28,660 questions
Please use this batch file to clear the Defender threat history.
https://github.com/LesFerch/ClearDefenderHistory
Restart Windows after running it.
PROTECTION HISTORY WON'T DELETE AT ALL
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(230.39999999999998, 27%, 32%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EJN%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
J N
20
Reputation points
The protection history on my Windows 11 Pro will not delete, even after the 30 day default setting....I even set the delete days lower to 3 then to 1 and still nothing happens....I see where I can go in as the administrator and go through several steps if I get permission, but I shouldn't have to if the auto delete is working, which it is not...I am up to date on all the updates and have run several Defender and Malware runs with no detections....The HP PC is operating fine, other than this problem.... Could this be an 11 Pro software problem???
Thank You, Joe
Windows for business | Windows Client for IT Pros | User experience | Other
{count} votes
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Lakshya Kurup 10 Reputation points2025-06-22T10:54:15.71+00:00 This is a known Windows 11 bug — Protection History doesn’t always auto-delete, even if settings are changed.
🛠 Fix (manual way):
Open File Explorer
Go to:
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Scans\History\ServiceDelete contents inside (need admin rights)
✅ Restart PC after.
Microsoft hasn’t patched this fully yet — not a hardware issue, just a software flaw.
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J N 20 Reputation points
2025-06-22T10:58:35.2333333+00:00 THANK YOU, thought it was a software bug...
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J N 20 Reputation points
2025-07-02T11:20:26.82+00:00 So, when will Microsoft come out with a fix for this problem?? Are they working on it or ignoring it?
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J N 20 Reputation points
2025-07-13T15:33:04.0466667+00:00 It still won't delete manually. I have to put in the Safe Mode in order to go through the steps after scans, but it still does not delete...
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Accepted answer
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Ramesh Srinivasan 1,631 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator2025-07-14T02:41:43.5566667+00:00 -
J N 20 Reputation points
2025-07-14T10:57:02.8866667+00:00 Wow, it worked...Thank You Very Much....I was going crazy on this not deleting no matter what I tried...
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Ramesh Srinivasan 1,631 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2025-07-14T11:10:53.43+00:00 You're welcome! Glad to have helped.
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J N 20 Reputation points
2025-07-14T11:20:29.79+00:00 One more thing, after returning from the Safe Mode the other day, the File Explorer page letters shrunk, only on that page, my org. settings, scale are the same, even under View.....MS Edge page is good and so is Google, and all the rest...Any solution or reason for that??
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Ramesh Srinivasan 1,631 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2025-07-14T11:39:20.4133333+00:00 Maybe you can start a new thread for that issue. Post screenshots in the new thread if possible.
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1 additional answer
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Q&A Assist2025-06-21T15:11:37.2166667+00:00 AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn moreIt seems that you are experiencing an issue with the protection history in Windows 11 Pro not deleting as expected, even after adjusting the settings. This could be related to the configuration of the Microsoft Defender Antivirus settings.
One possible reason for this behavior could be that the "Scan_PurgeItemsAfterDelay" policy setting, which defines the number of days items should be kept in the scan history folder before being permanently removed, is not functioning as intended. If this setting is not configured properly, it might prevent the automatic deletion of items in the protection history.
Additionally, if there are any Group Policy settings or third-party applications that manage these configurations, they could override your settings. It may be worth checking if any such configurations exist on your system.
If the issue persists, you may want to consider reaching out to Microsoft Support for further assistance, as it could be a software-related problem specific to your installation of Windows 11 Pro.
References: