Quarantined files (2024)

FAQs

Is it better to delete or quarantine a virus? ›

Anti-virus software often resorts to using a quarantine when it is unable to clean an infected file. Once the virus or file has been quarantined, it cannot interact with the system. It is advisable to delete suspected quarantined files as soon as possible.

Files tagged for quarantine are encrypted and moved to a protected folder, preventing further execution and potential harm to the user's system.

Click the Detection History card. In the Quarantined items tab, check the boxes of the items you want to restore or delete. Click the Restore or Delete button. Deleting the items permanently removes them from your device.

In general, it's not recommended to restore quarantined files because Windows Defender adds a file to quarantine when it finds the file suspicious. However, if you're certain about the file, you can restore it. 1). On your Windows device, open Windows Security.

Threat quarantined

This indicates that the threat has been blocked and quarantined. It has not yet been removed, but should not pose a risk to your data or device at present.

On your Windows device, open Windows Security. Select Virus & threat protection and then, under Current threats, select Protection history. If you have a list of items, you can filter on Quarantined Items. Select an item you want to keep, and choose an action, such as Restore.

Quarantined items remain in quarantine even after uninstall. If you did a clean uninstall using the MB-Clean.exe tool then the quarantined items would have been removed/deleted.

The main function of Quarantine is enabling the user to restore an original file at any time. Files in Quarantine are stored in a special format and are not dangerous.

Are quarantined files automatically deleted? ›

The files identified as potentially malicious should not be automatically deleted. They are kept for 30 days in quarantine, after which they are deleted. For what it's worth, there is also a restore button and this will set an exception on the original restore path.

Clean: Removes the infection from the file but does not actually delete the file itself. This is the best option if you need to keep the file. Quarantine: Moves the virus to a safe location that the antivirus software manages. This option does not delete or clean the file.

A quarantine is the process of isolating a file that's suspected of being infected with a virus in order to prevent it from contaminating other parts of your computer.

FAQs About Troubleshooting Quarantined Computers

Quarantining in the context of IT refers to isolating workstations or servers that are infected with malware or viruses from the rest of the network. This preventive measure is taken to stop the spread of the infection and protect the network's overall health.

By default, the Windows Defender virus storage is located under the following path: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Quarantine. However, we recommend you to interact with them only through antivirus software as it is much more reliable. Note: The ProgramData folder is hidden by default.

Stay in self-quarantine for 10 days after your last exposure (unless you are fully vaccinated or tested positive for COVID-19 in the past and meet all criteria noted in the section above).

In computing terms, to quarantine is when a potentially malicious file is placed into a “safe” location by the onboard security software, so that it can do no harm while the user decides what to do with it.

Factory resets remove most viruses

Performing a hard reset will get rid of most viruses on your device because it wipes everything away. When you return your phone to its original state, the process removes all programs and system files from your device and leaves your phone with a clean slate.