Antivirus

Run various scans to identify and protect your PC from security and performance threats. To run a scan, click the appropriate tile:

• Run Smart Scan: an all-in-one scan that detects malware, out-of-date software, browser add-ons with poor reputations, network threats, performance issues, and passwords that are weak, duplicated, or compromised. Read more...
• Run Full Virus Scan: a predefined, in-depth scan of your system that checks your storage drives and memory for malware (including rootkits). This scan may take several minutes or more depending on the number of files in your storage and the performance of your system. You can automate this scan or modify its settings by clicking the small clock icon (schedule settings) or gear icon (general settings) on its tile. Read more...

Alternatively, click the Other scans tile to choose from a range of scans or create a custom scan. Read more...

Afer running a scan, information about the detections and options to resolve them appear in the results. If any issues are detected, you can resolve them in the following ways:

• Smart Scan: click Resolve All, then click Resolve to go through the steps to resolve each detected issue. Read more...
• Run Full Virus Scan: click the drop-down menu next to each detected issue and select what you want Avast to do, then click Resolve to initiate the selected actions. Read more...

Avast Antivirus Shields act as additional layers of active protection for your PC. They work by running silently in the background as they scan your PC for malware in real-time. The following Shields are available:

• File Shield: scans programs and files that are saved on your PC for malicious threats in real-time before allowing them to be opened, run, modified, and saved. Read more...
• Web Shield: scans data that is transferred when you browse the internet in real-time to prevent malware, such as malicious scripts, from being downloaded and run on your PC. Read more...
• Mail Shield: scans your incoming and outgoing email messages in real-time for malicious content such as viruses. This Shield only applies to messages handled by email programs that are installed on your PC (for example, Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird). Web based email accounts are not protected by this Shield, but you can still safely use web mail if other Shields are turned on. Read more...

To ensure your full security, all Shields are enabled by default. We recommended you keep all Shields turned on at all times unless you need to temporarily disable a Shield for troubleshooting purposes.

To disable a specific Shield, click the ON slider next to the relevant Shield and select a time duration from the list. The slider then switches to OFF. We do not recommend you turn this features off permanently by selecting the Stop indefinitely option.

Note: You can also turn all Shields off at once. Right click the Avast icon in the system tray, select Avast Shields Control, then select how long you want to turn the Shields off for. Be advised, this action also turns off all other protection layers, including Firewall.

Click Scan History to open a log of previously run scans and their results. For each scan, you can see the following information:

• Name: the type of scan, for example, Quick Scan, Full Virus Scan, and so on.
• Date: the date and time when the scan was run.
• Result: information such as whether any malware was detected or if the scan was unable to analyze some files.

Scans with no viruses found in the Result column do not require any attention. If a scan has an alternative result in this column, select the scan and click Detailed report to see information about the affected files including their location and why Avast has flagged them. Read more...

The Virus Chest is an isolated space where you can safely store potentially dangerous files or send them to the Avast Threat Labs for analysis.

By default, files are moved into the Virus Chest in the following ways:

• If you run a predefined scan and it detects a suspicious file, you are given the option to move the file into the Virus Chest.
• If a Shield detects a suspicious file which it cannot repair, the file is automatically moved into the Virus Chest.

Alternatively, you can move files into the Virus Chest manually.

Click Virus Chest to view and manage any files that are located within or to add new files. Read more...

Occasionally, Avast may flag a file or program from an unknown source as dangerous when it is actually safe. This type of detection is known as a false-positive. If such detections occur, you can report false-positives to the Avast Threat Lab for closer examination, and, if you are sure that a false-positive file is safe, you can add it to your scan exclusions in Settings ▸ Exclusions.

You can also submit false-positive files using the Virus Chest.

We recommended you keep all Shields turned on at all times. If you need to temporarily disable a Shield, for example, to check if a file or URL is blocked, click the ON slider next to the relevant Shield and select a time duration from the list. The slider then switches to OFF. We do not recommend you turn this features off permanently by selecting the Stop indefinitely option.

Note: You can also turn all Shields off at once. Right click the Avast icon in the system tray, select Avast Shields Control, then select how long you want to turn the Shields off for. Be advised, this action also turns off all other protection layers, including Firewall.