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A good antivirus program is essential to a secure system, and you most definitely do not have to pay for one to get great protection. Below is our hand-picked list of the nine best free antivirus programs that you can download for Windows today. All of these programs perform definition updates automatically, are always running to make sure your files are protected from malware and your personal information remains private, and can start scans on-demand whenever you like.

However, each of them do have a few prominent differences that make them stand out, so pay attention to those as you decide which one to use. If you don't want to install a full antivirus program, there are also several other kinds of free virus and security-related scanning tools we recommend: on-demand virus scanners , spyware removal tools , online virus scanners , and firewall programs. If you can't even log in to your computer to install one of those, there are free bootable antivirus apps instead.

The main component in Avira's free software suite that makes it stand out is the optional "in-the-cloud detection" feature called Protection Cloud. This scanning method lets Avira's antivirus tool identify and stop threats before they get out of hand. This is how it works: When a suspicious file is detected on any computer running Avira, a fingerprint of that specific file is generated and uploaded anonymously to Avira so that they can scan it and report its status whether it's safe or dangerous back to every Avira user so that the program can take appropriate action.

Avira can scan and remove existing threats as well as automatically detect and stop new ones. It protects you against ransomware, Trojans, spyware, and other kinds of malware. You can even choose which ones to actively watch out for, and disable others though it's not recommended like dialers, jokes, adware, etc. Avira Free Security can also scan on a schedule, check files with any file extension or just the ones you manually choose from, disable the ability to stop active scans so that viruses can not stop the program from finding them , adjust the scanner's priority level, scan primary boot sectors, follow symbolic links to scan the actual files, search for rootkits before starting a scan, scan the Windows Registry, ignore files on network drives, automatically repair, rename, quarantine, delete, or ignore threats when they're found, use heuristic scanning, add files, folders, and processes to the ignore list, manage Windows Firewall settings, password protect the program's settings, block autorun on removable devices, and make the hosts file read-only.

This program offers more than just a very extensive antivirus application. It includes several other "layers" of security that will install automatically, and they might take a while to download since there are several. However, you don't have to use them, and they won't bother you unless you open them. These separate modules include a VPN that encrypts all your traffic up through the first MB each month , a password manager to securely store complex passwords, and a software updater that identifies outdated programs and gives you the download links to update them.

In addition, Avira can speed up your computer and reduce boot time with its tune-up tool, help you find the best deals as you shop online, and warn you of malicious websites or software bundles before you download them. These extra features can be annoying if you're strictly after an antivirus solution, but again, you don't have to use them; just keep them tucked away where they are, and you won't have to worry about them.

Avira Free Security is intended to run on computers with Windows 7 and newer; this includes Windows 11, 10, and 8. Adaware Antivirus installs in minutes, is light on system resources, and can be used in one of two ways. The first is in regular mode where it checks for threats as they happen, but the other lets you use it in addition to your primary antivirus program. What this so-called "second line of defense" does is disables real-time protection but still lets you use Adaware Antivirus to manually scan for existing threats.

This feature is helpful if your primary AV software doesn't seem to find malware that you know is infecting your computer. Whichever way you use it, Adaware Antivirus provides a defense against ransomware, spyware, viruses, and other forms of malicious software.

You can find those threats through a quick, full, or custom scan. Daily, weekly, and monthly scheduled scans are supported, and you can even run a scan to just check certain things, like only rootkits or just tracking cookies and boot sector viruses, for example. For real-time protection, you can toggle on or off the following options: scan archive files, scan email databases, deep scan that checks CHM files and executable files, smart scan that skips previously checked files, scan boot sectors, scan files as they move throughout the network, and skip scanning files that exceed a custom file size e.

Adware Antivirus definitely has its advantages but because there's also a non-free version you can upgrade to, many additional options are not supported. For example, parental controls and advanced network, web, and email protection are only available in Adaware Antivirus Pro.

The official list of compatible operating systems include Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows 7. Avast is used by hundreds of millions of people and ranks high in nearly every "best list" of antivirus programs, and for good reason. If you want a solid program that is sure to block new threats but is still easy enough to customize, you should consider using it.

Avast Free Antivirus is similar to Avira; supplemental modules enhance the virus shield and provide additional services related to security and privacy. The antivirus portion has lots of options you can change but it's still easy enough for anyone to use since there are information blurbs next to most items so you're not left wondering what will happen if you enable them.

Plus, both definition and program updates are performed automatically a manual option is available, too , meaning you can install Avast and let it do its thing without worrying whether you're running the latest and greatest version. Avast is customizable and lets you make changes to everything from whether to make a sound when threats are detected and how long notifications should remain on the screen, to the kinds of file extensions that should be scanned.

Here are some more features supported in this program: scheduled scans, custom scans that can check only the memory, rootkits, auto-start programs, etc. Before Avast is installed, you have the option to include over a dozen different tools: file, behavior, web, and mail shields; software updater, browser cleaner, rescue disk, Wi-Fi inspector, security and SafePrice browser extensions; password manager; junk file cleaner; and Game Mode.

Technically, if you only want the antimalware protection, you can install just the shields from the start of that list; the others are add-ons that aren't necessary but could be helpful at some point.

For example, the software updater is a nice tool that will not only check for and report outdated software but also install the newer versions for you even in bulk.

Wi-Fi Inspector scans the network for devices that could be vulnerable to attacks. For instance, it might identify that a computer is running a file sharing service that has been known to facilitate the spread of a certain kind of worm. You can install these tools it takes less than five minutes and then disable or completely remove them later. Or, you can ignore them during setup and just install them later, or not at all.

However, the password manager and Cleanup tools are only trial versions that will expire after a time-limited trial. There's also a firewall, file shredder, and sandbox feature that's unusable in this free version. Avast Free Antivirus is compatible with Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7. Kaspersky Free is a good choice for a free antivirus program if you want a simple program that boasts lots of features.

This free AV program is also useful if your computer is low on system resources. It can automatically postpone scans and reduce display animations if the CPU runs too high. Kaspersky's free antivirus program runs on Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7. There's also an app for Android and iOS that goes by the same name. Resets browser home page and default search engine unless specifically deselected during installation. Panda Security's free antivirus program installs in minutes and has a minimal design.

However, even though it's not a CPU or memory hog, and doesn't appear to be customizable, all of its many options are tucked away in the program's settings. From there, you can do things like set up both on-demand and automatic scans to check compressed files and scan for potentially unwanted programs. The automatic, permanent scanner includes some additional options, too, like behavioral and analysis scanning options, the ability to ask you before neutralizing a virus, and blocking files from running for so-many seconds until results on whether it's safe or harmful are obtained from the cloud.

Something entirely unique to Panda Free Antivirus is its security news and alerts sections that can show you critical, warning, and informational messages like when a popular vendor experiences a data breach that could affect your personal information. You can, however, turn those off if you want to. Complete a scan in just a few minutes if you only want to check for actively running threats, like browser cookies, processes, and things currently loaded in memory.

However, there's also, of course, an option for a full system scan or a custom scan. This software does a fantastic job at keeping the important buttons up front and hiding the additional options within menus so that you're not constantly bombarded with options or alerts.

However, the program will change your home page and the search provider in your web browser, unless you uncheck those options during the initial setup. The minimum OS requirement for installing this program is that you have Windows XP, so it works with Windows 11, 10, 8, etc.

There's also an Android antivirus app from this company, and one for macOS, though it's free only during a trial. AVG's free antivirus program is easy on the eyes and even easier to use. The scan button is right in the middle of the screen, turning features off is dead-simple, and all the advanced options are tucked away from view in the settings.

You can either install it and leave the settings alone to have regular protection, or go into the settings and make adjustments to nearly anything. Choose how to scan files— include only content that might include malware like executable data , only files that use a file extension considered potentially dangerous like EXE , or all files regardless of content type or file extension. Enable rootkit detection, hardcore mode, and CyberCapture technology, which helps detect threats in unrecognized files.

During setup, you have full control over which components should be enabled or disabled after AVG is installed. Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, and XP are the official minimum OS system requirements. It also runs on Mac You can also run scans at any time, either quick scans, full scans, scans of commonly infected areas, and custom scans. A custom scan in COMODO Antivirus lets you choose which files or folders to scan and enables a host of other customizations like whether to decompress and scan archives, use cloud scanning, automatically delete threats, enable heuristics scanning, check for threats running in memory, skip files over a maximum size, run the scan with full system resources, delete PuPs, and more.

The basic view for the program's settings runs scans, unblock applications, updates the program, and runs software in a virtual mode, while the advanced view reports more details about those areas of the program and displays logs as well as toggles various things like HIPS and VirusScope. You can run any program you want in a virtual space completely separate from the rest of your files. Launch programs in this protected container from inside the COMODO program, or by right-clicking an executable file and choosing the option in the menu.

Here are some other features worth mentioning: password protect the program, show a floating desktop widget, hide the upgrade advertisement, choose which archive file types to unpack and scan, enable real-time scanning of files on the network, define heuristics scanning level low, medium, high , schedule scans as frequently as every hour to as infrequently as once a month, customize the HIPS rules, turn on Silent Mode, force the auto-containment of suspicious or malicious files, and use a unique password for the Virtual Desktop feature.

Immunet offers real-time protection for Windows. It has a bit of an outdated interface but the software is still current and even connects directly to the cloud for updates.

There are lots of options you can toggle on or off to customize how the software works, but you can also leave all the defaults and it will still check your computer for threats in real time.

Here are some other features you get with Immunet: detects and removes bots, viruses, worms, Trojans, keyloggers, and spyware; three scan modes let you check just running processes Flash Scan , any location of your choosing Custom Scan , or the entire computer Full Scan ; schedule any scan type daily, weekly, or monthly; start scans directly from Explorer on any folder or file; run a FlashScan right after installation to check the registry and running processes for threats; use a special blocking mode that prevents all programs from being installed unless they first pass a security scan; prevent notifications from the program while you watch movies or play games; automatically exclude certain folders and file types from scans, including temp folders and certain system32 folders; manually exclude any file, folder, or threat by its name ; toggle scanning for archives and packed files.

There's also a handy timeline that shows the history of threats on the computer, to 30 days in the past. The extremely detailed history of events that have happened in the program can be filtered by date, keyword, and type such as quarantines, cleanings, blocked processes, etc.

This program runs alongside many other antivirus programs, such as security software from Comodo, Avira, AVG, and Norton. You not only have protection against threats like spyware, viruses, Trojan horses, and bots but there are also firewall shields to block intruders from reaching your computer files.

Here are some other important features in this free antivirus tool: real-time, cloud-based security updates that rely on millions of other users to stop threats quickly; Gamer Mode blocks interruptions while gaming, such as scans, updates, and alerts; you can set all alerts to be automatically denied or allowed; lock down ZoneAlarm's configuration with a password to protect its settings from being changed; back up the program's security settings and restore them later; run quick or full scans on a schedule; a network firewall that can screen every single program with "suspicious behavior" alerts that you have to explicitly allow or deny; and set up notifications for suspicious credit activity.

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