How to Schedule a Scan with Avast Antivirus on Windows

Edited 1 week ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team

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In today's digital age, it is very important to ensure that your computer is free from viruses and malware. Avast Antivirus is a reliable tool that helps protect your computer from such threats. One of the most effective ways to keep your system safe is to schedule regular scans. This way, you can ensure that the antivirus automatically checks your system at regular intervals without the need for manual initiation each time. In this guide, we will walk you through the steps required to schedule a scan using Avast Antivirus on the Windows operating system. Our aim is to simplify these steps to ensure that users of all experience levels can easily follow them.

Why schedule a scan?

Scheduling scans is highly beneficial for several reasons. First, it automates the process and saves you the hassle of remembering to run scans manually. Regular scans help catch potential threats before they harm your system, which is crucial for maintaining your computer's integrity and performance. Additionally, scheduling scans for times when you're not using your computer - such as late at night or early in the morning - ensures that they don't interfere with your daily activities.

Let's see how we can protect your computer with minimal effort using Avast's powerful scheduling tools.

Installing Avast Antivirus

Before scheduling a scan, let's make sure that Avast Antivirus is properly installed on your Windows system. If you haven't installed it yet, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Avast website and download the installer of Avast Free Antivirus or you can also download the paid version if you prefer.
2. Open the downloaded installer file. You may need to grant permissions for the file to run.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process. Customize the installation as needed, although the default settings are suitable for most users.

Open Avast Antivirus

Once Avast is installed, you can open it from the Start menu or the system tray on the taskbar, where the Avast icon resides.

Accessing the Scan Scheduler

Here are the detailed steps to access scanning and set up a schedule using Avast:

1. Open Avast:

   Find the Avast Antivirus icon in the bottom-right corner of your screen in the system tray. Right-click on the icon and select 'Open Avast user interface' from the context menu. Alternatively, you can search for 'Avast' in the Start menu and click on the application when it appears.

2. Go to the Security menu:

   Once the Avast interface opens, take a look at the left-hand sidebar. Click on 'Protection' to expand its menu options.

3. Select antivirus:

   Under the Protection section, click on 'Virus Scan'. This area allows you to initiate different types of scans. While immediate scans can be initiated here, we want to schedule them for future execution.

4. Go to the Scan Scheduling section:

   In the Virus Scan area, find the 'Schedule Scan' option and click on it. This will open the scan scheduling interface.

Configuring scheduled scans

In the scan scheduling interface, you will have several options to configure how and when your scan should be performed. Let's break down each part:

1. Selecting the scan type

Avast offers several scan options depending on your needs:

• Quick scan:

  Scans common areas most likely to contain malware, such as system files and startup items.

• Full system scan:

  Checks every file on your hard drive and all connected storage devices. This is a thorough check but takes the longest.

• Boot-time scan:

  Runs a scan before the system is fully booted, allowing malware to be prevented and removed before Windows even loads.

• Custom scan:

  It allows you to specify particular folders or file types to scan, which can be useful for targeting specific areas you suspect may be infected.

To schedule a scan, choose one of the options based on your needs. For routine checks, a 'Quick scan' is usually sufficient; however, a 'Full system scan' may be better if a more comprehensive check is needed.

2. Setting the frequency

Determine how often you want scans to occur. Avast offers several options for scan frequency, including:

• Daily:

  This option allows the scan to run daily at a time you specify, ensuring regular checks.

• Weekly:

  If daily scans seem like too much for you, weekly scans may be enough for routine maintenance. You can choose which day of the week you want to have the scan.

• Monthly:

  For systems with low exposure to potential threats, a monthly scan may be sufficient.

Choose the frequency that best suits your security and resource management needs. More frequent scans provide better protection, but may consume a lot of system resources.

3. Select the time

Once the frequency is set, decide on a specific time you want the scan to begin. It's best to choose a time when your computer is on but not being used heavily:

• For daily users, late evening or early morning timings may be ideal.
• Make sure your computer is on during the scheduled time and is not in sleep mode.

Finalizing the program

After you've completed all the configuration steps, review your settings. Most scheduling interfaces will have a summary page or step that lets you confirm your configured options. Once confirmed, save or apply the schedule to activate it. Avast will now automatically run scans according to the schedule you configured, without requiring any additional input from you, assuming your computer is on and Avast is running at the scheduled time.

Managing and editing scheduled scans

To make changes to a scheduled scan, return to the 'Schedule scan' area where you can adjust all the settings as needed. Schedule flexibility allows you to change the timing based on changing needs or the impact it may have on system performance.

Cancel a scheduled scan

If you ever need to cancel a scheduled scan altogether:

1. Revisit the Scheduled scan settings.
2. Look for the option to delete or cancel an existing schedule.

Deleting a schedule will undo that particular scan job, freeing up the system, which may have become overburdened due to its execution.

Conclusion

Scheduling a scan with Avast Antivirus involves straightforward steps and regularly detects viruses and threats on your computer. Regularly created schedules balance the need for system security with the demands of performance. By following the steps in this guide, you can ensure that Avast works optimally to keep your Windows computer safe and secure.

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