How to Remove Malware From Your PC
It should be drilled into you by now: Use antivirus software. These programs—from free tools and paid antivirus software up to major security suites—keep tabs on your Windows PC with scans, real-time monitoring, even heuristic analysis of files and processes so that new threats can be identified. It's imperative, especially with Windows, that you have antivirus installed.
However, even the best antivirus isn't 100% foolproof. A device already compromised by malware could get on your network, people can personally place malware on a system, and some malware sits there, dormant, waiting to come to life and attack. Social engineering and phishing schemes can trick people (you) into clicking on or downloading an infected link or attachment. Hell, there are even rogue scareware programs that look like antivirus or antispyware, but when you install them, you get infected! Always download from the source—avoid third-party download sites.
Sometimes, it's hard to tell when you've been hit by malware, and almost impossible to tell what kind (be it spyware, a trojan horse, ransomware, you name it). There are plenty of signs you should keep an eye out for—incredibly slow performance where once the PC zipped along, browser pop-ups when no browser is even open, scary warnings from security programs you didn't install, even ransom demands.
If you suspect, or know with absolute certainty, that you've got a malware infection, here are the steps to take, immediately, to remove the malware.
(Note that if you do get a ransom demand, the ransomware involved may have already encrypted your files. The solutions below may eradicate the ransomware, but there's no guarantee you'll get access back to the data. So make sure you've got a constant backup of your files, to the cloud or otherwise.)
Update Your Antivirus
First, make sure your antivirus software is fully updated with the latest virus definitions—that's how the software identifies malware, based on what has come before. Antivirus vendors are constantly renewing these lists as they encounter new viruses and Trojans in the wild and in the lab. If your software is even a day out of date, you run the risk of infection.
If you have Windows 10 or 11, you always have free virus/threat protection in the form of Microsoft Defender Antivirus. It's had or has other names like Windows Security, Windows Defender, and even once went by Microsoft Windows Defender Security Center (Microsoft is genuinely terrible at naming things). Microsoft Defender is certainly better than nothing and gets updated by Windows Update. But it's far from perfect. We suggest you immediately download one of our top-rated best free antivirus programs: Kaspersky Security Cloud Free or Avast One Essential.
If you need to fix an infected PC for a business, you or the boss should spend the money to get a full security suite. Our Editors' Choice options today are Kaspersky Security Cloud, Kaspersky Internet Security, Bitdefender Internet Security, Bitdefender Total Security, and Norton 360 Deluxe. All of the above earned 4.5-star reviews. They range from barebones (but complete) suites, to mega-suites bursting with features, to cross-platform suites that protect all your devices—not just Windows.
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With suite software onboard, perform a deep, thorough scan. Let it run for as long as it takes, and hope that it finds and fixes the problem. That's your best-case scenario.
The problem is, if the malware is good at its job, then it probably deactivated your antivirus to get there in the first place.