Anyone who has ever used an antivirus knows that it can be a bit annoying when a scan starts unexpectedly, as it can take a lot of time and slow down your computer while it’s running. Thankfully, there are a few antivirus tricks you can use to speed up virus scans.
Limit the scan to new files
One of the biggest reasons antivirus scans are so slow is that the default method for scans is to scan everything on the computer. This means that the more storage you have used and the more files you have on your computer, the longer the scan will take.
To speed up this process, you can limit the number of files the scan checks to only those that have been downloaded or changed since the last time you ran the scan. You can also select a set period if you want.
How you do this will vary depending on the antivirus you use; Some may require you to manually choose which folders/files to scan, while others will sort things out automatically.
Set the scan to run during downtime
If the problem is that the scan takes a lot of time and slows down your computer while you’re using it, a simple solution is to ensure the scan only runs when you’re not using it!
Most antivirus programs make this a simple process, however, it will vary according to different offerings. Windows Defender tries to do this by default, although if your computer is set to never go into sleep mode, this can cause problems.
If this is the case, you’ll need to use the Windows Task Scheduler tool to schedule a specific time for the scan to run, which is really useful to avoid busy work periods.
Check out real-time scanning options
Most antivirus programs use real-time scanning for added protection. This allows them to scan any file you download to check for malware. This option can be turned off by a simple toggle in the settings of any antivirus. Again, each antivirus is different, but it will be present in the settings.
Just keep in mind that if the antivirus is taking too long on these scans, this should probably be a last resort. Real-time scanning is your first and arguably best protection against malware, so disabling it should only be a temporary measure while you try to figure out why your computer is struggling so much with these scans, as it means either your RAM or CPU is being overtaxed by other processes.
Limit scans to specific drives
Instead of time-limited scans, you can also limit the files being scanned in another way: by scanning one drive at a time.
This is obviously beneficial for those with multiple hard drives or SSDs, as it gives you control over the scan and how long it will run. If you keep track of what you’re installing and what drive you’ve installed it on, you can scan that specific drive to see if anything suspicious shows up and if not, proceed. Or you can scan everything in stages and take breaks in between if you think it’s time for a scan but can’t spare the time for a full scan.
Try a different antivirus
If all else fails, the problem may be that your antivirus isn’t working properly. Try uninstalling it to see if Windows Defender works faster, or switch to a different commercial antivirus. Either way, if you don’t see any changes, you’ll know for sure that the antivirus probably isn’t the problem: your files are. Your drives might be so full that it might not be possible for the antivirus to scan them efficiently.