Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Platform Support

• Microsoft Defender for Endpoint offers centrally managed threat monitoring for Macs and PCs, while a subset of features is available for mobile devices.
• A new lower end offering of Microsoft Defender is available for all client platforms and included with Microsoft 365 E3, but not the government equivalent, G3.

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint is a subscription-based, Microsoft-hosted service available for use with Windows and macOS clients, and on popular mobile and Linux devices. Customers should understand that although Microsoft Defender for Endpoint supports other platforms, using the service on Windows platforms provides the most features and value, and some capabilities are exclusive to Windows Enterprise edition.

Microsoft Defender Overview

The Defender service offers core endpoint protection functions, such as antimalware, and adds broader capabilities, such as endpoint detection and response (EDR), discovery, and recommendations, which first arrived for non-Windows platforms in 2021. Support for iOS, iPadOS, and Android arrived late in 2020, focusing mostly on malicious site discovery rather than malware protection or remediation because of design constraints of those platforms. Support for Linux client support arrived in 2022, but features remain limited.