Will MS Defender protection history clear logs automatically or do I need to manually remove them?

Question

I ran into a false positive with 7-Zip recently—Defender flagged it as a Trojan on September 4, but later scans confirmed it was clean and the install went through without issues.

The problem is, the log entry is still sitting in the Protection history section, and I'm not sure if it'll go away on its own or if I need to do something to remove it. I've seen mixed answers online, so I'd appreciate a clear take on this.

Running Windows 10 Home, 22H2, build 19045.7663 with ESU.

Does Defender eventually clear these logs, or is there a specific step I need to take to get rid of it?

coopercal · Answer

Yes. The Protection history is designed to only retain events for a limited time. According to Microsoft's documentation, entries are&nbsp;automatically removed after two weeks.

indiaer · Answer

Entries are automatically purged after the default retention period (15-30 days). No action needed.

Forum Discussion

Will MS Defender protection history clear logs automatically or do I need to manually remove them?

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