How to Run a Virus Scan for Mac: A Step-by-Step Guide (2024)

Macs don't get viruses, right? Wrong, unfortunately. But don't panic yet! A virus may not be as harmful as you think. You can also rest assured that you will know how to get rid of it quickly and effectively after reading this article.

5 clear signs your Mac is infected

Here are some symptoms that indicate your Mac is infected with a virus:

1. Mac behaves erratically.Mac suddenly starts freezing or restarting, browser redirects and overall performance drops.
2. Browser changes a website.It usually happens suddenly and without your knowledge.
3. Fake security alerts appear on Mac.You may see fake pop-ups telling you that your Mac urgently needs an update or that your data is at risk.
4. Mac's speed suddenly dropped.You may notice higher CPU usage even when you're not doing anything in particular.
5. Ads or pop-ups keep appearing.You may also notice new software appearing on your Mac.

Viruses come in all shapes and sizes. They appear in browser extensions, others run in the background, but some appear as applications in the Applications folder. Before explaining how to scan for viruses on Mac, check these five telltale signs that an app is a virus.

If any of the above are true, it's possible that your Mac has a virus, but don't panic! It can be relatively easy to remove.

How to Scan Your Mac for Viruses and Malware (Automatically and Manually)

Some drivers prefer cars with a manual transmission and some prefer an automatic transmission. The same goes for Mac users: some prefer to detect viruses automatically with specialized tools, others manually.

Automatically check for viruses on Mac

Several Mac virus scanners allow you to scan for malware. However, it's important that you don't just use "free Mac antivirus software" on Google. Many websites that claim to offer free antivirus programs host viruses themselves. And you may end up making the problem worse.

So how do you safely check for malware? We recommend that you use recognized aids. Our personal favorite isCleanMyMac X. CleanMyMac

Scan MacBook for malware and viruses:

1. Download CleanMyMac X (free version here) and open the app.
2. Click the Remove Malware tab.
3. Click Scan and then click Delete.

The malware screen in CleanMyMac's menu is another thing we like about the app. With its help, we can easily tell if our Mac is under attack by malware. You can enable this from the Protection tab in CleanMyMac's settings menu.

How to get rid of suspicious apps

We hope our simple guide on how to check for viruses on Mac was useful. The next logical step is to delete them. Again, if you come across a program that you didn't want to install, uninstall it. But don't just drag it from the Applications folder to the Trash; that won't remove all traces of it from your Mac.

Applications store files in various locations in your Mac's Library folders. You can track them down and remove them manually, but it is faster and easier to use a special uninstaller that we mentioned earlier:CleanMyMac X. This way you remove all application traces and no stray files are left behind.

1. Download CleanMyMac gratisher.
2. Open it from the Applications folder.
3. Click Uninstaller in the Applications section.
4. Scroll through the list of applications until you see the one you want to uninstall. Select the box next to it.
5. Click the Remove button.

If you want to use built-in tools to check your Mac for malware, viruses, or suspicious apps, we've put together a list here that you can use.

XProtect

Apple protects its macOS users with a unique built-in technology calledXProtect. It has an extensive virus signature database that scans Macs for malware. Since it's already built into your system, it runs by default without your intervention. But remember, this is just a basic level of protection that won't help with serious threats.

How to manually scan Mac for viruses

1. Enable Mac's built-in protection

If you've ever gotten an alert on your computer asking if you're sure you want to download something, you've seen File Quarantine in action. This allows you to deny downloading an item if you don't fully trust the source it came from.

Another built-in utility, Gatekeeper, checks whether any item you try to download has an electronic signature from an approved Mac vendor. So making sure it is enabled is a good way to protect yourself from downloading something malicious.

1. Go to System System Preferences > Privacy & Security.
2. Under 'Security', make sure 'App Store and identified developers' or 'App Store' is selected.

2. Examine your Disk Utility

Navigating to Disk Utility will give you an idea of ​​what's taking up space on your drive. You can also click First Aid to run a scan of the drive and fix any errors. Pay attention to the kinds of things that take up space, especially if a category is unusually large. This would be a good category to focus on immediately, or to check later to see if the category has been reduced by the actions you take.

3. Update your software

Since searching for “online virus scan Mac” doesn't help much, the first thing you should do to truly protect your Mac is to update to the latest macOS version and enable automatic updates for all your apps. The latest versions of the software include all the necessary security patches known to developers, so that's a good starting point.

1. Check the App Store for software updates and install them.
2. In System Preferences > General > Software Update, click the i icon next to Automatic Updates.
3. Select all options there.

4. Check browser extensions

Some viruses and malware come in the form of browser extensions that sneak into your Mac. Therefore, another way to detect malicious software is to check these add-ons and plug-ins. However, keep in mind that you will need to do this for all browsers you have installed on your computer. Below you will find the steps for the three most popular browsers.

Safari

1. Open Safari and click Settings in the menu.
2. Select Extensions.
3. Click Remove next to any extension you don't recognize.

Chrome

1. Open Chrome and go to Window (from the menu bar) > Extensions.
2. Click Remove next to any extension you don't recognize.

Firefox

1. Open Firefox and click on the three lines at the top right.
2. Select Settings > Add-ons & Themes.
3. Click an ellipsis next to an extension you don't recognize and select Remove.

5. Back up your Mac

Another precaution against viruses you can take is to back up your documents. You can use your Mac's built-in Time Machine utility to save your backup to an external hard drive. That way, regular backups can help you restore newer versions of your documents if they've been deleted or encrypted by a virus.

1. Connect an external hard drive.
2. Go to System Preferences > General > Time Machine > Select Backup Disk and enable it.
3. Select Back up automatically.

Please note that you may need to set up the backup drive if you have not already done so. In this case, click Add Backup Disk in the Time Machine window and follow the onscreen instructions. Then follow the steps described above.

6. Encrypt your Mac

It may come as a surprise, but files on your Mac are easily readable by anyone who could gain unauthorized access. They can read your documents, apps, messages, etc. To prevent this, enable Mac's built-in encryption engine called FileVault.

1. Go to System Preferences > Privacy & Security.
2. Enable FileVault and wait for encryption to complete. Finished!

7. Use Activity Monitor and check the Applications folder

Application or process may be causing your system to become unresponsive. When that's the case, Activity Monitor comes in handy. It allows you to track troublesome apps or processes, pinpoint top power consumers, and monitor CPU disk usage. You can also use it to detect malware.

Follow these steps to run Activity Monitor:

1. Go to Applications > Utilities.
2. Open Activity Monitor and click on the % CPU column to see processes and apps with high CPU usage. End them by clicking the X button in the top left corner.
3. Find another suspicious process and simply Google it to see if it is malware.

To search for viruses hidden in apps, check your Applications folder:

1. Go to the Applications folder.
2. Find any suspicious app you don't recognize.
3. Check it with Google and delete it if necessary.

8. Clean up your drive

Overall, cleaning up your computer will improve your daily experience and ultimately mean you won't have to buy a new one too quickly, saving you money.

1. From the Finder, open the Applications folder (Cmd + Shift + A).
2. Go through the list and uninstall any programs you no longer use.
3. Then check the Documents, Pictures, Movies, and Music folders for files you haven't used in a while.
4. Empty the trash when you're done.

Here's oneultimate tutorialHow to clean up your hard drive.

It's easy to forget to keep your files (like your apartment) tidy, so periodic tidying up is a must.

9. Check if your email has been hacked

You hear every day that millions of user emails have been leaked due to the careless policies of Facebook or other companies. Could your account be one of them? Security expert Troy Hunt has created a website that allows you to see if your email has been hacked.

View this websitehttps://haveibeenpwned.com/

You can even get an idea of ​​which company leaked your email.

10. Protect and optimize your Mac with a single click

If you have the time and are willing to be methodical about what cleanings you need to do and how often you need to do them (ideally once a month), you can go through the above checklist every time.

But why not save some time and make sure you do it the right way? The truth is that there is no online virus scan that macOS would be happy with, but there is certainly some professional software likeCleanMyMac Xwho can make it better. It's fast, automatic, and responsive, saving you time and helping you care for your Mac more thoroughly and completely than you ever could.

After you finish scanning for malware as described earlier in the article, don't forget to run additional scans for optimization, maintenance, junk mail, and an overall Smart Scan. In any case, CleanMyMac X takes care of all the tasks necessary to protect and optimize your Mac. Repeat the process every week or so and you're good to go.

CleanMyMac Xhas been notarized by Apple, confirming its safe status for use on Mac computers.

You just learned how to scan for malware on Mac and why you should avoid online malware scanning tools advertised on the Internet. Hopefully this article encourages you to explore the built-in layers of protection on your Mac. If you've found malware on your Mac, it's not the end of the world. We've shown you some antidotes you can try.

How safe is your Mac against viruses?

The point is: your Mac can be safer from malware than the average Windows PC, thanks to the Unix kernel and Apple's default security settings. But it is not 100% immune. All it takes is one careless click on a link in a phishing email or website and your Mac will be infected. So answer the question about Mac viruses - yes, Mac can get a virus! But the good news is that running a Mac virus scan is easy and now you know how to scan your Mac for viruses online.

Stay tuned for more Mac tips!

FAQ

How long does a virus scan take?

It depends on. When you scan your Mac for malware, it can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, depending on the type of scan you choose, the tool you use, and the space your data, apps, and files take up.

Har Mac and virus scanner?

The Mac comes with XProtect, a built-in virus signature database that scans the Mac for malware. However, it is far from perfect, so it is recommended to invest in a dedicated anti-malware tool.

What should you do if you find malware on your Mac?

If you find malware on your Mac, remove it immediately by uninstalling suspicious apps, searching for the leftover files, and resetting browsers, to name a few steps. You will find more tips in this practical guidecomplete malware removal.