clamwin and malwarebytes free. been running around the web for a couple of years without an av installed. just stay clear of porn / crack sites and you should be fine.
Is it possible to export the “folder exclusion” rules in Windows Defender and then import them into a new Windows installation?
Nothing. The best antivirus is inside your skull. But if you really want one the only thing that makes sense today is nod32.
For my personal experience use any AV that is simple to understand and to control, to disable when needed, simple rescue of file tagged as virus from quarantine (BosonGetPass/Produkey) avoid any MS product with no control over it.
A good antivirus needs to be useful and effective, not easy to disable. Obviously if the AV is looking for keygens and KMS emulators instead of threats...