Microsoft Defender: The feature update of Windows 10 that will be released in the spring of 2020 will bring another important change, in addition to the new functions and improvements: the built-in antivirus will have a new name.
Windows Defender, which comes pre-installed in Windows 10, will be renamed Microsoft Defender, a name that at first glance seems to make sense, as the product security extends beyond the Windows world.
In particular, the latest Windows 10 20H1 brings a number of changes that seem to indicate that the renaming is something that Microsoft is already preparing.
Microsoft observer Tero Alhonen he revealed on Twitter that since Windows 10 build 18941, group policies for Windows Defender Antivirus and Windows Defender Exploit Guard have already changed product names to Microsoft Defender Antivirus and Microsoft Defender Exploit Guard.
Most likely, this change will be officially announced this year in a future Insider build.
We currently do not know if Windows Defender will be renamed to Microsoft Defender in Windows 8.1 as well. The Windows 10 20H1 update is expected to be released in spring 2020, a few months after support fee of Windows 7 in January.
This means that Windows 8.1 will be the only version of Windows that will still receive support other than Windows 10 when Windows Defender is officially renamed Microsoft Defender.
As for the reasons for the name change, Microsoft also has its antivirus on non-Windows platforms, such as functional macOS.
Using Windows brand name on a Mac product is not right, and the company seems to be planning to achieve greater coherence across all platforms.
Note that we have recently seen significant changes in Microsoft antivirus. The company hopes to soon become the only protection program its operating system needs, and it seems is on a very good road.