Skip to main content
Tech Radar Tech Radar TechRadar The source for Tech Buying Advice
Subscribe
RSS
Asia
flag of Singapore
Singapore
Europe
flag of Danmark
Danmark
flag of Suomi
Suomi
flag of Norge
Norge
flag of Sverige
Sverige
flag of UK
UK
flag of Italia
Italia
flag of Nederland
Nederland
flag of België (Nederlands)
België (Nederlands)
flag of France
France
flag of Deutschland
Deutschland
flag of España
España
North America
flag of US (English)
US (English)
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of México
México
Australasia
flag of Australia
Australia
flag of New Zealand
New Zealand
Technology Magazines
Technology Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • The best tech tutorials and in-depth reviews
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12.99
View
  • News
  • Best
  • Reviews
  • Opinion
  • How To
  • Deals
  • More
    • Versus
    • Appliances
    • Audiovisual
    • Cameras
    • Car Tech
    • Computing
    • Coupons
    • Downloads
    • Entertainment
    • Fitness
    • Laptops
    • Phones
    • Smart Home
    • Tablets
    • TVs
    • Wearables
    • About Us
Tech Radar Pro
Tech Radar Gaming
Trending
  • Memorial Day sales
  • iPhone 15
  • Google Pixel Fold
  • ChatGPT
  • Wordle hints
  • Best VPN

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  1. Home
  2. News
  3. Computing
Supported

What to do if your PC has a virus

By Carrie Marshall
published 16 June 2020

How it got there, how to get rid of it and how to stop the next one

In Association with

Norton VPN
(Image credit: Future)

If you're lucky, a computer virus is one of the most annoying things that can happen to your PC or Mac. And if you're unlucky, it's one of the most devastating. While some viruses are little more than a pain in the backside, others can seriously damage your most treasured data – data such as your photos or important personal documents.

The good news is that if your PC or Mac has one, you don't need to be really techy to get rid of it. And it's really easy to prevent your computer from getting infected again in the future.

Let's discover how you can tell your computer has a virus, and what to do about it.

How do viruses get into PCs?

Computer viruses typically spread in two different ways. The most common way is by getting people to open infected files. Those files could be sent via email, downloaded from websites or on removable storage such as a USB stick: if you open the file, the virus sneaks onto your PC or Mac.

Viruses can also be transmitted via insecure software, which is when a program isn't 100% safe from infection: some viruses are written specifically to target vulnerabilities in specific programs.

How to spot the symptoms of a PC virus

PC viruses are like real-world viruses: they attack your PC and prevent it from working properly. So the first sign of a PC virus may well be your computer doing unusual things. Are you suddenly seeing stacks of pop-up adverts? When you try to search the internet, do you get weird results? Are you locked out of your computer altogether with a message demanding money?

These are all what computer experts call 'malware', which is short for malicious software. Each one is a slightly different kind, so the one that blasts you with adverts is called adware, the weird search results are the result of what's called browser hijacking and the locked computer is called ransomware.

In the case of ransomware, never, ever pay the ransom or even worse, give the criminals your card details or bank details: they probably won't unlock your PC but they'll definitely make off with your money.

Although many viruses are obvious, some of them aren't. Some of them are only obvious to other people. For example, if you get messages from friends, family or colleagues asking why you're sending them weird stuff, that's often a sign that a virus on your computer is sending out infected emails to try and spread to everybody in your contacts book.

The good news is that all of these problems are easy to fix.

How to remove a PC virus from your computer

best antivirus software

(Image credit: TechRadar)

To get rid of a virus, you need to do two things. First of all, you need get hold of some digital disinfectant. We use the term 'antivirus software' to cover all kinds of virus killers; the very best antivirus software can find and destroy all kinds of malicious software, from adware to ransomware.

Different suites will suit different people, but our top recommendations are Bitdefender AntiVirus, Norton AntiVirus and Kaspersky AntiVirus: we think these are the smartest, safest and most straightforward solutions for most people.

Once you've got it, update it immediately. The antivirus software will usually do this automatically, but it's a good idea to use its "Check for Updates" option to be on the safe side. 

New forms of malicious software are found every day, and the best antivirus apps are constantly updated so that they can destroy even the most recent viruses.

The second thing to do is to isolate the virus so it can't do any more damage. To do that, you can put your PC into something called 'Safe Mode'. 

This is a feature of Windows that runs with the absolute minimum of features. That means there are fewer opportunities for the virus to do anything or to spread to other computers.

  • How to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode

Once you're in safe mode, run your antivirus software and put the kettle on: no matter how fast your PC, scanning everything on it can take a little while. Your antivirus software will identify any infected files and clean them if it can; if they're beyond repair, it will quarantine them so they can be safely deleted without re-infecting your PC.

In some cases you can also use Windows' System Restore to roll files back to their pre-infection state.

How to stop viruses getting onto your PC

The last thing you want is another infection, so it's important to practice the internet equivalent of social distancing: never open files you haven't specifically requested and never download files from places you don't 100% trust.

We'd strongly recommend good antivirus software no matter how careful you are. Many of the best antivirus software suites will automatically scan incoming emails, files you download and USB devices you connect – but they'll also protect you in other ways too.

For example Norton AntiVirus has anti-ransomware protection and virtual private networking (VPN) to prevent people from intercepting your data when you're using public Wi-Fi, and it has parental controls so you can ensure the kids browse safely too.

Not every virus is obvious and not every virus spreads in ways you can anticipate, and new viruses are discovered every day. Good antivirus knows about them too.

It's also very important to keep your copy of Windows and your other apps up to date. In most cases that should happen automatically via Windows Update and your apps' own automatic checking for updates, but not all apps do it for you so make sure you click those "check for updates" buttons.

We'd also recommend two other very important things. One, make sure you backup anything important. Viruses aren't the only threat to your important files: hardware can fail, laptops can be stolen and accidents can happen. If it matters to you, make sure you have backups of it.

And two, never use the same username and password twice. It's tempting, we know, but if you do and malicious software manages to intercept your password for site A, it can then try those details on site B, and site C, and site D, and site E, and… If the thought of trying to remember different, complicated passwords for lots of different sites sounds terrifying, look for an antivirus suite that also includes a password manager. 

That'll create really strong passwords for you, and it'll remember them when you need to use them.

TechRadar created this content as part of a paid partnership with Norton Antivirus. The contents of this article are entirely independent and solely reflect the editorial opinion of Techradar.

TechRadar Newsletter

Sign up to receive daily breaking news, reviews, opinion, analysis, deals and more from the world of tech.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
Carrie Marshall
Carrie Marshall
Social Links Navigation
Contributor

Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall (Twitter) has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock band HAVR.

See more Security software news
More about computing
Acer Nitro 5 and Aspire 5 laptops on green background with big savings text overlay

Acer Memorial Day sale now live - see the 4 best laptop deals starting at just $299

An Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Ti

The RTX 4060 Ti looks like a flop – these are the lessons should Nvidia learn

Latest
A Supporter waves flags during a rally in support of Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman and Presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu in Kocaeli, on April 28, 2023.

Turkey elections: will the internet withstand the final round?

See more latest ►
Most Popular
Logitech's new docking hub looks to take the pain out of hot desking

By Craig HaleMay 26, 2023

This Microsoft Teams update could turn your meeting into a complete mess

By Mike MooreMay 26, 2023

Google Chrome's new customization tools make the browser a lot more fun

By Mark WilsonMay 26, 2023

Exclusive: This 2TB memory stick is the biggest ever, costs only $190 and delivers SSD-like performance

By Desire AthowMay 26, 2023

ChatGPT could be a security nightmare waiting to happen

By Muskaan SaxenaMay 26, 2023

LG's new portable 4K projector boasts double the brightness of the Samsung Freestyle

By Henry St LegerMay 26, 2023

Windows 11 Moment 3 update is packed with cool features – here are 5

By Muskaan SaxenaMay 26, 2023

Twitter has a new API for start-ups - but it doesn't come cheap

By Craig HaleMay 26, 2023

Don’t panic: there’s a reason your iPhone’s battery is draining faster than usual

By Axel MetzMay 26, 2023

Amazon dunking on Netflix's password rules takes us back to PlayStation vs Xbox One

By Henry St LegerMay 26, 2023

Google Pixel Fold shortages show it could be this year’s hottest foldable

By James RogersonMay 26, 2023

  1. A screen shot of the Live TV tab on Android TV
    1
    Android TVs are getting 800 free channels in a great free update
  2. 2
    Windows 11 is so broken that even Microsoft can’t fix it
  3. 3
    Microsoft is finally introducing the feature that’ll make me upgrade to Windows 11
  4. 4
    The Blu-ray test disc I use to fix the picture on 4K TVs just got bigger and better
  5. 5
    The first DJI Air 3 leaks show it could be the new drone sweet spot
  1. Poster for Silo on Apple TV Plus
    1
    Apple TV Plus is now a sci-fi TV show utopia – here are 4 series you need to watch
  2. 2
    These 5 hidden iOS tricks will help you navigate your iPhone faster
  3. 3
    Microsoft is finally introducing the feature that’ll make me upgrade to Windows 11
  4. 4
    Netflix announces all its summer 2023 movies – here are 4 you shouldn't miss
  5. 5
    iOS 16.5 will protect your iPhone against a worrying lock screen loophole
Technology Magazines
  • ●
Technology Magazines
  • The best tech tutorials and in-depth reviews
From$12.99
View

Other versions of this page are available with specific content for the following regions:

  • Italia

TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Web notifications
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.