploaded Image (Thumbnail)

  3. If you see a dialog asking you to select Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Defender Extension, select both and then OK. 

    Note: If you're using macOS Catalina (10.15) you may see an Allow button, rather than Details. 

Once that's done, select the padlock again to prevent further changes. 

Access files 

Next, we'll need permission to access your files. Microsoft Defender scans apps and files looking for threats and it can only do that if it has permission to access the files. We'll ask you to select Open Privacy Settings, then follow these steps: 

  1. Select Full Disk Access. 
  2. Select Microsoft Defender and (if you see it) Microsoft Defender Extension. 

Run Final Scan

Microsoft Defender will run an initial scan of your device to see if any threats are already on it. That scan may take a while, depending on the speed of your device and how many apps you have, but you can keep using your computer while the scan runs in the background. 

If that initial scan finds any threats Microsoft Defender will notify you and help you remove them. 

Tip: If Microsoft Defender is successfully installed and running, you'll see its icon on the title bar near the clock at the top right.  

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For additional help, please contact the IT Support Services at (412) 365-1112.

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