The real-time protection checks files as they are accessed on the drive and makes sure they are clean. Avira has a real-time scanner and this checks every file that is accessed before it can do any damage. Once this was sorted, it was fine.Įven if you are not bothered about Windows viruses, after all, they can’t run on macOS, there are some serious Mac malware programs out there that could infect your computer. There is a setup guide that shows you what to do, but I managed to miss it and wondered why Avira would not work. You must manually add Avira to the apps that have full disk access or it will not be able to scan or protect. Installation was more difficult than is usually the case for Mac apps because Avira will not work properly until yoo go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Full Disk Access. It will detect and clean up infections so you can be sure that you aren’t passing on viruses to your Windows-using friends. One of the features of Avira Free Antivirus for Mac is that it can detect Windows viruses in addition to threats to macOS on your Mac. Many viruses are attached to emails and while they may not execute on the Mac, you could forward an email with malware to someone with a Windows computer, thinking that it is harmless. Even if you manage to avoid Mac viruses, you can still harbour and pass on Windows viruses to your friends, relatives and work contacts.

There are tens of thousands of viruses for Windows PCs, but relatively few for the Mac.

It is certainly worth considering a security program like Avira Free Antivirus for Mac to boost the protection of your computer and files. Yes, the Mac is safer, but it is not 100% safe. There have been occasional malware infections in recent years and sometimes large numbers of Macs were affected.

If you are at all worried, Avira will protect your computer. Apple Macs are much less likely to be infected by malware and spyware than Windows computers, but they are not completely immune.

Avira for mac free download