Learn more about virus scans in Avast Antivirus

Avast Antivirus provides a range of scans to help protect your PC from viruses and malware. You can also create your own scan and specify the parameters.

The following types of scans are available in Avast Antivirus:

• Smart Scan: A comprehensive scan that detects malware, out-of-date software, browser add-ons with poor reputations, network threats, and performance issues. For more information about Smart Scan, refer to the following article: Run a Smart Scan in Avast Antivirus.
• 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 Boot-Time Scan during startup improves the chances of detecting and removing malware before it can attack your PC. For more information about Boot-Time Scan, refer to the following article: Run a Boot-Time Scan in Avast Antivirus.
• Custom scans: Scan your PC according to the parameters that you specified for your scan. For more information about Custom Scans, refer to the following article: Create a custom scan in Avast Antivirus.
• Explorer Scan: Scans specific files or folders directly from your desktop via File Explorer.

Virus scans are available in Avast Antivirus under Protection ▸ Virus Scans.

Further recommendations

For more information about virus scans, refer to the following articles:

• Scan your PC for viruses using Rescue Disk in Avast Antivirus
• Exclude certain files or websites from scanning in Avast Antivirus
• Adjusting settings for Avast Virus Scans
• Review scan history in Avast Antivirus