How to Fix Windows Security Detecting Google Chrome as Virus

If you are a Windows user, you may have encountered a problem where Windows Security (the built-in antivirus and firewall software) flags Google Chrome as a virus and blocks it from running. This can be very frustrating, especially if you rely on Chrome for your daily browsing needs. In this blog post, we will explain why this happens and how you can fix it.

Why does Windows Security flag Chrome as a virus?

There are several possible reasons why Windows Security may flag Chrome as a virus. One of them is that Chrome may have been infected by malware or adware that modifies its settings or behavior. Another reason is that Windows Security may have a false positive, meaning that it mistakenly identifies Chrome as a threat when it is not. A third reason is that there may be a conflict between Windows Security and Chrome’s own security features, such as sandboxing or safe browsing.

How can you fix Windows Security detecting Google Chrome as virus?

Reset Chrome and scan your device for malware

The first thing you should do is to make sure that your Chrome is up to date and free of malware or adware. You can do this by following these steps:

• STEP 1: Reset browsers back to default settings
• STEP 2: Use Malwarebytes Anti-Malware to remove malware and unwanted programs
• STEP 3: Use HitmanPro to scan your computer for badware

STEP 1: Reset browsers back to default settings

In this first step, we will reset your browser settings back to their default settings to remove spam push notifications, malicious extensions, and unwanted search engines.
Please note that this method will remove all extensions, toolbars, and other customizations but will leave your bookmarks and favorites intact. For each browser that you have installed on your computer, please click on the browsers tab below and follow the displayed steps to reset that browser.

Now that we’ve removed the sites permissions to send push notifications, in the next step we will scan your computer for any infections, adware, or potentially unwanted programs that may be present on your device.

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STEP 2: Use Malwarebytes Anti-Malware to remove malware and unwanted programs

In this second step, we will install Malwarebytes to scan and remove any infections, adware, or potentially unwanted programs that may be present on your computer.

Malwarebytes stands out as one of the leading and widely-used anti-malware solutions for Windows, and for good reason. It effectively eradicates various types of malware that other programs often overlook, all at no cost to you. When it comes to disinfecting an infected device, Malwarebytes has consistently been a free and indispensable tool in the battle against malware. We highly recommend it for maintaining a clean and secure system.

1. Download Malwarebytes for Windows

   You can download Malwarebytes by clicking the link below.

   

   MALWAREBYTES FOR WINDOWS DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new page from where you can download Malwarebytes)
2.  

   Install Malwarebytes

   After the download is complete, locate the MBSetup file, typically found in your Downloads folder. Double-click on the MBSetup file to begin the installation of Malwarebytes on your computer. If a User Account Control pop-up appears, click “Yes” to continue the Malwarebytes installation.

   

3. Follow the On-Screen Prompts to Install Malwarebytes

   When the Malwarebytes installation begins, the setup wizard will guide you through the process.

   • You’ll first be prompted to choose the type of computer you’re installing the program on—select either “Personal Computer” or “Work Computer” as appropriate, then click on Next.

     

   • Malwarebytes will now begin the installation process on your device.

     

   • When the Malwarebytes installation is complete, the program will automatically open to the “Welcome to Malwarebytes” screen.

     

   • On the final screen, simply click on the Open Malwarebytes option to start the program.

     

4. Enable “Rootkit scanning”.

   Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now start, and you will see the main screen as shown below. To maximize Malwarebytes’ ability to detect malware and unwanted programs, we need to enable rootkit scanning. Click on the “Settings” gear icon located on the left of the screen to access the general settings section.

   

   In the settings menu, enable the “Scan for rootkits” option by clicking the toggle switch until it turns blue.

   

   Now that you have enabled rootkit scanning, click on the “Dashboard” button in the left pane to get back to the main screen.

5. Perform a Scan with Malwarebytes.

   To start a scan, click the Scan button. Malwarebytes will automatically update its antivirus database and begin scanning your computer for malicious programs.

   

6. Wait for the Malwarebytes scan to complete.

   Malwarebytes will now scan your computer for browser hijackers and other malicious programs. This process can take a few minutes, so we suggest you do something else and periodically check the status of the scan to see when it is finished.

   

7. Quarantine detected malware

   Once the Malwarebytes scan is complete, it will display a list of detected malware, adware, and potentially unwanted programs. To effectively remove these threats, click the “Quarantine” button.

   

   Malwarebytes will now delete all of the files and registry keys and add them to the program’s quarantine.

   

8. Restart your computer.

   When removing files, Malwarebytes may require a reboot to fully eliminate some threats. If you see a message indicating that a reboot is needed, please allow it. Once your computer has restarted and you are logged back in, you can continue with the remaining steps.

   

STEP 3: Use HitmanPro to scan your computer for badware

In this third step, we will scan the computer with HitmanPro to ensure that no other malicious programs are installed on your device.

HitmanPro is a second-opinion scanner that takes a unique cloud-based approach to malware scanning. HitmanPro scans the behavior of active files and also files in locations where malware normally resides for suspicious activity. If it finds a suspicious file that’s not already known, HitmanPro sends it to its clouds to be scanned by two of the best antivirus engines today, which are Bitdefender and Kaspersky.

Although HitmanPro is shareware and costs $24.95 for 1 year on 1 PC, there is no limit on scanning. The limitation only kicks in when there is a need to remove or quarantine detected malware by HitmanPro on your system and by then, you can activate the one-time 30-days trial to enable the cleanup.

1. Download HitmanPro.

   You can download HitmanPro by clicking the link below.

   HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new web page from where you can download HitmanPro)

2. Install HitmanPro.

   When HitmanPro has finished downloading, double-click on “hitmanpro.exe” (for 32-bit versions of Windows) or “hitmanpro_x64.exe” (for 64-bit versions of Windows) to install this program on your computer. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.

   

   You may be presented with a User Account Control pop-up asking if you want to allow HitmanPro to make changes to your device. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.

   

3. Follow the on-screen prompts.

   When HitmanPro starts you will be presented with the start screen as shown below. Click on the “Next” button to perform a system scan.

   

   

4. Wait for the HitmanPro scan to complete.

   HitmanPro will now begin to scan your computer for malicious programs.
   

5. Click on “Next”.

   When HitmanPro has finished the scan, it will display a list of all the malware that it has found. Click on the “Next” button to have HitmanPro remove the detected items.

   

6. Click on “Activate free license”.

   HitmanPro may now require to activate the free 30-days trial to remove the malicious files. To do this, click on the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial and remove all the malicious files from your computer.
   

   When the malware removal process is complete, it will display a screen that shows the status of the various programs that were removed. At this screen, you should click on the Next button and then if prompted you should click on the Reboot button. If HitmanPro does not prompt you to reboot, please just click on the Close button.

Add Chrome as an exception in Windows Security

If this does not solve the problem, you can try to add Chrome as an exception in Windows Security. This will tell Windows Security to ignore Chrome and allow it to run normally. You can do this by following these steps:

1. Open Windows Security and click on Virus & threat protection.
2. Under Virus & threat protection settings, click on Manage settings.
3. Under Exclusions, click on Add or remove exclusions.
4. Click on Add an exclusion and select Folder.
5. Browse to the folder where Chrome is installed, usually C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application.
6. Click on Select Folder and confirm the exclusion.

Disable Windows Security temporarily and see if Chrome works

If this does not solve the problem either, you can try to disable Windows Security temporarily and see if Chrome works. However, this is not recommended as it will leave your computer vulnerable to other threats. You can do this by following these steps:

1. Open Windows Security and click on Virus & threat protection.
2. Under Virus & threat protection settings, click on Manage settings.
3. Turn off the toggle for Real-time protection.
4. Try to run Chrome and see if it works.
5. Turn on the toggle for Real-time protection again.

We hope that this blog post has helped you fix the problem of Windows Security flagging Chrome as a virus. If you have any questions or feedback, please leave a comment below.