Staying one step ahead of online hackers and bad actors by keeping your computer secure and protected will help you avoid malware and online threats designed to hack your computer and steal your personal information. Here are some ways you can help reduce your online risk when you use your computer at home. There are multiple detailed steps we’ve written here that can help you. From ransomware protection to backing up your computer and protecting your data online. All these steps add extra layers in keeping you safe online and hardening your computer and data so hackers can’t easily compromise your computer. So, follow the steps below and stay safe!

How to protect and secure your computer at home

As mentioned above, you’ll want to stay ahead of bad actors to protect and secure your computer, thus keeping your data safe. Below are steps you can take to accomplish that.

Use Microsoft Defender Windows has a firewall already built in and automatically turned on. You can use Microsoft Defender and its many features to help protect your computer. Update Windows Make sure to turn on Windows Updates. Windows Updates help keep your computer protected by automatically downloading the latest security updates, and patching and improving Windows. Browse the web safely Browse the web safely and securely. We’ve written many posts that can help you do that in Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome. Be careful with USB devices Don’t simply insert random USB devices into your computer. To avoid malware and viruses, ensure that all external devices either belong to you or come from a reliable source. Choose strong passwords Be smart with your password and choose well when creating online accounts. Best to use unique passwords for each site online. Stay away from questionable sites Websites with questionable backgrounds may pose harm to your computer and data. Turn on Microsoft Defender SmartScreen for sites. Backup your data Use Windows built-in backup tool to back up your data online securely using OneDrive. This also helps against ransomware.

There are many more steps one can take to help protect their computer and personal data from hackers and viruses. The above steps are not nearly comprehensive enough but applying those steps will carry you a long way. That should do it! Conclusion: This post showed you steps one can take to help protect their computer at home using Windows 11. If you find any error above or have something to share, please use the comment form below.