How to use the Surfshark Antivirus on Windows?

Introduction

In this article, you will learn how to use the Surfshark Antivirus on your Windows device.

Before you start

Make sure you have Surfshark VPN for Windows and an active Surfshark One subscription, which includes the Antivirus. You can purchase it on our pricing page. You will also need Windows 10 or newer and 2GB of free disk space.

Here's what to do

1. Open the Surfshark application and select the Antivirus tab.
   
   
   
   
2. Press on Install Antivirus.
   
   
   
   
3. Windows will ask if you want to allow Surfshark to make changes to your device. Press "Yes." Otherwise, you cannot install the Surfshark Antivirus, as it needs correct permissions to secure your device.
4. Once the installation is complete, you can start your first scan. To do so, press Continue.
   
   
   
   
5. Once the initial scan is complete, you will see the number of files scanned and the overall duration of the scan. You will also know if the Surfshark Antivirus finds any threats on your device. 
   
   
   
   
6. After the initial scan, you'll find yourself in the main dashboard of the Surfshark Antivirus.
   
   
   
   

Additional features

Settings

If you click the cogwheel on the top right, you will find the antivirus settings:

• In the "Automatic Protections" section, you can turn on or off the Surfshark Antivirus and schedule automatic scan times.
• In the "Customize" section, you can configure these settings:
  
  
  • Exclusion list - Choose what files or folders you want to scan. If you have a file or folder that you don't want scanned, add it to the exclude list.
    
  • External storage scans – This feature allows the Surfshark Antivirus to scan any external devices (such as USBs) that you plug into your Windows device. 
    
  • Virus database auto-update - This setting controls how often the Surfshark virus database updates. The lower the number, the more up-to-date the database is and the safer you will be.
  • Quarantine auto-delete - With this option enabled, quarantined files (in other words, harmful files) will be automatically deleted after 60 days.

Extra tools

When you click the "Extra tools" button, you can configure the Surfshark Webcam protection and the Email scam checker.



Manual scans

Pressing the "Manual scans" button will allow you to change your schedule and configure the exact scan you want.

• Full scan – scans the whole system and all files on all your drives.
  
• Quick scan - scans the user's device's most vulnerable areas (such as the temp folder, downloads, etc.).
  
• Scheduled scans – schedule an automatic Full or Quick scan for certain days at a specific time.
  
• Custom scan - This scan allows you to scan a specific file, even from an external source, such as a USB or hard drive.
  
  
  
  

Quarantine

In this menu, you will see applications that have been identified as possibly malicious and are in the quarantine zone. You can delete them from here, or if you believe they are misidentified, you can restore them and exclude them from future scans.

NOTE: If the Surfshark Antivirus finds any threats on your device, we recommend immediately removing the files containing threats to secure your device. You can do that directly through the Surfshark app.

Repair Antivirus

If you are experiencing issues with the Surfshark Antivirus, you may repair it in the Surfshark app settings. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Click Settings:
   
   
   
   
2. Open Get help:
   
   
   
   
3. Click Repair Antivirus:
   
   
   
   
4. Click Repair:
   
   
   
   
5. Wait for the repair to complete:
   
   
   
   

Once the repair tool is finished, your Surfshark Antivirus will be ready for use.

You may also be interested in:

• How to use the Surfshark Antivirus  
• How to use the Surfshark Antivirus on Android
• How to use the webcam protection feature on Windows