How to enable Ransomware protection in Windows 10

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Ransomware is an increasingly prevalent issue, with hackers using the latest software vulnerabilities to take over PCs, encrypt your data and demand payment for releasing it.

Windows 10 comes with built-in protection against ransomware, based on Windows Defender.

The feature, which can be found in the Windows Security app, uses Controlled Folder Access to prevent untrusted apps from modifying your files.

By default, the following folders are protected, but you can easily add more.

  • c:\Users\<username>\Documents
  • c:\Users\Public\Documents
  • c:\Users\<username>\Pictures
  • c:\Users\Public\Pictures
  • c:\Users\Public\Videos
  • c:\Users\<username>\Videos
  • c:\Users\<username>\Music
  • c:\Users\Public\Music
  • c:\Users\<username>\Favorites

See Microsoft’s short video on enabling the feature below:

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