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Review of Avast Free Antivirus for Mac
Built into Windows 8/8.1/10 and available in Windows Vista/7 as Microsoft Security Essentials, Windows Defender can run different types of scans, such as a quick scan, a full scan, a custom scan (for checking specific files and folders), and an offline scan (deep malware scan that runs before the Windows can fully load up).
Avast is one of the most popular free antivirus programs, and they have a version for Mac OS X. Avast Free Antivirus for Mac offers most of the same features, is free to download, doesn’t include advertisements, and is generally unobtrusive. But, how well does it work? We’re reviewing Avast Free for Mac to find out.
What Is It?
Avast Free Antivirus for Mac is a free antivirus program with a virus scanner, firewall, and various features that you can turn off or on. The program is free, but will request payment for some features, which means that you can’t expect everything in the features section to be free.
Features
I installed Avast on an HP Laptop, ran the scan and it found a few things and suggested I run the boot time scan and restart. I did but now it reboots to a black screen and nothing shows as if were working and you can cancel the scan. Whilst I do not appear to have the symtpoms of a virus, both Malware Bytes & Avast AV cannot complete a scan. Avast gets to the same% through and freezes, while Malware Bytes stops at the exact time each time I try it. Get Avast Driver Updater to fix and update drivers automatically – for less freezing and fewer crashes. In order to view this page correctly, you must have a JavaScript-enabled browser and have JavaScript turned on. Pc Freezes Using Avast The Full Facts About Windows Xp Registry. Once an individual might be seated ahead of of a slow-running computer, a virus is funds first thing that you blame goods. Pc Freezes Using Avast After the scan, you'll be prompted to repair the errors. At this stage, you need to judge whether your computer problems.
Avast Free Antivirus for Mac offers numerous, configurable features. The free features include an antivirus scanner, a firewall, reports, and that’s it.
Scan – Avast offers a free antivirus scanner that you can use to scan files, folders, hard drives, and your computer. This is actually a very versatile scan because you can use it to scan your full system, removable volumes, custom files, folders, or drives, or your network. This makes it extremely useful for finding network based viruses which are on another computer and spreading to your own. Interestingly, the network scan will also tell you every device currently on your network. If you find a virus on your computer, you can also upload it to Avast’s online database.
What’s the catch? The full system scan isn’t as accurate as some of it’s competitors, and it can take a very long time to do a full scan, even when you don’t have much on your computer.
Shield – Shield (Not S.H.I.E.L.D.) is Avast’s firewall and it works to protect you from the web, files, and email infections. The firewall is passive, meaning that you don’t have to run it, doesn’t require a great deal of system resources, which makes it a great choice.
Virus Chest – The Virus Chest is simply your system quarantine
Reports – You can see an up-to-date log of all system scans, infected files, etc.
Configuration
One of the best things about Avast is that it is highly configurable, and you can update everything from the notificaitions to the Firewall. Use what you want, and nothing else. Under ‘Preferences’ you can find a number of configuration options. For example, you can disable any one of the firewall settings. You can also change popups or even turn them off, set your updates to how you want them, and even remove the Avast Icon from your toolbar.
Extras
Avast Free for Mac includes what is essentially an advertisement for Avast’s premium software. You have a “tools” section which includes a VPN and Avast Online Security. You will have to pay in order to use these features. You will also occasionally see popups or reminders about these features. However, if you do want them, they work well.
Review of Avast Free Antivirus for Mac
Avast Free Antivirus for Mac has a lot to offer for those who want a low-system impact, don’t necessarily need maximum quality protection, and who want customization. The program is slow for full scans, but you will rarely need a full scan, which means that this doesn’t impact the program too much. However, Avast doesn’t detect as many viruses as other programs like AVG or Bitdefender, which means you will be sacrificing some quality. That aside, Macs aren’t a huge target for viruses anyway, so you’re likely still safe without maximum protection.
Should you get it? If you’re worried, AVG still makes a better option, but Avast is well worth trying out. If you’re looking for customization and light system impact, it could be the way to go. To help you decide before you buy it, we recommend that you try the trial version of Avast. It’s good for 30 days which should be long enough to feel it out. Let us know what you think of it if you have it or you try it!
Avast Free for Mac works well, offers a lot of features for a free antivirus, is highly configurable, and has a very light system impact.
The antivirus scanner isn't as good as some free competitors, takes some time to perform a full system scan, and offers features that aren't available unless you upgrade to the premium version.
Avast Antivirus includes a range of Virus Scans to protect your PC against malware. While customizable settings are available for some scans, we recommend you only modify settings for temporary troubleshooting purposes. Refer to the instructions in this article to adjust scan settings for the following Virus Scans:
- Full Virus Scan: performs an in-depth scan of your system, checking all hard drives, rootkits, and auto-start programs.
- Targeted Scan: scans files or folders, similar to a Targeted Scan, but is only available from the Windows context menu when you right-click a selected file or folder in File Explorer or on your Desktop.
- Explorer Scan: performans a scan of folders or drives that you specify. This scan is only available in the Windows context menu.
- Boot-Time Scan: performs a scan of your PC for malware that is hard to reach after startup.
Open the Virus Scans settings screen
- Open the Avast Antivirus user interface.
- Go to
☰
Menu ▸ Settings. - Select Protection ▸ Virus Scans.
Refer to the sections below for instructions to configure different aspects of scan behavior:
Scan sensitivity
You can determine the sensitivity of the scan by adjusting the scan sensitivity settings. The higher the sensitivity, the higher the protection and potential for false positive malware detections. Reducing the sensitivity reduces the chance of false positive detections, but may also reduce the effectiveness of the scans. Scan sensitivity is set to Medium sensitivity by default, but can be adjusted to High sensitivity or Low sensitivity. Scan sensitivity is customizable for Full Virus Scan, Targeted Scan, and Boot-Time Scan.
- Click and hold the white marker, then slide it to your desired sensitivity setting.
- Tick the box next to the following settings to increase sensitivity:
- 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 (very slow for big files): enables Avast to scan entire files rather than only the parts typically affected by malicious code.
- Use the drop-down menu to set your Scan priority (High priority by default).
- Click and hold the white marker, then slide it to your desired sensitivity setting.
- Tick the box next to the following settings to increase sensitivity:
- 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 (very slow for big files): enables Avast to scan entire files rather than only the parts typically affected by malicious code.
- Use the drop-down menu to set your Scan priority (Medium priority by default).
- Click and hold the white marker, then slide it to your desired sensitivity setting.
- Ensure the boxes next to the following settings are ticked to increase sensitivity:
- 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 (very slow for big files): enables Avast to scan entire files rather than only the parts typically affected by malicious code.
- Use the drop-down menu to set your Scan priority (High priority by default).
- Click and hold the white marker, then slide it to your desired sensitivity setting.
- Tick the box next to the following settings to increase sensitivity:
- Scan for potentially unwanted programs (PUPs): enables Avast to scan for programs that are stealthily downloaded with other programs and typically perform unwanted activity.
- Unpack archive files
Scan areas
In this section you can determine the areas that are scanned on your PC. The Scan areas settings are only available for Full Virus Scan and Boot-Time Scan.
Select or tick the box next to the following scan areas to include them in the scan:
- 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. Scans of removable media, such as DVDs, 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.
Select or tick the box next to the following scan areas to include them in the scan:
- 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.
- Auto start programs: enables Avast to check all auto-start programs.
- Perform automatic actions during this scan: enable this option and define the automatic action when an infected file is found:
- Fix automatically: enables Avast to repair the infected file. If repair is not possible, the file is moved to the Virus Chest, and if that fails the file is deleted.
- Move file to Virus Chest: the infected file will not be repaired automatically, but will be moved to the Virus Chest.
- Delete file: Avast will not try to repair the infected file or move it to the Virus Chest, instead the file will be deleted automatically.
Packers and Archives
In the Packers and Archives section you can specify the compressed file types that you want Avast to unpack during the scan. These settings are available for Full Virus Scan, Targeted Scan, and Explorer Scan.
Select the file types you want included in the scan:
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- 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.
Select the file types you want included in the scan:
- 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 Targeted Scan from scanning archive files.
Select the file types you want included in the scan:
- 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 Explorer Scan from scanning archive files.
File Types
Specify the file types that are prioritized when scanning your PC for malware. These settings are available for Full Virus Scan, Targeted Scan, and Explorer Scan.
Avast For Mac Freezes During Full Scandal Episodes
Select or tick the box next to the following file types to prioritize them in the scan:
- 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: enable this option and define the automatic action when an infected file is found:
- Fix automatically: enables Avast to repair the infected file. If repair is not possible, the file is moved to the Virus Chest, and if that fails the file is deleted.
- Move file to Virus Chest: the infected file will not be repaired automatically, but will be moved to the Virus Chest.
- Delete file: Avast will not try to repair the infected file or move it to the Virus Chest, instead the file will be deleted automatically.
- Shut down computer after scan finishes: enables Avast to shut down your computer after the Full Virus Scan completes.
- General report file: enables Avast to create and store a report file automatically.
Select or tick the box next to the following file types to prioritize them in the scan:
- 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: enable this option and define the automatic action when an infected file is found:
- Fix automatically: enables Avast to repair the infected file. If repair is not possible, the file is moved to the Virus Chest, and if that fails the file is deleted.
- Move file to Virus Chest: the infected file will not be repaired automatically, but will be moved to the Virus Chest.
- Delete file: Avast will not try to repair the infected file or move it to the Virus Chest, instead the file will be deleted automatically.
- Shut down computer after scan finishes: enables Avast to shut down your computer after the Targeted Scan completes.
- General report file: enables Avast to create and store a report file automatically.
Mcafee Freezes During Full Scan
Select or tick the box next to the following file types to prioritize them in the scan:
- 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: enable this option and define the automatic action when an infected file is found:
- Fix automatically: enables Avast to repair the infected file. If repair is not possible, the file is moved to the Virus Chest, and if that fails the file is deleted.
- Move file to Virus Chest: the infected file will not be repaired automatically, but will be moved to the Virus Chest.
- Delete file: Avast will not try to repair the infected file or move it to the Virus Chest, instead the file will be deleted automatically.
- Shut down computer after scan finishes: enables Avast to shut down your computer after the Explorer Scan completes.
- General report file: enables Avast to create and store a report file automatically.
Exceptions
Although it is not recommended to exclude any files or folders from a scan, you can define certain exceptions to temporarily exclude particular files or folders from a Full Virus Scan or Targeted Scan for troubleshooting purposes.
To exclude a file from scanning:
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- Click View exceptions.
- On the Exceptions settings screen, click the Add Exception button.
- Type the specific file path or web address and click Add Exception.
- Optionally, click Browse, tick the box next to a file or folder you want to add to your exceptions, and click OK.
To exclude a file from scanning:
- Click View exceptions.
- On the Exceptions settings screen, click the Add Exception button.
- Type the specific file path or web address and click Add Exception.
- Optionally, click Browse, tick the box next to a file or folder you want to add to your exceptions, and click OK.
- Avast Premium Security 19.x
- Avast Free Antivirus 19.x
- Avast Omni 1.x
- Avast Premier 19.x
- Avast Internet Security 19.x
- Avast Pro Antivirus 19.x
- Microsoft Windows 10 Home / Pro / Enterprise / Education - 32 / 64-bit
- Microsoft Windows 8.1 / Pro / Enterprise - 32 / 64-bit
- Microsoft Windows 8 / Pro / Enterprise - 32 / 64-bit
- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Basic / Home Premium / Professional / Enterprise / Ultimate - Service Pack 1, 32 / 64-bit