How to clean an infected Windows 10 PC (Virus Removal Guide)

If your Windows 10 computer slows down, your screen is inundated with annoying ads, your browser settings change, or there’s a weird increase in your system’s Internet activity, then it is possible that you have malware installed on your device. This guide teaches you how to remove all types of Malware from Windows 10 for free by following easy step-by-step instructions.

Is my Windows 10 computer infected with malware?

Malware is an umbrella term for any software designed to cause harm. Short for “malicious software”, malware can damage files, steal sensitive data, and even take your device hostage.

The most common types of malware for Windows 10 are adware, browser hijackers, and potentially unwanted programs. However, Trojan, Ransomware, and other types of malware are known to target Windows 10 users more than any other operating system.

Malware can spread in a variety of ways: when you download and install an infected program, when you click an infected link or open a malicious email attachment, or even sometimes when you use corrupted physical media like a USB drive.

Here are a few typical signs that you have adware installed on your computer:

• Your web browser’s default homepage is changed
• Access to security related websites is blocked
• You get redirected to web pages other than the one you intended to go to
• You receive numerous web-browser popup messages
• Strange or unexpected toolbars appear at the top of your web browser
• Your computer runs slower than usual
• Your computer freezes, hangs or is unresponsive
• There are new icons on your desktop that you do not recognize
• Your computer restarts by itself (but not a restart caused by Windows Updates)
• You see unusual error messages (e.g., messages saying there are missing or corrupt files folders)
• You are unable to access the Control Panel, Task Manager, Registry Editor or Command Prompt.

To check your computer for the malware and remove it for free, please use the guide below.

How to clean an infected Windows 10 PC (Virus Removal Guide)

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 doubt at any point, stop and ask for our assistance.

To remove adware and other malware from Windows, follow these steps:

• STEP 1: Uninstall malicious programs from Windows
• STEP 2: Use Malwarebytes Free to remove adware and browser hijackers
• STEP 3: Scan and clean Trojan Horses with HitmanPro
• STEP 4: Use AdwCleaner to remove adware and malicious browser policies
• STEP 5: Double-check for malware with Emsisoft Emergency Kit
• STEP 6: Remove malicious browser extensions

STEP 1: Uninstall malicious programs from Windows

In this first step, we will check if there are any malicious programs installed on your computer. Sometimes adware can have usable Uninstall entries that can be used to remove it.

STEP 2: Use Malwarebytes Free to remove adware and browser hijackers

In this second step, we will install and run a scan with Malwarebytes to remove adware, browser hijackers, and potentially unwanted programs from your computer.

Malwarebytes Free 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.

1. Download Malwarebytes Free.

   You can download Malwarebytes by clicking the link below.

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

2. Double-click on the Malwarebytes setup file.

   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 an 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.
   

3. 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 on what type of computer are you installing this program, 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 to the Welcome to Malwarebytes screen. Click the “Get started” button.

4. Select “Use Malwarebytes Free”.

   After installing Malwarebytes, you’ll be prompted to select between the Free and the Premium version. The Malwarebytes Premium edition includes preventative tools like real-time scanning and ransomware protection, however, we will use the Free version to clean up the computer.
   Click on “Use Malwarebytes Free“.
   

5. Click on “Scan”.

   To scan your computer with Malwarebytes, click on the “Scan” button. Malwarebytes will automatically update the antivirus database and start scanning your computer for adware and other malicious programs.
   

6. Wait for the Malwarebytes scan to complete.

   Malwarebytes will scan your computer for adware 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.
   

7. Click on “Quarantine”.

   When the scan has completed, you will be presented with a screen showing the malware infections that Malwarebytes has detected. To remove browser hijackers and other malicious programs that Malwarebytes has found, click on the “Quarantine” button.
   

8. Restart computer.

   Malwarebytes will now remove all adware and other malicious programs and registry keys that it has found. To complete the malware removal process, Malwarebytes may ask you to restart your computer.
   
   When the malware removal process is complete, you can close Malwarebytes and continue with the rest of the instructions.

STEP 3: Scan and clean Trojan Horses with HitmanPro

In this third step, we will install HitmanPro to scan the computer for Trojan Horses and other malware.

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 actually no limit in 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 PC. In most cases, downloaded files are saved to the Downloads folder.
   
   You may be presented with an 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. This process will take a few minutes.
   

5. Click on “Next”.

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

6. Click on “Activate free license”.

   Click on the “Activate free license” button to begin the free 30 days trial and remove all the malicious programs from your computer.
   
   When the process is complete, you can close HitmanPro and continue with the rest of the instructions.

STEP 4: Use AdwCleaner to remove adware and malicious browser policies

In this fourth step, we will use AdwCleaner to remove malicious browser policies and adware from your computer.

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 side-effects of adware or browser hijacker.

1. 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)

2. 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.
   
   You may be presented with a User Account Control dialog asking you if you want to run this file. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
   

3. Enable “Reset Chrome policies”.

   When AdwCleaner starts, on the left side of the window, click on “Settings” and then then enable “Reset Chrome policies“.
   

4. Click on “Scan Now”.

   On the left side of the window, click on “Dashboard” and then click “Scan Now” to perform a system scan.
   

5. Wait for the AdwCleaner scan to complete.

   AdwCleaner will now scan your computer for malicious programs. This process can take a few minutes.
   

6. Click on “Clean & Repair”.

   When AdwCleaner has finished it will display a list of all the malware that the program found. Click on the “Clean & Repair” button to remove malicious programs from your computer.
   

7. Click on “Clean & Restart Now”

   When the malware removal process is complete, AdwCleaner may need to restart your device. Click on the “Clean & Restart Now” button to finish the removal process.
   
   When the process is complete, you can close Adwcleaner and continue with the rest of the instructions.

STEP 5: Double-check for malware with Emsisoft Emergency Kit

While the previous scans are more than enough, we’re recommending Emsisoft Emergency Kit to users who still have malware-related issues or just want to make sure their computer is 100% clean.

Emsisoft Emergency Kit is a free and powerful on-demand scanner that can be used to remove viruses, trojans, spyware, adware, worms, and other malicious programs.

1. Download Emsisoft Emergency Kit.

   You can download Emsisoft Emergency Kit by clicking the link below.

   EMSISOFT EMERGENCY KIT DOWNLOAD LINK
   (The above link will open a new web page from where you can download Emsisoft Emergency Kit)

2. Install Emsisoft Emergency Kit.

   Double-click on the EmsisoftEmergencyKit setup file to start the installation process, then click on the “Install” button.
   

3. Start Emsisoft Emergency Kit.

   On your desktop the “EEK” folder (C:\EEK) should now be open. To start Emsisoft, click on the “Start Emsisoft Emergency Kit” file to open this program.
   

   You may be presented with a User Account Control dialog asking you if you want to run this file. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.
   

4. Click on “Malware Scan”.

   Emsisoft Emergency Kit will start and it will ask you for permission to update itself. Once the update process is complete, click on the “Scan” tab, and perform a “Malware Scan“.

   
   Emsisoft Emergency Kit will now scan your PC for malware. This process can take a few minutes.
   

5. Click on “Quarantine selected”.

   When the Emsisoft scan has finished, you will be presented with a screen reporting which malicious files were detected on your computer. To remove malicious programs, click on the “Quarantine selected“.
   

   When the malware removal process is complete, the Emsisoft Emergency Kit may need to restart your computer. Click on the “Reebot” button to restart your PC. After you restart your computer, you can close Emsisoft Anti-Malware and continue with the rest of the instructions.

STEP 6: Remove malicious browser extensions

In this final step, we will manually check your browser for malicious extensions that may have been installed without your knowledge.

Your computer should now be free of malware. If you are still experiencing problems while trying to remove malware from your computer, you can ask for help in our Windows Malware Removal Help & Support forum where trained professionals are ready to help (for free).