Microsoft malacious software

The tool removes malicious software from an already-infected computer. Antivirus products block malicious software from running on a computer. It is significantly more desirable to block malicious software from running on a computer than to remove it after infection. The tool removes only specific prevalent malicious software.

Specific prevalent malicious software is a small subset of all the malicious software that exists today. The tool focuses on the detection and removal of active malicious software. Active malicious software is malicious software that is currently running on the computer. The tool cannot remove malicious software that is not running.

However, an antivirus product can perform this task. Note The MSRT focuses on the detection and removal of malicious software such as viruses, worms, and Trojan horses only. It does not remove spyware. You do not have to disable or remove your antivirus program when you install the MSRT. However, if prevalent, malicious software has infected your computer, the antivirus program may detect this malicious software and may prevent the removal tool from removing it when the removal tool runs.

In this case, you can use your antivirus program to remove the malicious software. Because the MSRT does not contain a virus or a worm, the removal tool alone should not trigger your antivirus program.

However, if malicious software infected the computer before you installed an up-to-date antivirus program, your antivirus program may not detect this malicious software until the tool tries to remove it. Turning on Automatic Updates guarantees that you receive the tool automatically. If you have Automatic Updates turned on, you have already been receiving new versions of this tool. The tool runs in Quiet mode unless it finds an infection.

If you have not been notified of an infection, no malicious software has been found that requires your attention. To turn on Automatic Updates yourself, follow the steps in the following table for the operating system that your computer is running.

If you want to check for updates manually, select Check for updates. Select Advanced options , and then under Choose how updates are installed , select Automatic recommended. Note Windows 10 is a service. This means that automatic updates are turned on by default and your PC always has the latest and best features. If you want to check for updates manually, select Check now. Select Choose how updates get installed , and then under Important updates , select Install updates automatically recommended.

Under Recommended updates , select the Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates check box. Under Microsoft Update , select the Give me updates for other Microsoft products when I update Windows check box, and then select Apply. Under Recommended updates , click to select the Give me recommended updates the same way I receive important updates check box, and then click OK.

If you are prompted for an administrative password or for confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation. Go to step 3. Download the MSRT. You must accept the Microsoft Software License Terms. The license terms are only displayed for the first time that you access Automatic Updates. Note After you accept the one-time license terms, you can receive future versions of the MSRT without being logged on to the computer as an administrator. If it detects malicious software on your computer, the next time that you log on to your computer as a computer administrator, a balloon appears in the notification area to make you aware of the detection.

If the tool finds malicious software, you may be prompted to perform a full scan. We recommend that you perform this scan. A full scan performs a quick scan and then a full scan of the computer, regardless of whether malicious software is found during the quick scan.

This scan can take several hours to complete because it will scan all fixed and removable drives. However, mapped network drives are not scanned.

If malicious software has modified infected files on your computer, the tool prompts you to remove the malicious software from those files. If the malicious software modified your browser settings, your homepage may be changed automatically to a page that gives you directions on how to restore these settings. You can clean specific files or all the infected files that the tool finds. Be aware that some data loss is possible during this process.

Also, be aware that the tool may be unable to restore some files to the original, pre-infection state. The removal tool may request that you restart your computer to complete the removal of some malicious software, or it may prompt you to perform manual steps to complete the removal of the malicious software. To complete the removal, you should use an up-to-date antivirus product. Reporting infection information to Microsoft The MSRT sends basic information to Microsoft if the tool detects malicious software or finds an error.

This information will be used for tracking virus prevalence. No identifiable personal information that is related to you or to the computer is sent together with this report. The MSRT does not use an installer. Typically, when you run the MSRT, it creates a randomly named temporary directory on the root drive of the computer. This directory contains several files, and it includes the Mrtstub.

Most of the time, this folder is automatically deleted after the tool finishes running or after the next time that you start the computer. However, this folder may not always be automatically deleted.

In these cases, you can manually delete this folder, and this has no adverse effect on the computer. Help protect your computer that is running Windows from viruses and malware: Virus Solution and Security Center. Help installing updates: Support for Microsoft Update. Local support according to your country: International Support. The following files are available for download from the Microsoft Download Center: For bit xbased systems:.

Download the x86 MSRT package now. Download the x64 MSRT package now. For more information about how to download Microsoft support files, see How to obtain Microsoft support files from online services. Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help prevent any unauthorized changes to the file. If you are an IT administrator who wants more information about how to deploy the tool in an enterprise environment, see Deploy Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool in an enterprise environment.

Except where noted, the information in this section applies to all the ways that you can download and run the MSRT:. You must log on to the computer by using an account that is a member of the Administrators group. If you would like to run this tool more than once a month, use the version on this Web page or install the version that is available in the Download Center. Because computers can appear to function normally when infected, Microsoft advises you to run this tool even if your computer seems to be fine.

You should also use up-to-date antivirus software to help protect your computer from other malicious software. You can also perform an online scan of your computer using the Windows Live OneCare safety scanner.

Download Certified Similar to 3. Windows bit Windows bit. Last updated:. January 11, Windows Security is a powerful scanning tool that finds and removes malware from your PC. Here's how to use it in Windows 10 to scan your PC. Use this tool to List of anti- malware product removal tools Technical Level: Basic Summary This document is intended for assisting those using Microsoft Security Essentials Microsoft Defender Offline is an anti-malware tool that helps remove difficult to eliminate viruses that start before Windows starts.

Starting with Windows 10, However, in spite of the installation instructions, that follow Microsoft Safety Scanner is a scan tool designed to find and remove malware from Windows computers.