VirusTotal Scanner for Windows

Downloaded an installer you're not sure about? The free VirusTotal Scanner checks it against VirusTotal's dozens of antivirus engines before you open it. The desktop workflow focuses on selecting a file, looking up its hash, and viewing the scan results online.

Look up a file by its hash

Choose a file in VirusTotal Scanner by browsing to it or dropping it onto the window. The program displays the file’s SHA-256 hash, then uses that hash to search VirusTotal for a scan report. This lookup avoids sending the file itself to the service.

When VirusTotal has a matching report, the tool takes you to the results online. A file without an existing report may not have scan findings available through this lookup.

Start a scan from File Explorer

For a quick check, use the right-click context-menu option on a file to launch VirusTotal Scanner directly. Drag-and-drop and the browse control offer other ways to choose a file when the tool is already open.

• Select a downloaded file or installer to check its VirusTotal record.
• Use the displayed SHA-256 value to identify the file being queried.

Read the multi-engine report

VirusTotal’s report shows findings from multiple antivirus engines, including which ones flagged the file. The results provide several detection verdicts in one report; the scanner itself does not run in the background or alert on new downloads.

VirusTotal Scanner also supports URL checks.

System requirements: Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows 11 · 32-bit and 64-bit

Does VirusTotal Scanner upload the selected file?

Its hash-based lookup searches VirusTotal without uploading the file itself.

How do I select a file to scan?

Drag a file into the window, browse for it, or launch the tool from the file’s right-click menu.

Can VirusTotal Scanner check URLs?

Yes. URL checks are among its stated scanning tasks.