5 Best Free Online Virus Scanners for 2020

People are always surfing and downloading files from different sites on the internet - music, movies, software, apps, and many more. These files may contain malware that can harm your computer, corrupt your files or steal important information. Therefore, it’s always good to have the best antivirus software on your PC. However, if you don’t have antivirus software installed in your system, you can turn to free online virus scanners to scan your files.

There are lots of online tools on the web that allow users to scan files, folders or the whole system. Unfortunately, not all of them are effective in detecting the viruses. Therefore, we have identified the top five best free online virus scanners that are most effective in detecting all kinds of threats.

ESET Online Scanner

1. ESET is a leading IT security company
2. Provides one of the best free online checking solutions, the ESET Online Scanner
3. The ESET Online Scanner works on most web browsers including Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer, Opera, and Safari
4. However, the online scanner only runs in Internet Explorer
5. For the other web browsers, users have to download and run a standalone Windows app called ESET Smart Installer
6. ESET Smart Installer allows you to scan local drives, removable media, network drives, and the operating memory
7. Before performing a scan, ESET automatically downloads the latest signatures, meaning that scanning and analysis are performed locally on your computer
8. ESET also allows you to customize the scan such as scan for potentially unsafe or unwanted applications, scan archives, as well as selecting the location to scan
9. Unlike Bitdefender QuickScan, ESET Online Scanner can automatically clean the threats found

VirusTotal

1. VirusTotal is an online virus scanning solution
2. Users can upload a specific file to have it scanned by different antivirus engines
3. It supports both RAR and ZIP files
4. Users can upload files up to 256 MB in size
5. Users can also enter a website URL for the scanner to scan a web page
6. VirusTotal has extensions for various browsers, including Chrome, Internet Explorer and Firefox
7. Therefore, you can check for viruses on websites before downloading any files from the sites

F-Secure Online Scanner

1. F-Secure is a renowned global security software company
2. It offers an online scanner called F-Secure Online Scanner, which scans and removes the latest malware from your PC
3. F-Secure Online Scanner is a standalone program which you need to download and run on your PC
4. It is a reliable online scanner and one of the fastest you’ll find
5. It uses the ActiveX objects and has the ability to detect and clean Trojans and viruses
6. It uses the Java platform and can run in any browser as long as you have installed Java on your PC and enabled JavaScript
7. Before running any scan, F-Secure Online Scanner downloads the latest signature files hence you can be sure that it will detect even the new threats
8. Unfortunately, everything is automated, and you can’t customize anything
9. Once it finds infected files, it asks you to restart your PC so it can clean the files
10. You can also view all the details on the infected files, including the malware found and the location of the files

Panda Cloud Cleaner

1. Panda Cloud Cleaner is an online scanning tool offered by Panda Security
2. Panda is a reputable name in the IT security industry, and its online scanner is also remarkable
3. To scan your system, you’ll need to download and install it on your PC
4. The program is very effective in detecting and removing all kinds of malware and viruses from your PC
5. Just like other great scanners, the program automatically downloads the latest signatures
6. It allows you to run a quick scan, a custom scan, or a full scan
7. Once it completes a scan, Panda Cloud Cleaner gives you reports about the malware found, potentially unwanted programs, unknown files, and elements that need to be cleaned

Kaspersky Opentip

1. Kaspersky is a very well-rated and tested antivirus brand
2. Opentip is Kaspersky’s latest threat intelligence portal that allows users to upload a specific file up to 256 MB and have it analyzed
3. It gives detailed information about how suspicious the file could be and in which specific aspects
4. All executable files(.exe) are run in their patented cloud sandbox with results available in just a few minutes
5. You can also check on URLs and be assured before downloading any files

The five online virus scanning tools discussed above are all very effective and easy to use. Some are standalone programs that require you to download and install on your PC while others allow you to upload individual files for analysis. Some scan and give results only while others can scan and remove the threats found. Nevertheless, any of them will help you keep your computer safe.

Note that online virus scanners do not offer real-time protection hence should never be considered as a substitute for an installed antivirus protection.