Scan removable drives
- Policy ID
- Scan_DisableRemovableDriveScanning
- Scope
- Computer Configuration
- Supported on
- At least Windows Server 2012, Windows 8 or Windows RT
- Source
- Administrative Templates (.admx) for Windows 11 2026 Update (26H2) (version 1.0)
- Category
- Windows Components › Microsoft Defender Antivirus › Scan
Description
This policy setting allows you to manage whether or not to scan for malicious software and unwanted software in the contents of removable drives, such as USB flash drives, when running a full scan.
If you enable this setting, removable drives will be scanned during any type of scan.
If you disable or do not configure this setting, removable drives will not be scanned during a full scan. Removable drives may still be scanned during quick scan and custom scan.
Registry
ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
- DisableRemovableDriveScanningREG_DWORD