Run a virus scan on your computer

Learn how to use AT&T AntiVirus Plus powered by McAfee to perform a virus scan on your computer.

Perform a virus scan

Before you perform a scan with AT&T AntiVirus Plus, make sure your software is up-to-date. This makes sure you’re protected from the latest threats.

To perform a scan:
  1. Open AT&T AntiVirus Plus or right-click the McAfee icon in your system tray. The icon appears as an M, a shield, or both.
  2. Select Scan.
  3. Choose the type of scan you want to run:
    • Full Scan: Scan your entire computer for known threats.
    • Quick Scan (Windows): Scan only the most susceptible parts of your computer for known threats.
    • Let Me Choose (Windows): Select the drives, folders, and other locations you want to scan.
    • Scheduled Scan (Mac): Specify a schedule when your scan will run.
    • Custom Scan (Mac): Specify the locations and files to be scanned.
  4. Select Start.
When the scan finishes, a window appears with results. To find out more about a suspicious file, select View Results. If you don’t see View Results, McAfee didn’t detect any viruses.

Customize your scan

If you select Let Me Choose (Windows) or Custom Scan (Mac) to run a virus scan, you can choose from these options:
  • Location: View a list of files, folders, and drives at a particular location. Select the items to scan or deselect the ones to ignore.
  • All Threats in All Files: Scan all file types. Uncheck All Threats in All Files to shorten the scanning time by checking program files and documents only.
  • Unknown Viruses: Scan for new viruses with advanced techniques that match files to the signatures of known viruses. This is the most thorough scan but will take longer than a normal scan.
  • Archive Files: Scan .zip and other compressed files. Virus authors can plant viruses in a .zip file, which is inserted into another .zip file to bypass anti-virus scanners. This scan can detect these hidden viruses.
  • Spyware and Potential Threats: Detect spyware, adware, dialers, and other potentially unwanted applications. For the most protection, this feature is always on unless you turn it off.
  • Tracking Cookies: Keep track of cookies, which are small text files saved on your computer. Websites use cookies to identify returning users. This enables the site to manage subscriptions, customize preferences, and track interests.
  • Stealth Programs: Rootkits are programs that change your Microsoft Windows system files. They can include spyware and other stealth programs that might attack your computer data and personal info.

Automate your scan

You can set your AT&T AntiVirus Plus to scan your computer automatically. Here's how:
  1. Open AT&T AntiVirus Plus.
  2. Select the padlock and enter your profile password.
  3. Choose the frequency for your scan from the menu:
    • Weekly: This option runs a scan on one specific day each week.
    • Monthly: This option runs a scan on one specific day of each month.
    • Never: This option disables the scheduled scan (not recommended).
  4. Select the padlock again to lock in your changes.
Last updated: March 3, 2023

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