Viruses & malware
Most infections can be removed with Microsoft Defender, which is built into Windows 11 and 10. These guides start with the signs to look for, then walk through scanning, Safe Mode, browser clean-up and what to do about ransomware.
6 guides
- Signs your PC may have a virus, and what to check first The symptoms that point to malware, the ones that usually do not, and a safe first check.
- How to remove a virus with Windows Security Run a full scan and a Microsoft Defender Offline scan, deal with what they find, and confirm the PC is clean.
- Start Windows 11 or 10 in Safe Mode Three ways to reach Safe Mode, useful when malware or a bad driver stops Windows from working normally.
- Homepage or search engine changed by itself? Reset your browser Remove unwanted extensions, notification spam and forced settings from Chrome and Edge.
- Files locked by ransomware: what to do now Contain the damage, avoid paying, check for free decryptors and restore from backups.
- Fake virus alerts and browser pop-ups How to recognise a deceptive warning, close it safely and stop it coming back.