Spyware is a form of malware that attempts to steal information from you without your knowledge. It could disguise itself as a normal software or work behind the scenes to track web browsing data or monitor keystrokes to steal passwords, for this reason below you find a list with the best free Antispyware for Windows.
You may have been infected with spyware if your computer's performance has started to slow down, and especially if strange pop-ups appear, websites redirect you to sites you don't want, email contacts receive strange spam messages that appear to be sent by you or you are a victim of identity theft.
Below are the best free Antispyware for Windows that can scan your hard drive, flash drive, external hard drive, to remove spyware.
Some antispyware works only when you manually start the scan, others continuously monitor the computer to make sure that the spyware cannot modify the computer or monitor information.
All antispyware mentioned below are known to scan for spyware but may not look for other items such as viruses. Other anti-spyware software removes some types of malware but not spyware, so we have omitted them from this list.
1. SUPERAntiSpyware
SUPERAntiSpyware is the best free antispyware for Windows and it should be your first choice if you want to get rid of the spyware that is already on your computer. It updates often, installs, scans your PC quickly, and gives you complete control over what is scanned.
It is able to check ZIP files, skip unknown files (for faster scanning), skip files larger than 4MB, and skip non-executable files (so that only EXEs and similar file types are scanned).
What sets SUPERAntiSpyware apart from others on this list is that it can also be configured to scan only files that have been modified in the last few days (1 day, 5 days, etc.).
SUPERAntiSpyware can scan the entire computer or parts of it where spyware normally exists. You can also run a Critical Point Scan to clean spyware currently running in memory or use the Custom Scan option to select what is scanned and where to check (flash drives, internal / external hard drives, select folders, etc.).
This free antispyware tool for Windows can also delete temporary files before starting the scan, exclude folders from scans, scan from right-click context menu and close all open web browsers before scanning.
The freeware version is 100% free but you need to manually perform scans and definition updates. However, these limitations are eliminated with the pro version. SUPERAntiSpyware works with Windows XP and newer versions of Windows.
2. Malwarebytes antispyware gratis
Malwarebytes Free is another great master when it comes to cleaning up spyware. It is easy to use and tends to find far more harmful elements than similar programs.
It scans registry values and keys, files and running processes, as well as includes a heuristic analyzer to find potentially unwanted programs (PuP).
When the scan is complete, you are shown where the spyware was found so you can select which ones to quarantine, with just one click.
Malwarebytes can also scan individual files and folders, as well as entire hard drives, with the right-click context menu in Windows Explorer. There is an option to scan inside archives, ignore certain files / folders and scan rootkits as well.
Automatic updates, a more detailed scan schedule and automatic quarantine are only available in the premium version. This program works on Windows and Mac.
3. Avast Free Antivirus
Avast Free Antivirus can detect and remove spyware before you even know it's on your computer. What makes it different from the first two is that it is always active and always on the lookout for new threats.
There are many settings that you can adjust in Avast, for example to allow CyberCapture to block unrecognized files, use the advanced mode to really block security, scan potentially unwanted programs, scan from Windows Explorer, exclude files / folders / URLs from scans , and so on.
Also included in Avast are a Wi-Fi inspector, a VPN client, a junk cleaner, a software update, and web and mail protection Avast sells paid antivirus programs, but also offers this free, which provides anti-virus protection. spyware. You can download Avast for Mac or Windows. Read also how to disable Avast.
4. Free AVG AntiVirus
AVG is another popular antivirus program that acts as a complete antimalware scanner, checking and removing not only spyware but also ransomware, viruses and more… all automatically and for free.
AVG offers not only protection for your computer, but also for web activity and email. You can run a full system scan, a startup scan, or a custom scan, but there's also a dedicated button that immediately launches a spyware check on all your removable devices.
Another unique feature of AVG is its Deep Scan option which performs a much slower but much more thorough scan - a good option if nothing seems to get rid of the spyware. You can configure it to recognize files based on their content and not their extension, which is ideal if the spyware is using a hidden / fake file extension.
The Deep Scan option can also open and scan over 20 archive file types, far more than most other spyware scanners that usually only support popular ones (ZIP and RAR).
Another thing worth mentioning about AVG is its ability to scan files in the order they are present on the hard drive, which can speed up scanning since it doesn't perform an unnecessary number of HDD searches. Windows and Mac users can download AVG.
5. Adaware Antivirus
Adaware Antivirus is another anti-spyware program that actively blocks new threats and scans your computer for existing ones. It has a clean, new design and is not difficult to use.
This program differs from some anti-spyware tools in that it updates itself and can even run a full system scan on a schedule.
While it doesn't provide web, email, or active network protection, when it comes to spyware, you can be sure it will do everything it can to block and remove such threats.
Like most always-on anti-malware programs, Adaware supports silent / play mode and exclusions. It can also scan boot sectors, rootkits, archives, processes, cookies and registry items.
6. Trend Micro HouseCall
HouseCall is the best free antispyware for Windows, simple and portable that doesn't take up much disk space but still provides a complete malware scanner.
Just press the scan button to start the default quick scan or access the settings to change where to check for spyware; you can choose all or custom areas like certain folders or hard drives only. HouseCall is available for Mac and Windows computers.
7. SpywareBlaster
SpywareBlaster is different from the rest of these programs in that it does not scan for existing spyware, although true to its name, it destroys new threats before they can reach your system.
You can enable the protection of your web browsers to protect yourself from malicious scripts, exploits and cookies that monitor your web behavior. It does this by enabling a predefined block list (which you can manually update at any time) on certain websites, cookies and scripts.
The System Snapshot option provides a way to create a backup of various system settings so that if the spyware were to make any changes, you can restore the backup to bring the settings back to normal.
There are also some very specific free spyware protection tools included with SpywareBlaster, such as Hosts Safe for backing up and encrypting the hosts file (which is a destination for spyware), an Adobe Flash blocker for Internet Explorer, and even a list of your ActiveX. custom blocking rules. SpywareBlaster installs on Windows XP up to Windows 10.
8. Emsisoft Emergency Kit (EEK)
Emsisoft Emergency Kit is the best portable free antispyware that you can run from anywhere to scan and eliminate all types of malware besides spyware, such as worms, adware, keyloggers, etc.
The reason it's on this list is because it's completely portable (it doesn't need to be installed) and is capable of scanning and blocking spyware that has already been loaded into memory.
EEK can also check for spyware traces in the registry and elsewhere that could indicate an infection. There are also some options for finding potentially unwanted programs and rootkits.
This anti-spyware utility also supports some other features, such as scanning email data files, searching for spyware in archives such as CAB and ZIP files, and excluding or including certain file types in the scan.
There are two versions of this tool: one is a regular application with a user interface and the other is a command line utility useful for automated or batch scanning. Both are included in this download.
Windows 7 or later is required to install EEK. It also works with Windows Server 2008 and later.
9. Spybot
Spybot is best free antispyware, great for advanced users who want total control over how the program scans and protects against spyware, but isn't ideal for novice users who just want to get rid of spyware. For this, use one of the other programs mentioned above.
One of Spybot's most notable features is its immunization option, which blocks common threats in various web browsers. It's as easy as looking for vulnerabilities and then clicking Apply Immunization.
Another advantage of Spybot is that it's super easy to disable tracking cookies that could compromise your privacy, always with just one click. Of course, Spybot can also “search and destroy” spyware, even using its system scanner. If you have particular files to scan, you can too.
Among the many options you can enable is to scan and immunize not only the files and settings of the current user but also those of any other user on the computer.
You can also add a spyware scan option to autoplay devices such as flash drives, tell the program which folder contains Internet downloads so that it performs thorough spyware scans and performs rootkit scans. You can use Spybot if your computer is running Windows 7 or later.
