Remove Malware Completely from Windows PC – Detailed Guide
Written by: Stelian Pilici
Published on:
Has your Windows PC been behaving erratically lately? Inexplicable slowdowns, obnoxious pop-up ads, browser redirects, sudden spikes in network activity, changed settings – these could all be warning signs of a malware infection.
Malware comes in many forms – viruses, spyware, ransomware, trojans, and more. Left unchecked, malware can wreak havoc by destroying files, stealing sensitive data, compromising accounts, and even locking you out of your own computer.
The good news is that with the right malware removal tools and techniques, you can scan your Windows computer, identify any infections, and thoroughly clean out any lurking malware to restore normal function.
This comprehensive guide provides easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions that anyone can use to detect and eliminate viruses, adware, spyware, ransomware, rootkits, and other malicious programs from a Windows PC.
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Malware Explained
Malware is the overarching term for any type of malicious software designed to breach computer systems and damage or steal data. Malware comes in many forms and variants, each created with specific harmful intents by cybercriminals.
Viruses are programs that self-replicate by injecting their code into other files or applications. They often damage, corrupt, or completely delete files once activated. Trojans disguise themselves as legitimate software, media files, or downloads to trick users into installing malware payloads.
Worms are sophisticated, self-propagating malware that spreads itself automatically over networks to infect more systems. They exploit vulnerabilities to break into networks and drop other malware.
Spyware secretly gathers data on users’ activities, keystrokes, browsing history, and sensitive information, sending it back to hackers covertly. Adware bombards users with intrusive advertisements.
Ransomware is a popular modern malware type that encrypts files until the victim pays a ransom. It often spreads through phishing emails or drive-by downloads. Rootkits allow hackers to remotely control systems undetected by concealing malicious processes.
Other types like bots, keyloggers, rogue security software, and banking trojans employ an array of tactics to steal financial data, passwords, identities, and computing resources.
Regardless of technique, all malware aims to provide unauthorized access to or compromise devices. Understanding the leading malware types and how they operate is crucial for securing devices against cybercriminal threats in today’s interconnected world.
How To Tell If Your Windows PC Has Malware – Warning Signs To Watch Out For
Malware infections can be tricky to detect, as modern cybercriminals use advanced techniques to hide malicious processes and evade antivirus detection. However, there are several common warning signs that may indicate your Windows computer has been compromised:
Pop-up ads, redirect pages, and unwanted browser toolbars/extensions appearing out of nowhere, signaling adware or browser hijackers
Certain websites and apps freezing or crashing unexpectedly, especially security-related ones, indicating the malware is trying to block access
Unusually sluggish computer performance, with frequent freezes and crashes pointing to CPU and memory strain from malware activities
New, unfamiliar desktop shortcuts, program files, browser extensions, or other executables that you did not download yourself
Documents, files, images, or other media suddenly corrupted or deleted could mean ransomware or other data-destroying malware
Spikes in network traffic and internet usage even when you’re not actively browsing can suggest data exfiltration by malware
Changes to browser homepages or search engines you didn’t make are telltale signs of adware or spyware
Antivirus alerts about suspicious processes, network connections, registry edits, or behavior point to actual malware infections
Inability to access certain programs like Task Manager or Command Prompt signifies the malware circumventing security tools
While not definitive proof, these suspicious activities warrant a deeper malware scan. Use reputable antivirus suites and specialized tools like rootkit detectors to uncover and remove any malware lurking within your Windows computer.
To check your Windows computer for malware and remove it for free, please use the guide below.
How To Remove ALL Viruses from Windows
The below instructions are for Windows users, however, we also have an Android Guide and a Mac Guide which should help clean up your device.
This malware removal guide may appear overwhelming due to the number of steps and numerous programs that are being used. We have only written it this way to provide clear, detailed, and easy-to-understand instructions that anyone can use to remove malware for free. Please perform all the steps in the correct order. If you have any questions or doubts at any point, stop and ask for our assistance.
To remove all viruses from Windows, follow these steps:
STEP 1: Use Rkill to terminate malicious processes
In this first step, we will download and run Rkill to terminate malicious processes that may be running on your computer.
RKill is a program that was developed at BleepingComputer.com that attempts to terminate known malware processes so that your normal security software can then run and clean your computer of infections. When RKill runs it will kill malware processes and then removes incorrect executable associations and fixes policies that stop us from using certain tools.
Download Rkill.
You can download RKill to your computer from the below link. When at the download page, click on the Download Now button labeled iExplore.exe. We are downloading a renamed version of Rkill (iExplore.exe) because some malware will not allow processes to run unless they have a certain filename.
RKILL DOWNLOAD LINK (The above link will open a new page from where you can download Rkill)
Run RKill.
After downloading, double-click the iExplore.exe icon to kill malicious processes. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder. The program may take some time to search for and end various malware programs.
When it is finished, the black window will close automatically and a log file will open. Do not restart your computer. Proceed to the next step in this guide.
STEP 2: Uninstall malicious programs from your computer
In this second step, we will manually check if any unknown or malicious programs are installed on the computer. Sometimes adware and browser hijackers can have a usable Uninstall entry that can be used to remove them.
Windows 11Windows 10Windows 8Windows 7
Press the Windows key + I on your keyboard to open the Settings app.
First, open Windows Settings by pressing Windows+I on your keyboard. You can also right-click your Start button and select “Settings” from the list.
In the Settings app, click on “Apps” and then “Apps & features”.
When Settings opens, click “Apps” in the sidebar, then select “Apps & Features”.
Find the malicious program in the list of installed apps and uninstall it.
In Apps & Features settings, scroll down to the app list and search for unknown or suspicious programs. To make things easier, you can sort all installed programs by their installation date. To do this, click “Sort by” and select “Install date”.
Look out for any suspicious program that could be behind all the drama – anything you don’t remember downloading or that doesn’t sound like a genuine program. When you find a malicious program, click the three dots button beside it and select “Uninstall” in the menu that appears.
If you have checked your computer for malicious programs and did not find any, you can proceed with the next step in this guide.
Follow the prompts to uninstall the program.
In the next message box, confirm the uninstall process by clicking on Uninstall, then follow the prompts to uninstall the malicious program.
Make sure to read all of the prompts carefully, because some malicious programs try to sneak things in hoping that you won’t read them closely.
Press the Windows key + I on your keyboard to open the Settings app.
Press the Windows key + I on your keyboard to open the Settings app. You can also ope the Settings app by clicking the Start button on the taskbar, then select “Settings” (gear icon).
In the Settings app, click on “Apps”.
When the “Windows Settings” window opens, click on “Apps“. By default, it should open “Apps and Features” but if it doesn’t, select it from the list on the left.
Find the malicious program in the list of installed apps and uninstall it.
In Apps & Features settings, scroll down to the app list and search for unknown or suspicious programs. To make things easier, you can sort all installed programs by their installation date. To do this, click “Sort by” and select “Install date”.
Look out for any suspicious program that could be behind all the drama – anything you don’t remember downloading or that doesn’t sound like a genuine program. When you find a malicious program, click on it and select “Uninstall” in the menu that appears.
If you have checked your computer for malicious programs and did not find any, you can proceed with the next step in this guide.
Follow the prompts to uninstall the program.
In the next message box, confirm the uninstall process by clicking on Uninstall, then follow the prompts to uninstall the malicious program.
Make sure to read all of the prompts carefully, because some malicious programs try to sneak things in hoping that you won’t read closely.
Go to “Program and Features”.
Right-click on the Start button in the taskbar, then select “Programs and Features”. This will take you directly to your list of installed programs.
Search for malicious program and uninstall it.
The “Programs and Features” screen will be displayed with a list of all the programs installed on your computer. Scroll through the list until you find any unknown or suspicious program, then click to highlight it, then click the “Uninstall” button.
Look out for any suspicious program that could be behind all the drama – anything you don’t remember downloading or that doesn’t sound like a genuine program.
If you have checked your computer for malicious programs and did not find any, you can proceed with the next step in this guide.
Follow the on-screen prompts to uninstall malicious program.
In the next message box, confirm the uninstall process by clicking on Yes, then follow the prompts to uninstall malicious program. Make sure to read all of the prompts carefully, because some malicious programs try to sneak things in hoping that you won’t read closely.
Open the “Control Panel”.
Click on the “Start” button, then click on “Control Panel“.
Click on “Uninstall a Program”.
When the “Control Panel” appears, click on “Uninstall a Program” from the Programs category.
Search for malicious programs and uninstall them.
The “Programs and Features” screen will be displayed with a list of all the programs installed on your computer. Scroll through the list until you find any suspicious or unknown program, then click to highlight it, then click the “Uninstall” button.
Look out for any suspicious program that could be behind all the drama – anything you don’t remember downloading or that doesn’t sound like a genuine program.
If you have checked your computer for malicious programs and did not find any, you can proceed with the next step in this guide.
Follow the on-screen prompts to uninstall malicious program.
In the next message box, confirm the uninstall process by clicking on Yes, then follow the prompts to uninstall malicious program. Make sure to read all of the prompts carefully, because some malicious programs try to sneak things in hoping that you won’t read closely.
If you are experiencing difficulty while attempting to uninstall a program, you can use Revo Uninstaller to completely remove the unwanted program from your computer.
Now that the malicious programs have been removed from your computer, we can proceed with the next step in this guide.
STEP 3: Remove malicious browser policies from Windows
In this third step, we will use the Command Prompt as Administrator and run the below commands to remove the malicious policies were set by malware.
Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
To open the Command Prompt as an administrator in Windows, type “cmd” in the search bar and then right-click on the Command Prompt result and select “Run as administrator” as shown in the image below. A User Account Control (UAC) prompt will appear asking for permission to allow the program to run. Click “Yes”.
Run commands to remove malicious policies from Windows
You will now be presented with a black screen called the ‘Administrator: Command Prompt’. On this screen, you can enter commands by typing them in and then pressing the Enter key on your keyboard.
Type the following commands, pressing Enter after each one:
Type RD /S /Q “%WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicyUsers” and press the Enter key on your keyboard.
Type RD /S /Q “%WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicy” and press the Enter key on your keyboard.
Type gpupdate /force and press the Enter key on your keyboard.
After entering each of the commands, your screen should look similar to the image below.
Now that the malicious policies were removed, in the next step, we will reset your browser settings to their defaults.
STEP 4: Remove malicious files and folders from Windows
In this fourth step, we will manually search and remove malicious scheduled tasks and folders on your computer.
1. Delete malicious scheduled tasks.
This infection may create a malicious scheduled task in the Task Scheduler to ensure that it is automatically reinstalled every 5 minutes after it has been deleted. This task may run at regular intervals to ensure that the infection persists on your system.
Search for “Task Scheduler” in the windows search as shown below..
You can also open the Task Scheduler app by pressing the Windows + R buttons and then type “taskschd.msc” and press Enter.
In the Task Scheduler window, navigate to the Task Scheduler Library on the left side of the screen.
Locate the malicious scheduled task in the list of tasks. It may have a randomly generated name (eg. Chrome_Policy, Chrome_Bookmarks, Chrome_Folder) or may be identified as a suspicious or unknown task. Right-click on the malicious task and select “Delete” from the menu.
2. Delete malicious files located in AppData\Roaming folder
We will now delete the malicious file that is located in the AppData\Roaming folder.
Search for “Run” in the windows search as shown below, or press the Windows + R button to open the Run app.
In the run app text box, enter “%AppData%” and click OK. Windows will directly open up the Roaming folder which is inside the AppData folder.
In the AppData\Roaming folder, search and delete any unknown folders with names like Default, Chrome32, Energy, Bloom, and Travel (note that the actual name on your computer may be different, but you should look for programs with similar naming conventions).
3. Delete malicious files located in AppData\Local folder
Next, we will delete the malicious folders that are located in the AppData\Local folder and the malicious Chrome browser extensions.
Search for “Run” in the windows search as shown below, or press the Windows + R button to open the Run app.
In the run app text box, enter “%localappdata%” and click OK. Windows will directly open up the AppData\Local folder which is inside the AppData folder.
In the AppData\Local directory, search and delete the Default,WindowsApp and ServiceApp folders.
Next, find the Google folder and go to Google > Chrome > User Data > Default (or Profile) > Extensions. Find the malicious extension folder within the Extensions folder and delete it. It may have a randomly generated name or may be identified as a suspicious or unknown extension.
4. Remove Chrome Shortcut Modification
This malware can hijack your browser shortcuts to target the malicious files. Here is a short guide on how to remove the Chrome shortcut modification:
Right-click on the Google Chrome shortcut on your desktop or Start Menu and select “Properties“.
Under the Shortcut tab, look for the “Target” field. This is where any added commands to the shortcut will be. Carefully examine the target path and remove any suspicious looking text that may have been appended, especially anything referencing the AppData folder. For example, remove text like “–load-extension=C:\Users%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\Default”. The target should point only to the chrome.exe file location, nothing more.
Click OK to save the changes and close Properties.
Launch Chrome again normally through the shortcut. The extension should no longer load on start up.
You can also right click the shortcut and select “Open File Location” to open the chrome.exe folder. Drag chrome.exe directly to your taskbar to create a clean shortcut.
Now that we have manually removed the malicious tasks and folders from your computer and cleaned your browser shortcuts, we can continue with the next step.
STEP 5: Reset your browser settings to their defaults
In this step, we will remove spam notifications, malicious extensions, and change to default any settings that might have been changed by malware. 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.
ChromeFirefoxMicrosoft EdgeInternet Explorer
Reset Chrome for Windows to default settings
We will now reset your Chrome browser settings to their original defaults. This will reset your startup page, new tab page, search engine, and pinned tabs. It will also disable all extensions and clear temporary data like cookies. Your favorites, history, and saved passwords will not be cleared.
Click the three dots in the top-right corner and then click on “Settings”.
Open Chrome and click on the menu button (represented by three vertical dots) in the top right corner of the window. In the dropdown menu that opens, click “Settings“.
Click “Advanced”.
Chrome’s “Settings” should now be displayed in a new tab or window, depending on your configuration. In the left sidebar, click on the “Advanced” link.
Click “Reset and clean up”.
In the left sidebar, under the “Advanced” section, click on “Reset and clean up“.
Click “Reset settings to their original defaults”.
In the main window, the “Reset and clean up” section is visible, as shown in the screenshot below. Click on “Reset settings to their original defaults“.
Click “Reset settings”.
A confirmation dialog will now be displayed, detailing the components that will be restored to their default state should you continue with the reset process. To complete the restoration process, click on the “Reset settings” button.
(Optional) Reset Chrome Data Sync.
In case a malicious extension reinstalls itself even after performing a browser reset, you have an additional option to reset the data sync for your browser. To do this, navigate to chrome.google.com/sync and click on the Clear Data button.
Reset Firefox for Windows to default settings
We will now reset your Firefox browser settings to their default. The reset feature fixes many issues by restoring Firefox to its factory default state while saving your essential information like bookmarks, passwords, web form auto-fill information, browsing history, and open tabs.
Click the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner and then click on “Help”.
Click on Firefox’s main menu button, represented by three horizontal lines. When the drop-down menu appears, select the option labeled “Help“.
Click “More troubleshooting information”.
From the Help menu, click on “More troubleshooting information“.
Click on “Refresh Firefox”
When the “Troubleshooting Information” page opens, click on the “Refresh Firefox” button.
Confirm that you want to reset your browser settings.
To finish the reset process, click on the “Refresh Firefox” button in the new confirmation window that opens.
Click “Finish”.
Firefox will now close itself and will revert to its default settings. When it’s done, a window will list the information that was imported. Click on “Finish“.
Your old Firefox profile will be placed on your desktop in a folder named “Old Firefox Data“. If the reset didn’t fix your problem you can restore some of the information not saved by copying files to the new profile that was created. If you don’t need this folder any longer, you should delete it as it contains sensitive information.
Reset Microsoft Edge to default settings
We will now reset your Microsoft Edge browser settings to their default. This will reset your startup page, new tab page, search engine, and pinned tabs. It will also disable all extensions and clear temporary data like cookies. Your favorites, history, and saved passwords will not be cleared.
Click the three dots in the top-right corner and then click on “Settings”.
In the top right corner, click on Microsoft Edge’s main menu button, represented by three horizontal dots. When the drop-down menu appears, click on “Settings“.
Click on “Reset Settings”.
On the left side of the window, click on “Reset Settings“.
Click on “Restore settings to their default values”.
In the main window, click on “Restore settings to their default values“.
Click “Reset”.
A confirmation dialog should now be displayed, detailing the components that will be restored to their default state should you continue with the reset process. To complete the restoration process, click on the “Reset” button. Microsoft Edge will now erase all your personal data, browsing history, and disable all installed extensions. Your bookmarks, though, will remain intact and still be accessible.
Reset Internet Explorer to default settings
We will now reset your Internet Explorer browser settings to their default. You can reset Internet Explorer settings to return them to the state they were in when Internet Explorer was first installed on your computer.
Go to “Internet Options”.
Open Internet Explorer, click on the gear icon in the upper-right part of your browser, then select “Internet Options“.
Select the “Advanced” tab, then click “Reset”
In the “Internet Options” dialog box, select the “Advanced” tab, then click on the “Reset” button.
Click on “Reset”.
In the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” section, select the “Delete personal settings” checkbox, then click on the “Reset” button.
Click on “Close”.
When Internet Explorer has completed its task, click on the “Close” button in the confirmation dialogue box. Close your browser and then you can open Internet Explorer again.
STEP 6: Use Malwarebytes to remove trojans and browser hijackers
In this step, we will install and run a scan with Malwarebytes Free to remove any infections, adware, or potentially unwanted programs that may be present on your computer.
Malwarebytes is one of the most popular and most used anti-malware software for Windows, and for good reasons. It is able to destroy many types of malware that other software tends to miss, without costing you absolutely nothing. When it comes to cleaning up an infected device, Malwarebytes has always been free and we recommend it as an essential tool in the fight against malware.
Download Malwarebytes for Windows.
You can download Malwarebytes by clicking the link below.
When Malwarebytes has finished downloading, double-click on the MBSetup file to install Malwarebytes 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 Malwarebytes to make changes to your device. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the Malwarebytes installation.
Follow the on-screen prompts to install Malwarebytes.
When the Malwarebytes installation begins, you will see the Malwarebytes setup wizard which will guide you through the installation process. The Malwarebytes installer will first ask you what type of computer are you installing this program on, click either Personal Computer or Work Computer.
On the next screen, click “Install” to install Malwarebytes on your computer.
When your Malwarebytes installation completes, the program opens the Welcome to Malwarebytes screen.
Click on “Scan”.
Malwarebytes is now installed on your computer, to start a scan click on the “Scan” button. Malwarebytes will automatically update the antivirus database and start scanning your computer for malicious programs.
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 on the status of the scan to see when it is finished.
Click on “Quarantine”.
When the Malwarebytes scan is finished scanning it will show a screen that displays any malware, adware, or potentially unwanted programs that it has detected. To remove the adware and other malicious programs that Malwarebytes has found, click on the “Quarantine” button.
Restart computer.
Malwarebytes will now remove all the malicious files and registry keys that it has found. To complete the malware removal process, Malwarebytes may ask you to restart your computer.
STEP 7: Use HitmanPro to scan your computer for rootkits and other malware
In this next 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.
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)
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.
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.
Wait for the HitmanPro scan to complete.
HitmanPro will now begin to scan your computer for malicious programs.
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.
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.
STEP 8: Use AdwCleaner to remove adware and malicious browser policies
In this final step, we will download and install AdwCleaner to remove the malicious browser policies that were set by browser hijackers on your computer and delete malicious browser extensions.
AdwCleaner is a free popular on-demand scanner that can detect and remove malware that even the most well-known anti-virus and anti-malware applications fail to find. This on-demand scanner includes a lot of tools that can be used to fix the side effects of adware. browser hijackers and other malware.
Download AdwCleaner.
You can download AdwCleaner by clicking the link below.
ADWCLEANER DOWNLOAD LINK (The above link will open a new web page from where you can download AdwCleaner)
Double-click on the setup file.
Double-click on the file named “adwcleaner_x.x.x.exe” to start AdwCleaner. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.
AdwCleaner program will now open and you will be presented with the program’s license agreement. After you read it, click on the I agree button if you wish to continue. If Windows prompts you as to whether or not you wish to run AdwCleaner, please allow it to run.
Enable “Reset Chrome policies” to remove malicious browser policies.
When AdwCleaner starts, on the left side of the window, click on “Settings” and then enable “Reset Chrome policies“.
Click on the “Scan” button.
On the left side of the AdwCleaner window, click on “Dashboard” and then click “Scan” to perform a computer scan.
Wait for the AdwCleaner scan to finish.
AdwCleaner will now scan your computer for malware. This process can take a few minutes.
Click on “Quarantine” to remove malware.
When the AdwCleaner scan is completed it will display all of the items it has found. Click on the “Quarantine” button to remove the malicious programs from your computer.
Click on “Continue” to remove the malicious programs.
AdwCleaner will now prompt you to save any open files or data as the program will need to close any open programs before it starts to clean. Click on the “Continue” button to finish the removal process.
AdwCleaner will now delete all detected malware from your computer. When the malware removal process is complete, you may be asked to restart your computer.
You computer should now be free of adware, browser hijackers, Trojans, and other malware.
If your current antivirus allowed this malicious program on your computer, you may want to consider purchasing Malwarebytes Premium to protect against these types of threats in the future. If you are still having problems with your computer after completing these instructions, then please follow one of the steps:
Stelian leverages over a decade of cybersecurity expertise to lead malware analysis and removal, uncover scams, and educate people. His experience provides insightful analysis and valuable perspective.
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You can also open the Task Scheduler app by pressing the Windows + R buttons and then type “taskschd.msc” and press Enter.
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