How to use PowerShell to Scan Windows for Virus and Malware

Do you know what is a PowerShell? Well, PowerShell is basically a shell program developed by Microsoft for automating the system tasks and configuration management. We all wish to keep our PC free from virus, trojan horses and malware. In this article, we will learn how to use Powershell to scan Windows for virus and malware on your PC.

Let us first learn how to launch PowerShell on your Windows PC.

Launch PowerShell in Windows

Follow the steps given below to launch PowerShell on your PC.

Type PowerShell in the search bar in the bottom area of your Windows Home screen.

Now, click on the option Run as administrator to run the program with administrative rights and to make the necessary changes for Windows security.

1. Check the Security Status for your Windows

First of all, you have to check whether the windows security system is properly active or not on your system. For that, you need to take help of the command shared below. When you will enter the command, it will give even the minutest detail of the Windows security system enabled on your PC.

Type the following command once you open Windows PowerShell on your PC.

Command: Get-MpComputerStatus

It will also let you know whether your spyware and antivirus software are enabled or not. A true value will indicate that the Windows security app, like the Antivirus is turned on or not.

2. Execute a Full Virus Scan for PC

Powershell is a great tool as it can help you to run a full PC scan for virus and malware. You can type the commands shared below to run a full virus scan on your PC.

Command: Start-MpScan -ScanType FullScan

As you know, the full virus scan of your PC is a lengthy process, it may take a lot of time. To save time we recommend that you run the Full scan in the background of your Windows so that you can perform other tasks simultaneously. Type the command shared below to run the full PC virus scan in the background.

Command: Start-MpScan -ScanType FullScan -AsJob

3. Update Windows Security

Windows keeps giving Windows update notification from time to time. If you are one of those who don’t update Windows, then you should update the Windows Security app installed on your PC manually using the PowerShell command. Type the following command in PowerShell:

Command: Update-MpSignature

4. Run Quick Scan using Windows PowerShell

QuickScan takes much lesser time than the full scan. If you wish to run a normal Virus scan on your PC using Windows powerShell then you can use the following command to run a Quick scan using PowerShell.

Command: Start-MpScan -ScanType QuickScan

5. Offline Scan using Windows PowerShell

When you have run the scans above but still could not find some specific  malware or virus that you sense, then you should go for an offline scan. Follow the command given below to run an offline scan.

Start-MpWDOScan

Your PC may go through reboots so we advise you to save all your work before executing the command on PowerShell.

So, these were the ways to use Windows PowerShell to scan Windows for virus and malware. Stay tuned to TechAdvises for more such tech tutorials, and Windows security tech tips.