Microsoft Security Essentials end of support: What to do?

Those of you that are running Microsoft Windows 7 on their PCs are probably aware that support for it has ended. The biggest change that comes with this is that Windows 7 will no longer receive any security updates.

More precisely, Microsoft Security Essentials will no longer be supported. As such, Windows 7 Home users that relied on it for protection will have to find a good alternative for it if they want to continue having protection.

The most obvious course of action would be to simply upgrade to Windows 10 and benefit from its extraordinary security features. However, some users want to remain with Windows 7.

Organizations can even opt to buy the Windows 7 Extended Support, although this too is nothing more but postponing the inevitable for another 2 years.

In the Extended Security Updates’ FAQ page, Microsoft mentioned that it won’t provide Microsoft Security Essentials updates anymore after support for Windows 7 is terminated.

Will Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) continue to protect my computer after the end of support?
No, your Windows 7 computer is not protected by MSE after January 14, 2020. MSE is unique to Windows 7 and follows the same lifecycle dates for support.

What to do after the MSE end of support?

If upgrading to Windows 10 is out of the question, then your only viable solution is to get a third-party antivirus tool and be extra careful with your browsing habits.

The good news is that Windows 7 still has quite a considerable market share, and because of this all major antivirus programs still support it, at least for the time being.

This being said here are some of the best Antivirus programs that you can get for Windows 7:

• Bitdefender
• Defencebyte Antivirus Pro
• AVG Antivirus
• Kaspersky Antivirus
• Avast Antivirus
• Avira Antivirus for Windows 7

For more details on these antivirus programs and how they work, check out this detailed guide.

Despite once being considered one of the best antivirus programs in the world, times change and even Microsoft Security Essentials has to give up the throne at some point.

So, if you value your digital safety, you have three choices:

• Upgrade to Windows 10
• Get the Extended Support if you own a company
• Get a third-party antivirus program

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