Good free virus scan programs

The SafetyDetectives Known Vulnerabilities Scanner can let you know if your software is vulnerable and recommend updates and fixes. Professional Reviews. Affiliate Commissions. Reviews Guidelines. Sophie Anderson This article contains. In a hurry? Here are the top 5 online virus scanners: SafetyDetectives Known Vulnerabilities Scanner : This online scanner uses the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures CVE database to check that your software is up to date with the latest patches.

Norton Power Eraser : Norton offers a free download of a useful tool which will scan your computer, erase viruses, and look for unwanted applications. Easy to install and use. ScanMyServer : This free online service scans your website or server for vulnerabilities and evidence of hacking.

Free users get a weekly vulnerability report with recommended fixes, and paid users can scan multiple sites and receive daily reports. Are there websites that can remove viruses? How do I know I can trust a virus scanner? Kaspersky Security Cloud — Free is good at detecting and removing malware, and it also comes with plenty of extras — including:.

All Kaspersky purchases include a day money-back guarantee. Download Kaspersky Free Now. Malwarebytes Free is a good choice for users looking for a simple antivirus scanner that they can install and forget about. Apart from the scanner, Malwarebytes Free also comes with a browser extension that protects against a wide range of threats, including malware, ads and trackers, scams, and PUPs.

Malwarebytes Free is a minimalistic antivirus scanner with good virus detection and removal rates. It also comes with a browser extension that blocks malware, phishing sites, ads, and trackers. Download Malwarebytes For Free Now. Sophos Home Free offers pretty good free anti-malware protection.

It also includes some helpful web protections and covers up to 3 PCs all within its free antivirus package. In addition to multi-device protection and remote management, Sophos is also a decent choice for families because it has free parental controls.

Sophos offers pretty good antivirus scanning and remote management for up to 3 devices — which is pretty generous for a free antivirus.

Users looking for coverage on up to 10 devices, advanced malware and ransomware protection, and advanced web safety tools should upgrade to Sophos Home Premium. Download Sophos Free Now. There is no such thing as a truly free antivirus. Most antivirus companies limit the free version of their software to only offer basic protection.

Windows Defender is not a bad antivirus — it even ranks a little bit better than some third-party free antiviruses. If you choose an antivirus program from a trustworthy company, then yes. The big Scan for Risks button performs the Rootkit Scan.

The scan results are list some False Positives. The Reputation Scan is great in detecting the zero-day malware that have not be detected by many Antivirus companies. The System Scan performs a full system scan. The Multi-Boot Scan is useful for multi-boot Windows systems; it lets you specify the operating system that you want scanned upon its boot. A nice feature is Undo Previous Fix , which tries to undo previous repairs made to the system.

Norton Power Eraser is the best option for the new or undiscovered malware because it blocks the files based on their reputation. So, if a file has mixed feedback, but not exactly flagged as a malware, Norton Power Eraser will block it. This also means more false positives, so a double-edged sword.

You get this warning about false positive on their product page as well where they say that Norton Power Eraser uses a very aggressive scanning technology to detect and eliminate so it may label some legitimate programs as threats false positives in the scan results.

But you can easily exclude those program from the scan results. Norton Power Eraser wound be the best third opinion scanner. Because of its unique method is classifying malicious files, it is not recommended to be used as a single scanner.

Use another scanner first, and then run Norton Power Eraser to detect the low reputation files. Malwarebytes Free was the first popular computer product with the term malware in their name. Released in as Malwarebytes Anti-Malware , it gained positive response, and quickly became a must-have tool in computer repair toolkits. It is the only product or Company in this list that became popular only because of a Second-Opinion Malware-Scanner program, and not an Antivirus, an Internet Security or a Total Security product.

It has evolved into a much bigger program. Now Malwarebytes offers real-time protection as well, and the scanner component that made Malwarebytes so popular is just one of the components of this program. Because of a larger program and more modules, it is a little heavy on the system. You cannot get a scanner-only program now, one has to download the full Malwarebytes program that comes with day trail real-time protection.

However, you can disable the Trial license, and use it only as an on-demand malware scanner and removal tool. It is not available as a Portable program, only as an Installer; the installer size is about 75 MB. It works like a proper antivirus without the real-time protection. It supports Automatic Updates , you just have to install it once, and Scan anytime you want. Malwarebytes also has an option to integrate into the Windows Context Menu , a great option to have if you want to scan specific files or folders.

Malwarebytes does not rely on the Cloud to work; it downloads the anti-malware signatures on the system, and hence can be used as an Offline scanner.

The Threat Scan is a thorough scan whereas the Custom Scan lets you specify locations that you want to scan. The Free version lets you use set up one Scheduled Scan. The Exclusion and Quarantine sections are also present. Malwarebytes is great are detecting Potentially Unwanted Programs PUPs , and other changes made to the system files and settings.

Web CureIt! Is a famous malware scanning and removal utility provided by Dr. But in the US government prohibited Kaspersky security cloud software on federal government computers because of alleged ties between Kaspersky and the Russian government.

But as with China-based Huawei , the question remains: If the federal government doesn't think the products are safe enough for its own devices, should consumers avoid them as well?

In a statement sent to CNET, the company said, "Kaspersky Lab has no ties to any government, and the company has never, nor will ever, engage in cyber offensive activities. Kaspersky Lab maintains that no public evidence of any wrongdoing has been presented by the US government, and that the US government's actions against Kaspersky Lab were unconstitutional.

In Kaspersky's favor, it continues to earn top scores and awards for virus and malware detection and endpoint protection from independent testing labs. And it's reasonably priced. In the end, even though no one has ever publicly produced a "smoking gun" linking the company to Russian intrigue, we think any of the options listed above are a safer bet. And if you are a US government employee or work with the federal government, you'll want to steer clear of Kaspersky internet security products -- and perhaps use one of the antivirus software products mentioned here instead.

Picking the best antivirus software for Windows means finding one that keeps your PC safe, doesn't take up a lot of system resources, is easy to use and stays out of the way till you need it. Here's what to look for.

Antivirus software runs virus scans for known viruses and malware, of course, and can offer real-time protection. And it watches for shady websites and suspicious links to keep you out of trouble.

It can also offer ransomware protection and monitor unexpected behavior that may be a sign of new and not-yet-identified viruses and malware. You want antivirus software that can successfully identify these unknown online threats without flagging too many false positives. Light on system resources. You don't want antivirus software that taxes your PC's resources.

If after you install the program, websites open slowly, apps download or open sluggishly or file copies take longer than expected, you may want to try another service. The good news is, all our picks offer a free trial to let you try out the antivirus program, so if your system feels sluggish after installation, you may want to keep looking. Cost and discounts. Don't just pay the sticker price for antivirus protection. Before you buy, check for discounts on a company's website.

Another way to save: The prices we list above are for 10 devices -- if the company offered that package -- but you can trim your cost with antivirus packages if you need to cover three or five devices. You may also find discounts on an app's Amazon page.

To be effective, antivirus software needs to monitor what's going on with your PC, check in with company servers about unusual behavior and should provide sound banking protection. The companies say they anonymize this technical data as much as possible to protect your privacy.

But if you want to know more, the security companies on our list post privacy policies on their websites, so read their privacy statements to learn what the companies do with the information you share.

Protection for other platforms. Microsoft is by far the biggest target for viruses and malware. While the Mac does come under attack via side-loaded apps, it's rare, and if you download apps only from the Mac and iOS app stores and keep your guard up when clicking links and download files, you should be OK without an antivirus app on Apple devices.

CNET editors pick the products and services we write about. When you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Best free Windows antivirus Microsoft Defender.