Avast has one of the most popular antivirus apps around, due in part to offering a free version, and it's one that performs respectably. The company acquired its rival AVG in September of 2016, and now both use Avast's malware scanning engine, but their distinct personalities remain. Here are the highlights of Avast's latest release.
Avast free download - Avast Free Antivirus, Avast Premier, Avast Free Mac Security, and many more programs. Protect your PC against the latest viruses and spyware. Free Editors' rating. Download this app from Microsoft Store for Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 Team (Surface Hub). See screenshots, read the latest customer reviews, and compare ratings for Avast Antivirus Download Center.
Pros Easy to use: Avast has four main protection components: File Shield, Behavior Shield, Web Shield, and Mail Shield. If, for example, you use webmail and/or you find that Avast's Web Shield interferes with your web browsing, you can disable both relevant protection layers, while keeping the others active. Now, ordinarily, an antivirus app will keep warning you to turn these features back on. But if you really don't need them enabled, you can tell Avast that you want to ignore those warnings, and it won't bother you about those settings again. Solid protection: According to independent labs, such as AV-Test and AV-Comparatives, Avast Free isn't quite as sharp as industry leaders like Trend Micro or Bitdefender, but it's arguably the best protection you'll find that comes without a price tag. Aggressively low pricing: If you do decide to order Avast Pro, you can do so from within the app, and Avast offers a one-year subscription for a reasonable $15, which is about half of its street price. If you change your mind, Avast offers a 60-day trial of Avast Internet Security, which was priced at $20 a year.
Pro purports to add enhancements to online banking security and 'a test space for checking suspicious apps.' This latter function appears to be a sandbox, in which you can open an app and investigate its behavior without risking an infection. Relatively muted sales pitch: Free antivirus apps have a reputation for being pretty pushy about paying for a subscription, but Avast is on the low-key end of the spectrum (and it has been for a number of years). There are a couple upgrade buttons on the main console, and a number of features (a firewall, URL safety verifier, and 'Webcam Shield,' among others) that redirect you to an order screen when you click on them, but nothing felt particularly tricky, and the sales pitch doesn't make ironclad claims about what the program can do. Data collection transparency: Avast tells you right off the bat that it wants to gather anonymized usage data, some of which may be used to help fund development, but you can disable this function in the Privacy settings.
Though it would be nice if it explained what 'certain' information it wanted to gather. Cons Some settings could use more explanation: Avast's settings menus have a number of icons marked with an exclamation point that you can click on for further details. But the description for CyberCapture doesn't sound substantially different from what a virus scanner already does: It 'analyzes unrecognized files, defends and warns you about new threats, and helps keep your system secure.'
And Hardened Mode is there 'to further lock down the security of this computer.' But in what way? Subscription offers can get confusing: The $15 offer is available via the upgrade buttons on the main console, but it's not an option when you click on one of the features that has a padlock on it.
There, you get two different offers: $20 a year for or $30 a year for. But if you, say, click on the padlocked 'Sensitive Data Shield' icon, you only see the Avast Internet Security offer, and it has a different list of advertised features. Bottom Line While there are some quirks in the interface, Avast is a respectable and respectful antivirus app overall, and the paid version is notably budget-friendly. Lightweight, state-of-the-art protection that won't slow down your PC. Avast Free Antivirus has been redesigned to be easier to use while staying light on your PC.
It offers proprietary, cutting-edge CyberCapture technology that finds and stops unknown files, as well as improved Wi-Fi Inspector which can identify even more weak points in your router. It also features SafeZone, the world's most secure browser, and an enhanced Game Mode which turns off background checks and updates to maximize your gaming experience.
Reply by Avast Team on March 20, 2018 Hi, DFG62: We're sorry to hear you've been having trouble with your computer and can assure you our software would not block your Windows updates. Additionally, our software was designed to be lightweight and should not be slowing your system down. Please contact us directly at [email protected] with more information and we'll be happy to look into it.
Notifications for our other products can be adjusted in our upgraded software by going into the UI and clicking Settings, General, Popups, and unchecking the 'Show popup offers for other Avast products' box. You can also adjust the duration of notifications on that screen. To access your account and view your subscription information, go to avast.com and click 'Account'. Once you're signed in, click 'Your Licenses' to see your expiration date and on how many devices the software can be installed. We do send out a reminder email approximately a month before your expiration date. Reply by Avast Team on February 9, 2018 Hi quick235 - we're concerned about this and would like to do everything we can to help.
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Did you contact our support team directly at any time? They can help you with any billing concerned and make things right for you.
Here's the link to contact our support team: You can also email us directly at [email protected] at any time, and we'll be happy to assist. Thanks for your patience and we look forward to getting things straightened out. Reply by Avast Team on December 22, 2017 Hi, KNRover. Thank you for being an Avast customer. We're happy to hear you've been pleased with our software's ability to keep your devices secure. Instructions for changing the frequency of notifications can be found here: We would like to get more information about your updating issue.
If you're upgraded to the most recent version of the software and have confirmed both the definitions and software boxes are set to automatic and are still experiencing the issue, please contact us directly at [email protected] with any error messages you may have received, your version number, what version of Windows you're running, if you have any additional protection products (for example, having more than one antivirus installed can cause a conflict), etc, so we can look into it for you. Reply by Avast Team on July 5, 2017 Hi, paulita1476. We can assure you we do not automatically charge you for any products you did not purchase. Upgrading your software is entirely optional and must be initiated by the customer. Information about managing your subscriptions can be found here: Additionally, we're sorry to hear you may have had some issues with our software and would like to help. Please contact us at [email protected] with the details of the issue, any error messages you may have received, your Operating System version, and any troubleshooting steps you may have taken to resolve the issue. Full Specifications What's new in version 19.3.2369.
We've set our VPN free - SecureLine VPN is no longer attached to your antivirus.
Avast Antivirus provides a range of scans to protect your PC from malware. You can also create your own scan and specify the parameters. Refer to the sections in this article for details about the following Virus Scans:. Smart Scan: a comprehensive scan that detects malware, out-of-date software, browser add-ons with poor reputations, network threats, and performance issues. Full Virus Scan: a predefined, in-depth scan of your system that checks your storage drives and memory for malware (including rootkits). Targeted Scan: scans the folders you select when you initiate the scan.
Boot-Time Scan: scans your PC during the next system startup before any malware is launched. Running a during startup improves the chances of detecting and removing malware before it can attack your PC. Custom scans: scans your PC according to the parameters that you specified for your scan. Explorer Scan: scans specific files or folders directly from your desktop via File Explorer. Run a scan. Open the and go to Protection ▸ Virus Scans.
Run your preferred scan:. Smart Scan: Click the Run Smart Scan button.
Full Virus Scan: Click the Full Virus Scan tile. Targeted Scan: Click the Targeted Scan tile, then select the file or folder you want to scan, and click OK. Boot-Time Scan: Click the Boot-Time Scan tile, then click Run On Next PC Reboot. Custom scans: Click the Custom scans tile, then click Scan Now on the panel for the scan you want to run. To run Explorer Scan, right-click a file or folder on your desktop or in File Explorer, then select Scan selected items for viruses in the menu that appears. Create a custom scan To create a custom scan:.
Open the and go to Protection ▸ Virus Scans. Click the Custom scans tile. Click Create A New Scan. Define the scan parameters. The following parameters are available:.
Scan name: type a name for your scan into the text box. Customize your scan. Scan type: select either Full Virus Scan or Targeted Scan depending on what you want your scan to check on your PC. Frequency: define how often your scan runs. Advanced settings. Sensitivity (Medium by default): the higher the sensitivity, the higher the protection and potential for false positive malware detection. Lower sentivity reduces the potential for false positive detections, but may reduce the effectiveness of the scan.
Scan for potentially unwanted programs (PUPs): enables Avast to scan for programs that are stealthily downloaded with other programs and typically perform unwanted activity. Follow links during scan: enables Avast to scan other files used by the files being scanned for potentially harmful content. Test whole files: enables Avast to scan entire files rather than only the parts typically affected by malicious code. Scan priority: use the drop-down menu to set your Scan priority (Medium priority by default). Scan areas. All Harddisks: enables Avast to scan all hard drives on your PC. System drive: the options in this section apply to data that is stored on physical devices such as hard drives and USB sticks.
All Removable media: enables Avast to scan applications that launch automatically when you insert a USB or other removable device into your PC. Scanning removable media may take a long time due to speed limitations. Rootkits: enables Avast to scan for hidden threats in the system. CD-ROM & DVD drives: enables Avast to scan CD and DVD drives for malicious content. Modules loaded in memory: enables Avast to scan applications and processes that launch after system startup or run in the background.
Packers and Archives. Scan most common used types: archive commonly used file types such as.zip,.rar, and other executable or installer archives. Scan all types of archives: the scan analyzes all archive files, which significantly increases the scan duration. Don't scan archives: disables Full Virus Scan from scanning archive files. File Types. Content based types (slow): scans files that are typically most vulnerable to malware attacks.
Name extension based types (fast): scans files with only risky extensions, such as.exe,.com,.bat. Scan all files (very slow): scans all files on your PC for malware. Perform automatic actions during this scan: tick this option to enable it, then define the automatic action Avast will perform when an infected file is found. Shut down computer after scan finishes: enables Avast to shut down your PC after your scan completes. Generate report file: enables Avast to create and store a report file automatically after the scan completes. Exceptions: click View exceptions, click Add Exception, then locate a file, folder, or web page that will not be scanned by your new custom scan.
Parameters for new Custom scans will save automatically and can be reconfigured at any time. To run a new Custom scan, go to Protection ▸ Virus Scans ▸ Custom scans, then click Scan Now next to the scan you want to run. Process scan results After a scan completes, Avast displays all found issues. You can resolve the issues directly on the results screen, or configure each Virus Scan to resolve issues automatically upon detection. Some detections may require a separate paid license to resolve.
Smart Scan To learn more about resolving found issues after Smart Scan completes, refer to the following article:. Other Virus Scans You can define how each scan automatically reacts to a found issue. Open the and go to ☰ Menu ▸ Settings. Click Protection in the left panel, and ensure Virus Scans is selected. Click the scan you want to define automatic behavior for. Scroll down, tick the box next to Perform automatic actions during this scan, then select which action you want Avast to perform when an issue is found.
The following actions are available:. Fix automatically: Avast attempts to repair the file. If unsuccessful, the file is moved to the Virus Chest. If that fails, Avast deletes the file. Move file to Virus Chest: Avast sends the file directly to the where the file cannot harm your system. Delete file: Avast permanently removes the file from your PC.
If you want Avast to do nothing when an infected file is found, untick the box next to Perform automatic actions during this scan (not recommended). To manage unresolved scan detections at any time, go to Protection ▸ Virus Scans ▸ Scan history. Special cases For incomplete scans, an error message indicating the reason the scan was unable to complete is visible on the scanning screen. Although there are many different reasons a scan may be unable to complete, some of the most common reasons are:. Archive is password protected: indicates that the file is password protected. Some programs use password protected archives to store their data even if you did not set the password. Depending on your scan settings, only the 'wrapper' file is scanned while the archive content is not.
Archive is corrupted: indicates that the file may be corrupt because it was only partially downloaded or saved to your harddisk, or that it is a special type of archive. The process cannot access the file because of another process: indicates that another process or program was accessing the file during the scan. The file is a decompression bomb: indicates that the file was too large to be decompressed for malware analysis. Decompression of large files generates vast amounts of data which can cause your system to be unstable or cause it to crash.
Files that are stored in archives cannot harm your system unless they are decompressed. Adjust scan settings Although customizable settings are available for some Virus Scans, we recommend you only modify settings for Custom scans. To configure scan settings:. Open the and go to Protection ▸ Virus Scans.
Click Settings (the gear icon) in the top-right corner of the Virus Scans screen. Select the scan you want to adjust settings for. Configure your preferred settings.
For more information about Virus Scan settings, refer to the following article:. Create and use Rescue Disk If you suspect your PC is infected with malware and all other Virus Scans (including the Boot-Time scan) were unable to resolve the issue, you can use Rescue Disk. Rescue Disk enables you to scan your PC when your system is not running. This method significantly increases your chances of detecting and removing malware because the malware is detected before it is able to counteract.
For more information about Rescue Disk, refer to the following article:. Review scan history To review scan history:. Open the and go to Protection ▸ Virus Scans.
Click Scan history. Hover your cursor over a scan panel, then click the down arrow to see the scan details. Click the red X in the top-left corner to return to the main Virus Scans screen.