McAfee Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware software is your first line of defense against the threat of infection from viruses, Trojans, worms, spyware, and potentially unwanted programs, catching them at points of entry like email, external drives, and web pages.
 | This protection feature might not be turned on, installed, or included in your McAfee software. To learn about the protection features included in your McAfee suite, read Understanding your protection features. |
| • | Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware features
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| • | Working with alerts
Alerts appear on your screen to let you know when security events occur on your PC. An alert provides information about an event, as well as recommendations and options for resolving security problems. |
| • | Using scans
When you install Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware, you have excellent virus protection out-of-the-box. Your activities are protected from viruses in real time, which means that any time a file is downloaded, accessed or in use, McAfee checks it for you. Leave real-time scanning on to ensure that your PC stays protected from the latest security threats. |
| • | Scanning your PC
Depending on your security needs, you can choose from many scan options in Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware, including quick scan, full scan, custom scan, and manual scan. For all scan types, except for manual scans, you select the type of scan from the Home Page. When the scan is finished, McAfee prompts you to handle any threats that it could not handle automatically. |
| • | Working with scan results
When a scan is finished, you receive an alert informing you about the results of the scan. When McAfee detects a security threat during a scan, it first tries to handle the threat automatically according to the threat type. In case of a virus, Trojan, or tracking cookie on your PC, McAfee tries to clean or quarantine the infected file. |
| • | Managing quarantined and trusted items
When an item is detected during a scan as a potential security threat, you are prompted to deal with that item by deleting it, putting it in quarantine, or trusting it. When McAfee quarantines items, it encrypts and isolates them in a folder to prevent the files, programs, or cookies from harming your PC. McAfee keeps a list of your quarantined and trusted items, which you can view for details. Work on these lists to permanently delete items, send items to McAfee for analysis, and restore items that you confirm to be safe. |
| • | Setting real-time scanning options
McAfee uses real-time scanning options that you can change to suit your needs. To change these settings, you need to decide which threats McAfee checks for, where it checks for them, and which file types it checks. For example, you can define whether McAfee checks for unknown viruses, or cookies that websites might use to track your behavior, and whether it scans local drives only, or network drives as well. You can also define the types of files that it scans. |
| • | Setting custom scan options
With custom scanning, McAfee allows you to select a variety of scanning options. By default when you run a custom scan, McAfee checks all the drives and folders on your PC, along with all network drives. However, you can exclude network drives and scan only parts of your PC, like your critical system files, the desktop, and program files. We recommend this when you want to scan specific areas, rather than all areas of your PC. |
| • | Setting a scan schedule
Scheduled scans are a necessary part of ensuring the continuous health of your PC. On a regular basis, they thoroughly check your PC for viruses and other threats. |
| • | Learning about Internet security
The McAfee website provides up-to-date information about global Internet activity, including current threat levels and regional virus information. You can access the website from the Navigation Center. |
FAQs
If detected, your McAfee app can remove all traces of the spyware using that program's uninstaller when available. If the threat can't be removed, it's quarantined so that it can no longer affect your computer.
Is it OK to have a spyware and antivirus program installed? ›
This question already has an answer here:
Antivirus software always warns that any other antivirus currently installed should be uninstalled to avoid serious problems. From what I understand, one program may see another AV as a potential virus, or think that its actions are malicious.
How to turn on virus and spyware protection in McAfee? ›
- On the Windows taskbar, next to the clock, double-click the McAfee ( M) icon. ...
- On Advanced Menu, click the Configure tab. ...
- In the Configure pane, click the Computer & Files link.
- On the Computer & Files Configuration pane, under Virus protection is disabled, click the On option.
1. Antivirus software is software that is designed to detect, block and then remove a virus from our computer system. Anti Spyware is software which aims to detect specific set of malicious applications known as Spywares.
Can antivirus detect spyware? ›
Run a full scan on your computer with your anti-virus software - Some anti-virus software will find and remove spyware, but it may not find the spyware when it is monitoring your computer in real time.
How to protect against spyware? ›
How to Protect Your Phone from Spyware Including Pegasus
- Stay away from unofficial app stores. Third-party app stores carry many malicious spyware apps. ...
- Only download trusted apps from official app publishers. ...
- Be reserved about giving permissions to apps. ...
- Do not follow links in text messages.
When antivirus software captures a virus, it locks it in a secure place to neutralize it. If you have two programs running simultaneously, they could engage in a tussle over who gets to scan, report, and remove the virus. This added activity could cause your computer to crash or use up your device's memory.
Do I really need McAfee with Windows 11? ›
If you work with sensitive data or files, there's always a possibility of encountering sophisticated malware that might evade built-in defenses. Is antivirus software necessary on Windows 11 devices? Not for general use, but it can come in handy for those with specific security concerns or who handle sensitive data.
Is Microsoft Defender better than McAfee? ›
Both top antivirus software solutions offer personal and group plans and both performed well during testing. Microsoft scored 98.8% in the AV-Comparatives protection test and gave only three false positives, detecting clean samples as malicious. McAfee scored higher, with 99.6%, and also with three false positives.
Is there a free version of McAfee? ›
Try out McAfee Total Protection for free
No credit card is required and you'll be able to protect up to ten devices, whether they're running Windows, Mac OS, iOS or Android.
AOL members on the Dial-Up Advantage and High-Speed Essentials plans can download McAfee Internet Security software at no extra charge. Non-members or members on the Free AOL plan can download a free 30-day trial and then pay a monthly fee.
Are fake McAfee virus warnings pop-up? ›
You might also see unwanted pop-up messages that seem to be from McAfee, but they're not. These messages are 'spoofed' (fake) messages that pretend to be from McAfee and try to trick you into clicking one of their options. TIP: If you click the on fake pop-up or alert, the security of your PC might be at risk.
Is there a need to use both antivirus and anti-spyware in your personal computer? ›
Answer: They provide an extra layer of protection. This doesn't mean the antivirus software is useless, it just can't fight against advanced forms of malware, like antimalware does. For better protection and malware detection, you'll need to use both of them.
Can you tell if you have spyware? ›
For instance, if a computer starts to run more and more slowly, that could be a sign that it has been compromised. Look out for the following clues: Increasing sluggishness and slow response. Unexpected advertising messages or pop-ups (spyware is often packaged with adware).
Do I need both antivirus and internet security? ›
Antivirus and Internet Security are both important, and you should not choose one over the other. Antivirus protects your device from malware, while Internet Security protects your device and data from online threats. You need both Antivirus and Internet Security software for optimal protection.
What does McAfee protect against? ›
At its core, McAfee Total Protection provides our award-winning antivirus to defend against viruses, online threats, and ransomware with both cloud-based online and offline protection.
Does anti-malware protect against spyware? ›
Malware is malicious software and it comes in a lot of different varieties. Viruses, ransomware, spyware, and more are all types of malware. Microsoft Defender has powerful built-in features that can help protect your device against malware.
Is McAfee good against hackers? ›
One of the best ways to surf the web in comfort while keeping hackers at bay is with the comprehensive solutions provided by McAfee Total Protection. Your protection includes proactive measures (meaning we'll guide you to the best choices for prevention), early detection, and expert identity theft support.
Can McAfee detect Pegasus spyware? ›
Unfortunately, traditional antivirus software cannot detect Pegasus. If you are worried that you have Pegasus on your Android, iPhone, or iPad, you can use MVT, a free tool designed by Amnesty International's Security Lab, to scan your phone or tablet.
