How to stop Windows Defender deleting false positives during file copy?

Question

I have a hard drive with old versions of downloaded programs, some coding I did myself and a few other things that I would like to back-up.

The last time I did this, I ended up with Windows Defender on Windows 10 putting a lot of stuff in quarantine as it said such-and-such is a virus, trojan or PUP - and some files just flat out would not copy.

I know these are false positive, I have had these for years since the days of Windows XP and none has been malware, and it took me ages to restore all these deleted files back to their original locations.

How can I copy these without Windows Defender getting involved and doing what it thinks is best for me?

Answer 1

If you're fortunate enough to run a Windows Pro version, just disable the whole shebang in the Group Policy. You won't regret it. Use something sensible instead for your protection.

Answer 2

You can add folders to an exception list within Windows Defender.