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Microsoft Defender for Business Trial User Guide - Microsoft Defender for Business | Microsoft Learn

13 October 2026Doc update+27 / −31 lines

In brief

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Microsoft Defender for Business trial user guideTrial User Guide - Microsoft Defender for Business | Microsoft Learn

Welcome to the Defender for Business trial user guide!

This guide walks you through setting up your trial subscription, onboarding devices, configuring security policies, and using key features like next-generation protection, endpoint detection and response, and vulnerability management.

What is Defender for Business?

Defender for Business is an endpoint security solution for small and medium-sized businesses with up to 300 users. It helps protect your devices from ransomware, malware, phishing, and other threats.

Diagram illustrates Defender for Business features and capabilities.

Let's get started!

Set up your trial

Here's how to set up your trial subscription:

    • Visit the Microsoft Defender portal.
    • Use the setup wizard.
    • Set up and configure Defender for Business.

Step 1: Visit the Microsoft Defender portal

The Microsoft Defender portal (Microsoft Defender portal) is the one-stop shop where you use and manage Defender for Business. It includes callouts to help you get started, cards that surface relevant information, and a navigation bar that provides easy access to the various features and capabilities.

Step 2: Use the setup wizard in Defender for Business

Defender for Business was designed to save small and medium-sized businesses time and effort. You can do initial setup and configuration through a setup wizard. The setup wizard helps you grant access to your security team, set up email notifications for your security team, and onboard your company's Windows devices. For more information, see Use the setup wizard.

Note

You don't have to use the wizard, but we highly recommendedrecommend it. You can only use the setup wizard once.

Setup wizard flow: what to expect

Tip

Using the setup wizard is optional. If you choose not to use the wizard, or if the wizard is closed before your setup process is complete, you can complete the setup and configuration process on your own. See Step 3: Set up and configure Defender for Business.

  1. Assign user permissions. Grant your security team access to the Microsoft Defender portal.

  2. Set up email notifications for your security team.

    Note

    When you use the setup wizard, the system detects if you have Windows devices that are already enrolled in Microsoft Intune. You're asked if you want to use automatic onboarding for all or some of those devices. You can onboard all Windows devices at once or select specific devices at first and then add more devices later.

    To onboard other devices, see Step 3: Set up and configure Defender for Business.

  3. View and edit your security policies. Defender for Business includes default security policies for next-generation protection and firewall protection that you can be appliedapply to your company's devices. These preconfigured security policies use recommended settings, so you're protected as soon as your devices are onboarded to Defender for Business. And youYou can edit the policies or create new ones.

Step 3: Set up and configure Defender for Business

If you choose notdon't want to use the setup wizard, see the overall setup and configuration process for Defender for Business is shown in the setup and configuration diagram:

Daigram shows setup and configuration process for Defender for Business.

If you used the setup wizard but you need to onboard more devices, such as non-Windows devices, go directly to onboard devices.

  1. Review the requirements to configure and use Defender for Business.

  2. Assign roles and permissions in the Microsoft Defender portal.

  3. Set up email notifications for your security team.

  4. Onboard devices. To onboard Windows and Mac clients, you can use a local script.

  5. View and configure your security policies. After you onboard your company's devices to Defender for Business, the next step is to view and edit your security policies and settings.

Defender for Business includes preconfigured security policies that use recommended settings. But you can edit the policy settings to suit your business needs.

Start using Defender for Business

For the next 30 days, here'suse this guidance from the product team on key features to try:

  1. Use your dashboard.
  2. View and respond to detected threats.

Step 3: Review security policies

In Defender for Business, security settings are applied to devices viaby policies that safeguard your organization against identity, device, application, and document security threats. Defender for Business includes preconfigured policies to help protect company devices as soon as they're onboarded.

Learn how to review security policies.

New security events require management. For example:

  • Threat detection on a device.
  • Adding new devicesdevices.
  • Users joining or leaving the organization.

In Defender for Business, there are many ways for you to manage device security: