---
title: "Excluding Apps from Virus Scan Software"
slug: "excluding-apps-from-anti-virus-software"
description: "Learn how Microsoft Defender exclusions for Timestone Software processes and file types improve network job speed, printing, and application stability."
updated: 2026-10-29T01:19:35Z
published: 2026-10-29T01:19:35Z
canonical: "help.timestone.com.au/excluding-apps-from-anti-virus-software"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.timestone.com.au/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Excluding Apps from Virus Scan Software

By default, the real-time protection provided by Microsoft Defender and other virus scanning software scans all files accessed from a remote location, such as a network drive.

Since most users store their resources (images, templates, and graphics) on network locations rather than on their local computer, scanning these files can severely slow down the software's tasks and create instability.

Some examples of where the software needs to access these resources are listed below:

- Opening a job (templates)
- Importing images
- Merging TNJ files into the database (images, templates and graphics)
- Printing (images, templates and graphics)

Virus scanning of these files impacts all of these tasks before they can be completed.

> [!NOTE]
> It is strongly recommended that the Timestone Software processes (i.e., the application .exe files) are excluded from Windows Defender and any other virus scanning software you use.

### How much difference does it make?

The speed and stability improvements gained by not scanning a job's resources will vary depending on many factors such as the number and size of the files accessed, network speed, and specifications of both the local computer and the file and MySQL servers.

Anecdotally, some users have reported jobs that took several minutes to open drop to a matter of seconds, while printing speeds and application stability have also improved greatly.

## Adding exclusions to Microsoft Defender/ Windows Security

> [!WARNING]
> Exclusions do not carry over from one workstation to another, and will need to be completed at each computer.
> 
> The following instructions may vary slightly depending on the operating system and virus protection enabled on a given machine.

### Exclusion types

It is recommended that both the application processes as well as the file types be excluded from virus scanning

#### Excluding the application processes

The application processes are simply the full name of the Timestone Software programs executable file.

To add a process exclusion to Microsoft Defender

1. Open the **Windows Security** application
2. Select **Virus & threat protection** from the tabs on the left
3. Under the Virus and threat protection Settings, click **Manage settings**
4. Find the **Exclusions** section and click **Add or remove exclusions**
5. Select **+ Add an exclusion** and select **Process** from the list
6. Add an exclusion for each Timestone application used on the computer

![Windows Security Exclusions page lists several executable processes excluded from Microsoft Defender Antivirus scans.](https://cdn.document360.io/4c6b2b86-f0ee-419b-9aca-71ba574125e1/Images/Documentation/WindowsSecurityAppExclusions.png)

Figure 1: Excluded processes in Microsoft Defender

**The process name is simply the name of the executable file (exe) as listed below:**

- NeoPackPro4.exe
- NeoComposite4.exe
- NeoGroup4.exe
- CapturePost4.exe
- Fulfill4.exe
- tsIOS.exe
- PackBuilder4.exe
- CompositeBuilder4.exe
- GroupBuilder4.exe
- OutPost4.exe
- DataPost4.exe

#### Excluding file types

In addition to excluding the application processes it is also recommended to exclude the files that the applications use.

To add a file type exclusion to Microsoft Defender

1. Open the **Windows Security** application
2. Select **Virus & threat protection** from the tabs on the left
3. Under the Virus and threat protection Settings, click **Manage settings**
4. Find the **Exclusions** section and click **Add or remove exclusions**
5. Select **+ Add an exclusion** and select **File Type** from the list
6. Add an exclusion for each type of file the applications use

**The file types are all the different type of files used by the software. Broadly these will be image files, templates and graphics as listed below:**

- jpeg
- jpg
- png
- plt
- pit
- pst
- cpt
- cst
- cbt
- tgt