Slow first launch due to Microsoft Defender

[user0]

Microsoft Defender may be causing XnView MP to start slowly on its first launch, similar to the reported issue with VLC.
If you experience this issue, try adding application's folder to Microsoft Defender's exclusions.

Video
VLC Took 33 Seconds To Load, So Developers Investigated Windows by The Infographics Show

Text

Date	Source	Description
2024 mar	Reddit	User report about VLC startup being slowed by Microsoft Defender
2026 apr	VideoLAN – Issue #29685	Developer issue tracking the reported problem
2026 aug 13	It's FOSS	Coverage of the VLC and Microsoft Defender controversy
2026 aug 14	Windows Latest	VLC developers blame a Windows 11 bug for slow performance and criticize Microsoft
2026 aug 15	Tom's Hardware	Reports a 33-second delay when playing MP3 files, allegedly caused by Microsoft Defender
2026 sep 21	PCWorld	Explains how Microsoft Defender slows VLC startup and describes a possible workaround

[bugreporter]

... maybe ... slowly ... similar to the reported issue with VLC.

What OS versions, when is "maybe" and how slow exactly is "slowly" supposed to be? Are there any reliable sources for this particular issue regarding XnView? Why referring to VLC, are there common libraries or plugins?

Sorry for asking, I'm just curious...

[user0]

there are few related reports
First startup after windows boot is extremely slow
XnView MP very slow
ExifTool info panel problems

I also experienced slow first launches on win11 for about a month last year, although I didn't investigate it further at the time.