How to Clean a Computer of Malware
This wikiHow teaches you how to find and remove malware from your Windows or Mac computer. Typically speaking, an antivirus scan will be enough to remove most major threats to your computer. If you're having trouble with your malware...
Method 1 of 4:
Scanning for Malware on Windows
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Picture 1 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Open StartPicture 2 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware -
Picture 3 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Open SettingsPicture 4 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware -
Picture 5 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware ClickPicture 6 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware -
Picture 7 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Click Windows Defender. It's a tab in the upper-left side of the window. -
Picture 8 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Click Open Windows Defender Security Center. This button is at the top of the window. Clicking it opens the Windows Defender program, which is the Windows built-in antivirus software.- Windows Defender is the recommended antivirus software for Windows computers. Using any other software in conjunction with Defender may cause problems such as an inability to shut down.
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Picture 9 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Click ☰. It's in the top-left corner of the Windows Defender window. A pop-out menu will appear. -
Picture 10 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Click Virus & threat protection. You'll see this in the pop-out menu. -
Picture 11 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Click Advanced scan. It's a link just below the Quick scan button. -
Picture 12 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Check the Full scan option. This is at the top of the window.- If you're encountering malware issues and this scan doesn't solve them, you can try using the Offline scan option on this page to perform a deeper, file-based scan.
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Picture 13 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Click Scan now. It's in the middle of the page. Windows Defender will begin scanning your computer for infected files. -
Picture 14 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Wait for results. Windows Defender will alert you if it comes across viruses or other instances of Malware, at which point you'll be able to indicate that you want Defender to remove the malware in question.- A malware scan can take several hours to complete.
Method 2 of 4:
Scanning for Malware on Mac
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Picture 15 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Download Malwarebytes. Go to https://www.malwarebytes.com/mac-download/ in your browser to prompt Malwarebytes to begin downloading. Macs don't come with a built-in antivirus program, so Malwarebytes is your best bet.- Although Malwarebytes offers a paid premium version with real-time protection, you can use the free version to scan your computer and remove viruses or malware at anytime.
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Picture 16 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Open FinderPicture 17 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware -
Picture 18 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Find and double-click the Malwarebytes DMG file. You'll most likely find it in the Downloads folder that's on the left side of the Finder window. The DMG file will either open or result in an error message. - Verify the software installation. You'll need to do this if you receive an error message when attempting to open Malwarebytes.
- If Malwarebytes is recognized as a signed developer on your Mac, you won't have this step.
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Picture 19 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Double-click the "Malwarebytes 3" file. This file resembles a white box with a dark-blue Malwarebytes logo on it. Doing so will open the setup window. -
Picture 20 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Set up Malware bytes. Navigate through the setup by doing the following:- Click Continue
- Click Agree
- Click Install
- Enter your username and password.
- Click Install Software
- Click Close when prompted.
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Picture 21 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Open Malwarebytes. Click SpotlightPicture 22 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware -
Picture 23 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Click the Dashboard tab. It's in the upper-left corner of the Malwarebytes window. -
Picture 24 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Click Scan Now. This button is at the bottom of the window. Doing so will prompt Malwarebytes to begin scanning your Mac for malicious software. -
Picture 25 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Click the Scan tab. You'll find it on the left side of the window. -
Picture 26 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Click Confirm when prompted. It's at the bottom of the Malwarebytes window. If any malicious programs are found, Malwarebytes will immediately quarantine those files on your Mac so they will no longer harm your computer.
Method 3 of 4:
Reinstalling Windows
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Picture 27 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Back up any files that you want to save. Since you'll be erasing your computer's hard drive and then reinstalling Windows onto it, make sure that any files which you want to save are backed up onto an external hard drive (or cloud storage).- Keep in mind that malware often attaches itself to files or programs. If you suspect that a program that you downloaded is the reason for an infection, do not back that file up to your external hard drive.
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Picture 28 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Open StartPicture 29 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware -
Picture 30 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Open SettingsPicture 31 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware -
Picture 32 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware ClickPicture 33 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware -
Picture 34 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Click the Recovery tab. You'll find this tab on the left side of the window. -
Picture 35 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Click Get started. It's a button below the "Reset this PC" heading at the top of the page. A pop-up window will appear. -
Picture 36 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Click Remove everything. This option is at the bottom of the pop-up window. -
Picture 37 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Click Remove files and clean the drive. It's at the bottom of the pop-up window. -
Picture 38 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Click Reset when prompted. Doing so will allow your computer to begin erasing and reinstalling Windows.- This process can take several hours, so make sure that your computer is plugged into a reliable power source.
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Picture 39 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Set up your computer. This will generally consist of selecting a region, a language, a timezone, and your Microsoft email address.
Method 4 of 4:
Reinstalling macOS
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Picture 40 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Back up any files that you want to save. Since you'll be erasing your computer's hard drive and then reinstalling macOS onto it, make sure that any files which you want to save are backed up onto an external hard drive (or cloud storage).- Keep in mind that malware often attaches itself to files or programs. If you suspect that a program that you downloaded is the reason for an infection, do not back that file up to your external hard drive.
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Picture 41 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Begin restarting your Mac. Click the Apple menuPicture 42 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware -
Picture 43 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Hold down ⌥ Option+⌘ Command+R. Do so immediately after clicking Restart, and don't stop holding down these keys until the Apple logo appears. -
Picture 44 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Wait for the Apple logo to appear. This may take between 10 and 20 seconds.- For some computers, you'll see a spinning globe appear instead.
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Picture 45 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Release ⌥ Option+⌘ Command+R. Once you see the Apple logo appear, you can release the keys. The setup window will appear after a few seconds. -
Picture 46 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Click Disk Utility. It's in the setup window. -
Picture 47 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Click Continue. You'll see this button in the bottom-right corner of the setup window. -
Picture 48 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Select your Mac's hard drive. On the left side of the window, click the Mac's hard drive. -
Picture 49 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Click Erase. This tab is at the top of the Disk Utility window. A pop-up window will appear. -
Picture 50 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Select a format. Click the "Format" drop-down box, then click Mac OS Extended (Journaled) in the resulting drop-down menu.[1] -
Picture 51 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Click Erase. It's at the bottom of the window. This will prompt your hard drive to begin erasing everything on it, including any leftover malware. -
Picture 52 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Wait for your hard drive to finish erasing. This can take several minutes to an hour or more, so just make sure that your Mac is connected to a reliable power source. Once the hard drive finishes erasing, you'll be taken back to the setup page. -
Picture 53 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Click Reinstall macOS. It's in the middle of the setup window. -
Picture 54 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Click Continue. This is in the bottom-right corner of the window. -
Picture 55 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Follow the setup prompts. You'll most likely be asked to enter your Apple ID and select a disk (e.g., your Mac's hard drive) for installation. -
Picture 56 of How to Clean a Computer of Malware Click Install when prompted. Doing so will allow your Mac to begin installing a fresh copy of the most recent version of macOS.- You'll have to set up your Mac's preferences once the installation is complete.
Update 05 March 2020
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