How to Schedule Scans in Malwarebytes on Windows

Edited 1 week ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team

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Malwarebytes is a powerful tool designed to detect and remove malware from your computer. One of the most useful features of Malwarebytes is its ability to schedule scans. By scheduling scans, you can ensure that your computer is checked regularly for any malicious threats, without needing to remember to start a scan manually. This helps keep your system secure and running smoothly. In this comprehensive guide, we will explain in detail how to set up scheduled scans in Malwarebytes on the Windows operating system. Our goal is to make this explanation simple and easy to understand, so that even if you are not very familiar with computers, you will be able to follow it.

Getting started with Malwarebytes

Before you can schedule a scan, you need to install Malwarebytes on your computer. If you haven't done so yet, you'll need to download and install Malwarebytes. You can download the free version of Malwarebytes from the official website. Simply follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

Launching Malwarebytes

Once Malwarebytes is installed on your computer, you can open it by clicking the Malwarebytes icon on your desktop or by searching for it in the Start menu. When you first open Malwarebytes, you may be prompted to upgrade to the premium version. While the premium version offers additional features, you can also use the free version to schedule scans.

Navigating the Malwarebytes interface

The Malwarebytes interface is designed to be user-friendly. After opening Malwarebytes, you will see several options in the main window. The most important options are the 'Dashboard', 'Scan' and 'Settings' sections, which you can access from the left side of the main window, to schedule a scan.

Understanding the dashboard

The 'Dashboard' is the main starting point and provides an overview of the current state of your system. Here, you can see whether your system is currently protected, whether your databases are up to date, and when the last scan was performed.

Going to settings

To schedule a scan, click on the 'Settings' option. This will take you to a new screen with several tabs. Each tab has different configurable options for Malwarebytes, but the tab you need to focus on to schedule a scan is the 'Scan Schedule' tab.

Schedule a scan

Set up a custom scan

1. When you click on the 'Scan Schedule' tab, you will see an empty list or a list of scheduled tasks if one already exists. Click the 'Add' button to create a new scheduled scan.

2. A new window will appear with several options you can configure. The first option allows you to name your scan schedule. It is helpful to use a descriptive name so you can easily identify it later.

Selecting the scan type

- You must choose the type of scan you want to perform. Malwarebytes offers several types of scans:

• Threat Scan: This is the most comprehensive scan that checks all the critical parts of your system where malware is most likely to be found. It is usually recommended for regular use.
• Custom scan: This scan allows you to specify which drives or folders you want to scan. This can be useful if you have particular concerns about certain files or locations on your computer.

Setting the frequency

- Next, you need to decide how often you want Malwarebytes to scan. You have several frequency options to choose from:

• Once: The scan will only run once.
• Daily: The scan will run every day at a scheduled time.
• Weekly: The scan will run on specific days of the week you select (e.g., every Monday and Thursday).
• Monthly: The scan will run on a specific date each month.

Setting the time and date

- After choosing the frequency, specify the exact time at which you want to run the scan. You can set the hour and minute using the drop-down menu. Make sure you set the time when your computer is likely to be turned on and not in use, such as early in the morning or late at night. If you chose a weekly or monthly frequency, you must also specify the day of the week or the date of the month for the scan.

Configuring advanced options

- You can adjust additional settings for your scheduled scan by clicking 'Advanced'. Here are some of the options you may find:

• Recover if missed: If the scheduled scan does not run at the specified time because the computer is turned off, this setting will allow the scan to run the next time the computer is turned on.
• Scan for rootkits: Be sure to check this option if you want the scan to check for rootkits, which are a particularly dangerous form of malware that may be lurking on your system.

Save your schedule

After configuring all the settings for your scheduled scan, click 'OK' to save the schedule. You will be taken back to the 'Scan Schedule' tab, where you will see your newly created scan schedule listed.

Managing your scheduled scans

Edit or delete a scheduled scan

If you ever need to edit or delete your scheduled scan, you can easily do so from the 'Scan Schedule' tab:

• To edit a scheduled scan, select it from the list and click the 'Edit' button. This will reopen the configuration window where you can make changes.
• To delete a scheduled scan, select it from the list and click the 'Delete' button. Confirm your choice in the dialog box that appears, and the scheduled scan will be deleted.

Best practices and recommendations

- Regular database updates: Always make sure Malwarebytes is running with the latest database updates. By default, Malwarebytes updates automatically, but you can manually check for updates from the 'Dashboard' tab.

- Exclusion list management: Sometimes, some files or folders may be mistakenly marked as threats. You can manage exclusions to prevent these files from being scanned in the future. However, use this feature with caution, as excluded files will not be checked for threats.

Conclusion

Scheduling scans in Malwarebytes is a simple but powerful way to maintain your computer's security on a regular basis. By automating scans, you can avoid the hassle of checking for malware and instead trust Malwarebytes to do it for you at your chosen interval. Following the steps in this guide will help ensure that your computer stays safe from malicious software with minimal impact on your daily routine. Remember to adjust your scan schedule and settings to suit your needs, and check for regular updates to keep your Malwarebytes program working at its best.

With these tools and understanding, you'll be well-equipped to take full advantage of Malwarebytes' scan scheduling feature, providing an essential layer of proactive protection for your Windows operating environment.

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