A free online virus scan is pretty much that: an internet-based, free scan for viruses and other malware. This kind of virus scan differs from your traditional virus scanning program because all the work is done on a server, in the cloud.
Each online virus scan site does this a little differently. Some let you upload a file for scanning, others check websites for links that contain malware, and still others install browser add-ons or other small programs that scan your entire computer but do the behind-the-scenes work online.
Free online virus scanners are good options for one-off virus scans if installing a full-fledged antivirus program isn’t an option for some reason, or maybe just for an extra layer of precaution. Regardless of why you’re using one, each of the online virus scan services listed below are completely free!
You can also use an on-demand virus scanner for another layer of protection.
VirusTotal
Technically only for personal use; commercial use is not permitted. The web interface only lets you scan one file at a time. You can upload a specific file to VirusTotal to have it scanned by various antivirus engines or enter a website address to have VirusTotal scan an entire page for malicious links.
Archives like ZIP and RAR can be uploaded but the maximum size for any file type is 256 MB.
A browser extension is also available for Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer users that allow URLs to be scanned from the right-click menu and files to be checked for viruses before downloading them.
https://www.virustotal.com/#/home/upload
MetaDefender Cloud
MetaDefender Cloud (previously called Metascan Online) is a slick website that allows files up to 140 MB to be uploaded and scanned against 30+ different antivirus engines at once, including those used by popular vendors like Microsoft, Kaspersky, McAfee, and AVG.
A few files you might be interested in scanning at MetaDefender Cloud could be 7Z, EXE, and ZIP, but you can scan others, too, like images, videos, and documents. In addition to uploading a file to MetaDefender Cloud, it can also scan by IP address, hash value, and website URL.
https://metadefender.opswat.com/#!/
Avira
Avira’s online virus scanner uses the same antivirus engine as the popular Avira AntiVirus program to scan submitted files and URLs through an online form.
The form asks for your contact details so the URL of the results can be sent to you. A maximum of five files no larger than 50 MB each can be uploaded.
https://analysis.avira.com/en/submit
Jotti’s Malware Scan
Over 20 antivirus engines are used to scan up to five files at a time (with a 100 MB limit for each) that you upload to Jotti’s Malware Scan.
The date and scan detection status of each antivirus engine is shown in an easy to read list so you can clearly see which ones did or didn’t find the file to be dangerous.
Jotti’s Malware Scan is sometimes busy, making you wait in a line before your file can be processed.
https://virusscan.jotti.org/
FortiGuard Online Virus Scanner
Upload a file to FortiGuard Online Virus Scanner for a quick check against its scanner.
After you upload the file, enter your name and email address in case they need to send you a message about the file. After you submit the file for review, wait for the page to refresh and you’ll see the results at the top. Files uploaded to this online virus scanner can only be as large as 1 MB.
https://www.fortiguard.com/faq/onlinescanner
