Does Windows Update push the Malicious Software Removal Tool to Windows on ARM?

Question

We use Windows Update for Business ("WUfB") to update our endpoints, and it works well. One of our third-party vulnerability management tools indicated that on a few endpoints, the latest version of the Malicious Software Removal Tool ("MSRT") had not been installed, despite the client otherwise being up to date. I went into Windows Update on this client and it too shows that MSRT has never been pushed through Windows Update and was not installed, but also shows that there are no updates available. The same situation is true on 2 other machines I checked.

The one thing these 3 machines all have in common is that they are running Windows on ARM. Other machines running x64 Windows, covered by the same WUfB policies, all installed the latest MSRT without issue.

Is the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool not compatible with Windows on ARM? If it is, is there a reason Microsoft has decided not to push it through Windows Update like it does on other machines?

Answer 1

Hello Alex Rourke,

Thank you for posting in Q&A forum.

Based on my research, the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) is currently not compatible with Windows on ARM devices. Microsoft has not provided a specific reason for not pushing MSRT through Windows Update to ARM devices.

It is possible that there are technical limitations or compatibility issues that prevent the tool from functioning correctly on ARM architecture.

As a workaround, you can consider using alternative security tools that are compatible with Windows on ARM to ensure that your devices remain protected.

I hope the information above is helpful.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to let us know.

Best Regards,

Daisy Zhou

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