How long does a virus scan take?

How long a virus scan takes depends on several factors. We will show you how long the virus scan takes on your computer.

Windows: How long does a virus scan take?

Unfortunately, it is not possible to give an exact information about the length of a virus scan. Depending on the computer and other influences, the scan can take 5 minutes or 5 hours.

• The most important factor that determines the duration of the scan is the amount of files that are checked. If you perform a complete scan, many files are often checked. Has accumulated a lot over the years, 1, 000, 000 scanned files are not uncommon.
• The speed of your computer is just as important as the amount of files. For example, if you have a fast SSD card, the scan is done in a few minutes. If you run a virus scan, you should stop using the computer. The more resources the virus scan receives, the faster it will end.
• A scan process can freeze or hang. So keep an eye on the progress of the scan. If nothing happens within an hour, the scan may have hung up.
• There are also differences between the individual virus scanners and the anti-virus system. If you feel that your scan is taking too long, try another program. You can get a relatively quick and extensive check with the free scanner Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.

In the next practical tip, we will show you how to check individual files online for viruses.