I've been using Microsoft's free anti-virus products on my Windows machines since Microsoft first started offering them. Third party anti-virus shares many of the features of malware: difficult to remove; runs at root level; user tracking; self-updating; and in subscription versions comes with the proposition of pay up or we will make your computer vulnerable.

On the other hand, Microsoft's interests are less misaligned with mine. They want to keep Windows secure as do I. Around the edges of tracking and telemetry, we may disagree. Anyway, my life became much simpler when I adopted Microsoft's solution for my Windows boxes.