Specify the time of day to run a scheduled scan
- Policy ID
- Scan_ScheduleTime
- 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 specify the time of day at which to perform a scheduled scan. The time value is represented as the number of minutes past midnight (00:00). For example, 120 (0x78) is equivalent to 02:00 AM. By default, this setting is set to a time value of 2:00 AM. The schedule is based on local time on the computer where the scan is executing.
If you enable this setting, a scheduled scan will run at the time of day specified.
If you disable or do not configure this setting, a scheduled scan will run at a default time.
Options
Registry
ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
- ScheduleTime-
- ScheduleTimeREG_DWORD