System cleanup in one click

1. How To Scan Your Mac For Viruses And Malware
2. How To Scan A Mac For Malware
3. How To Scan My Mac For Malware
4. How To Scan A Mac For Malware

Here’s how to scan your Mac for malware: Best Virus Scan For Mac. Download CleanMyMac X (free edition here) and launch the app. Click on the Malware Removal tab. Malware Monitor is another thing I love about CleanMyMac X. Best mac wireless mechanical keyboard. And this Mac malware scanner works in real-time. Avast Security for Mac This is one of the most personal security suites that's effective and free for non-commercial users. It provides the necessary tools to do full-system malware scans or other specific tasks. Users can also 'drag and drop' one or multiple files to scan for viruses and malware.

MacOS has built-in antivirus/anti-malware protection, but if you want another means to determine if your Mac is 'infected' I would suggest that you try either Malwarebytes for Macor EtreCheckas the means to do so. Protect your Mac from malware. MacOS has many features that help protect your Mac and your personal information from malicious software, or malware. One common way malware is distributed is by embedding it in a harmless-looking app. You can reduce this risk by using software only from reliable sources.

How To Scan Your Mac For Viruses And Malware

Download, install and launch Systweak Anti-Malware 2. Click the Scan tab and select Deep Scan click Deep Scan to perform scanning 3.

how to get rid of malware on macComputer viruses hold a sweet spot between boring, everyday occurrences, dating back to the 70s, and dramatic, science fiction fueled monsters that will haunt us in our new information-driven world.

One may ask, “Do you need antivirus to protect your Mac?” The reality is, all computers, even Macs, are vulnerable to malware (short for malicious software). While Apple takes a lot of security precautions, how secure your Mac is depends on your knowledge of how to check for viruses and how to remove them.

Whether you want to know how to remove virus from MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or iMac, learning to keep your information safe first is necessary and easy, with a few tips from the professionals.

Get Setapp to protect Mac from malware

Your computer deserves to be healthy. Download Setapp, an apps toolkit that covers reliable protection methods against any kind of malware.

How to scan your Mac for a virus

Why checking your Mac for viruses is important? If a computer virus was the only thing to watch out for, this world would be a simpler place. Malware, adware, spyware, malicious files, worms, trojans, phishing software, you name it, you should check for it. The old way of thinking was that because there are more PCs than Macs in the world, the “virus people” would focus on them instead of Macs. But, we’re not in the 2000s anymore. In fact, in 2018, Apple moved to the fourth position in global laptop shipments. This means, Macs are no longer shiny white boxes that are meant for fun and entertainment.

Not only do we run our businesses off Apple devices and different versions of macOS but we also store family photographs, send out sensitive info — and, thanks to cloud computing, each device is synchronized. Unfortunately, this means your Mac could be a far juicier target than the PC sitting in some corner cubicle.

Know what a Mac virus is

Most of us are familiar with recognizing what a virus looks like thanks to its atrocious design and alarming vocabulary. However, not all viruses take the shock-and-scare approach to getting on your Mac. The latest adware could look like an Adobe Flash Player installer, but is, of course, fake. Not only does it trick you into thinking it's something as normal as Flash, but the installed adware then pretends to be a virus scanner. It shows you bogus problems and encourages you to fix them by giving over sensitive information.

Other forms of viruses could look like Microsoft Office files (e.g. Excel sheets, Word documents), Adobe Photoshop add-ons, as well as music and movie files that you get from BitTorrent or other file sharing programs. But the most common file format that a virus takes is a .dmg file, because it was created by Apple itself to help install good software on your computer. Your task in securing your Mac is to look out for .dmg files showing up when you’re trying to install something. If you’re ever trying to download something you know is supposed to be an image, music, movie, or document, but you get a .dmg file instead — that is as red as a red flag gets in terms of viruses. Do yourself a favor and delete that file immediately.

Keep Mac virus sources in mind

When it comes to having your Mac infected by a virus, we probably expect the attack to come from a stranger. Truth be told, a lot of viruses come from our friends, family, and colleagues, who unfortunately became the primary victim and are now unintentionally passing their viruses to you.

A popular malware virus of 2017 was embedded into a Word document — a Mac Word file, not a PC one. In 2018, Apple discovered flaws in their Intel processor chips that could lead to two kinds of very ambitious strains of Mac viruses too. It’s wild to think that even iPads and iPhones can contract malware.

How to check for malware

In an ideal world, scanning for viruses and the other methods for malware removal should be automatic and happen nearly continuously. In reality, you can consider yourself reasonably safe if you scan your Mac close to once a week. Fortunately, there are quite a few ways to make sure you are as protected as possible.

A good start to scan your Mac for viruses is to see whether you have applications installed that you don’t recognize:

How To Scan A Mac For Malware

1. Go to the Applications folder via Go > Applications in Finder or using the shortcut Shift + Command + A.
2. Scroll through the list and delete any unknown applications.
3. Then empty the trash.

The second step you should do is check for browser hijackers and adware extensions:

1. Go to Safari > Preferences. See what the Homepage URL is currently set to and correct if needed.
2. Then proceed to the Extensions tab and uninstall any you don’t recognize, as they could spy on you, save your private data, and redirect you to their malicious websites.

How to run a Mac virus scanner and stop viruses from stealing your information

It’s a common misconception that viruses only happen to people who are gullible, ignorant, or technologically illiterate. The stigma is that hackers prey on people, when in reality, they prey on behavior.

Our basic assumption with Macs is that we expect Apple and our applications to have done all the security work for us. In truth, every user has to adjust their own behavior when using their Mac.

Do you use public WiFi? Consider getting a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to encrypt the connection between your laptop and the external network. Shimo is a great VPN manager app that will help you here. While using it, raw information (whether sensitive or not) can’t be fed to any malicious programs lurking on your Mac, and hackers on the same network won’t be able to decode anything you’re working on.

Speaking of encryption, Macs using OS X Lion or later come with the option to encrypt their hard drives using FileVault 2. Although encryption won’t prevent viruses from entering your computer (for that, you’ll need a scanner), it would still be very helpful in stopping viruses from stealing your information. To turn on FileVault:

1. Go to System Preferences
2. Select Security & Privacy
3. Navigate to the FileVault tab
4. Choose Turn On FileVault

Keep your Mac secure and virus-free

Trademark signs of something being wrong with your Mac: slow processing memory, a bloated disk space, intense CPU usage, and network speed lag. Unfortunately, viruses don’t live in an easy-to-find location like your computer’s desktop. They can be embedded within an application, most notably, your favorite web browser, where it’s easier for them to view what you’re viewing and track what you’re typing. If you kept on seeing weird websites taking over your search bar, it's a sign that your browser has been hijacked. Other applications can get corrupted or infected too, especially if they have particularly weak security systems. Another example could be an email app you use or an open-source application that is behind on their patch upgrades. Check out how to get rid of malware on mac.

If you think one of your applications is infected, a typical knee-jerk reaction would be to delete the whole thing and redownload it. Often, this will do the trick, but there are simpler solutions available. Clearing the application's cache should always be your first step, and, if there are optional hidden files, consider removing them as well.

Scan your Mac for viruses with CMM X

Run an instant malware scan to identify and remove suspicious files from your Mac. There’s no tool that can do it better than CleanMyMac X.

To remove any application’s cache and get rid of Mac malware from the Library folder:

1. Use the shortcut Shift + Command + G to Go to Folder
2. Type ~/Library/Caches and choose Go
3. Delete any particular files inside the folder

If you are unsure about deleting cache files manually, use an app like CleanMyMac X:

1. Launch CleanMyMac
2. Go to System Junk and click Scan
3. When the scan is complete, choose Review Details
4. Select User Cache Files and pick the caches you’d like to delete
5. Click Clean

In addition, CleanMyMac now features a Malware Removal function, using which should become your weekly habit.

1. In CleanMyMac, choose the Malware Removal tab
2. Click Scan
3. Follow the instructions given. Hopefully it should say your Mac is clean most of the time.

Unfortunately, not all viruses are easy-to-understand files that just sit on your computer. Sometimes they are root certificates that intercept your passwords and messages, and send a copy to hackers. To effectively secure yourself from this, only download apps with valid developer certificates. Which ones are those? It’s hard to know but Apple built a feature that could help you here.

1. Go to System Preferences
2. Select Security & Privacy
3. In the Allow apps downloaded from: select App Store and identified developers

You are well on your way to being protected from malware now. But, the truth is, simply avoiding viruses is not enough. You need to be proactive — it’s time to get a virus scanner.

Check viruses like a pro

If you want complete Mac security, there is no better tool than CleanMyMac X, which can effortlessly scan for all the latest viruses, malware, spyware, and more. Just launch the app on the regular basis and click the Smart Scan option to inspect your Mac for any suspicious activity, besides other suggested features for optimization and cleaning out old files.

Remove viruses from Mac completely

Using a tool like CleanMyMac makes getting rid of viruses, of all shapes and formats, very easy. After the scan, it tells you what it’s found and gives you the option to remove it completely right then and there. Additionally, it will give you all kinds of other great options on how to optimize your Mac’s performance.

As mentioned above, hackers who want to steal your information don’t target you specifically, they target your behavior. So, with this in mind, change your behavior when it comes to using your Mac in potentially unsafe ways. Recognize that viruses come and go, all the time, and across many different file formats. If you get a virus, you’re not ruined.

Arm your computer with encryption tools (like FileVault and a VPN), so that your information can’t be stolen. Practice a healthy dose of skepticism when downloading files. But, most importantly, get professional apps that bring you the most results, like CleanMyMac or Shimo — all of which are available on Setapp for your to try free. So get a scan now and see what it says.

How To Scan My Mac For Malware

Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.

Sign Up

Scanning your Mac for malware should never require pulling out your credit card. Unfortunately, Mac malware can disguise itself as a removal tool, demand payment in exchange for protecting your computer. Don't accidentally get tricked into...

Using Malwarebytes

1. Open a web browser. Download Malwarebytes for Mac, a free anti-malware app recommended by security experts.^[1]
2. Navigate to https://www.malwarebytes.com/mac-download/. The application will download automatically.
3. Double-click the file that begins with 'MBAM-Mac.' The entire file name should look like MBAM-Mac-1.2.5.dmg, though the number will vary based on the current software version.
4. Drag the Malwarebytes icon to the Applications folder.
5. Click the 'File' menu.
6. Click 'Eject Anti-Malware for Mac.'
7. Open the Applications folder.
8. Double-click 'Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.'
9. Click Open. The app should open. If you see a message that says it can't be opened because it wasn't downloaded from the app store:^[2]

   1. Open System Preferences.
   2. Select 'Security & Privacy'.
   3. Click Open Anyway.
10. Type your admin username and password.
11. Click Install Helper. This will install the tool that removes any malware discovered by Malwarebytes. When the tool is finished installing, you'll arrive at the main Malwarebytes Anti-Malware screen.
12. Click Scan. The scan is fast, so don't be alarmed if the results (or lack thereof) show up after only a few seconds.
13. Evaluate the results.

    1. If the system has no malware, you will see a message that says no threats were found.
    2. If threats were found, a list will appear in a pop-up window.
    3. Unless otherwise noted, you should remove all threats found by the application.
14. Place a checkmark next to each threat you want to remove.
15. Click Remove Selected Items. Your Mac is now free of malware.

Using ClamXav

1. Open a web browser. ClamXav has a fully-functional free trial version you can download to scan your Mac for malware. The software has been around for a long time and comes widely recommended by experts.^[3]
2. Navigate to https://www.clamxav.com/download.html.
3. Click DOWNLOAD beneath 'Get Free Trial.'
4. Save the file when prompted. It will save to your computer with a name like 'ClamXav_2.10_xxx.zip.'
5. Double-click 'ClamXav_2.10_xxx.zip'.
6. Double-click 'ClamXav.app'. This will start the installation of ClamXav.
7. Accept the license agreement.
8. Follow the prompts to complete the installation.
9. Click Update Now. This not only downloads the latest definition files, but will also initiate a quick scan of your Mac. Let this scan complete and then go ahead with this method to do a deeper scan.
10. Click 'All My Files.' This is one of the options in the Source List in the left panel.
11. Click the 'Start Scan' icon. The deep scan will begin. When the scan is complete, all threats will be displayed in the top right panel, called the Infection List.
12. Evaluate the results. ClamXav color-codes the results based on recommended actions, such as 'quarantining' (isolating it to its own folder so it causes no harm) or deleting the file. Here's what the colors mean:

    1. Blue: If you don't recognize the file, quarantine it to avoid passing it on to others.
    2. Orange: You should definitely quarantine the file.
    3. Red: You should definitely delete this file.
    4. Green: The file has been neutralized. No action is necessary.
13. Click a threat to select it.
14. Click 'Quarantine File' or 'Delete File' as recommended.

How To Scan A Mac For Malware