Virus & threat protection history says "no recent actions"

Question

Hello, I have Windows 11 Pro - Version 25H2. For several months Windows Virus & threat protection history says "no recent actions". Even when I have a PUP alert, or a folder access blocked notification that clearly requires my action. Most recent Protection action is from 2025. 🤷‍♂️

Moved from <Microsoft Security | Microsoft Defender | Other>

Answer 1

Hi Bennie Gusnowsky,

I can understand why this is confusing. If Defender is clearly generating PUP detections and CFA notifications, but Protection History has been stuck on "No recent actions" since 2025, that is not expected behavior. Microsoft notes that history is retained only for a limited period, but if there are new events, they should still appear.

What you're seeing often points to corruption in Defender's Protection History database or the Windows Security app itself, rather than Defender failing to detect threats. Generally, if the protection is still working, this is not a big deal. But I get why you would want to check, so let's try the following to see if it helps:

1 - Clear Defender's Protection History cache

• Open File Explorer > Navigate to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Scans\History
• Delete the contents of the Service folder (you may need administrator permission).
• Restart PC > generate a new test event > check whether new entries appear.

2 - Repair/reset the Windows Security app

• On your PC, open Settings > System > System components 
• Find Windows Security > click three-dot > Advanced options 
• Scroll down and click Terminate, then Repair > test new event
• If the history still doesn't record new events, go back and Reset. 
• Or open Windows Terminal (Admin)
  • Run Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.SecHealthUI -AllUsers | Reset-AppxPackage
  • Restart Windows and check Protection History again.

3 - Reinstallation repair (keeping files and apps)

• Open Settings > System > Recovery > Fix problems using Windows Update
• Click Reinstall now > follow the onscreen instructions to reinstall Windows.

Disclaimer: The reinstallation can fix update issues without removing your files or applications. However, we always recommend that if you have important data, you should back it up.

Just wondering, when you receive a new PUP detection, does it show under Current threats and allow you to take action normally? Is the problem limited only to the Protection History page not recording events? That can help determine whether this is a UI/history corruption issue or something deeper within Defender.

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