Best free antivirus Windows 10

Have you recently bought a new PC with Windows 10 and are you looking for a good antivirus to protect it? Well, if that’s the case, I’d say you’ve hit the right guide! In fact, with this article of mine, I intend to guide you in choosing and downloading the one that can represent the best free Windows 10 antivirus for your PC.

Just an important clarification before starting: the “best” antivirus in an absolute sense does not exist, since almost all the software in question is able to adequately protect the system. There are, however, computer protection programs that, taking into account the resources they can steal from the operating system, the number of false alarms generated and other various factors may be preferable over others.

In the next few lines, I will therefore try to point you to the antivirus that offer the best balance between effectiveness and performance. It will then be up to you to find the one that best suits your needs. Happy reading and good choice!

Index

• Microsoft Defender Antivirus
• Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition
• Avast Antivirus Free
• AVG Antivirus Free
• Avira Free Antivirus
• Other grateful antiviruses for Windows 10

Microsoft Defender Antivirus

It may seem strange to you to say, but in reality you may not need to install any antivirus software on Windows 10, as it is already present by default and already enabled from the first configuration of the operating system a very valid tool for protection from cyber threats, known with the name of Microsoft Defender Antivirus.

Unless you need specific features to protect your privacy and other security tools, usually offered by paid antivirus software, Microsoft Defender Antivirus is today the best solution for protecting Windows 10 in terms of performance and effectiveness.

User intervention is almost nil, as it updates automatically with Windows Update, provides real-time protection of files, the system and Web browsing. It is also associated with the Windows firewall, which controls the software that requires network access.

The only thing you can do is make sure that every feature of this antivirus is active. Therefore, press on the Start button on the taskbar (the flag icon ) and click on the Settings button (the gear icon ) present in the menu that is proposed to you. Afterwards, go to the items Update & Security> Windows Security> Open Windows Security and check that there are green check marks on all the modules listed on the screen.

If you want to know more about Microsoft Defender Antivirus and how to enable it on Windows 10 (in case you have completely disabled it), my advice is to rely on reading this tutorial of mine.

Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition

Let’s now move on to Bitdefender, the very famous antivirus for Windows 10 (and not only) also available in a free version, the one called Antivirus Free Edition, able to flawlessly combine an extremely effective scanning engine with high performance that however does not go to affect the fluidity of the system.

To download the free version of Bitdefender on your PC, connect to the program website and click on the Download Now button. When the download is complete, open the .exe file obtained, press the Yes button and wait a few moments for all the necessary components to be downloaded from the Internet and the software installation is also performed.

Now, register for a free account by pressing the Sign in to Bitdefender button and filling out the appropriate form that is proposed to you. Finally, in the main Bitdefender screen that is shown to you, press the System Scan button to start a full system scan. Easier than that?

If you want to know more about this free edition of Bitdefender, I recommend that you consult this tutorial of mine. As for the full version of this antivirus with additional features, you need a subscription starting at € 29.99 per year but, if you want to save something, you can check out the Mr Key Shop website.

Avast Antivirus Free

Among the antivirus programs on the market that I want to suggest you pay attention to is Avast. It is a very well known name in this field, especially for its free solution, which is the one I intend to focus on in these lines.

The company’s zero-cost antivirus software, called Antivirus Free, is able to protect the system completely, to constantly monitor all the activities that are carried out on the PC and also detects intrusions and security weaknesses present in the network.

To download it immediately on your computer, connected to its official website, press the Free Download button and wait for the download of the program to be started and completed. Then, start the .exe file obtained, click on the Yes button, then on the Customize one and choose the Minimum protection option from the drop-down menu that is proposed to you, which is more than enough to adequately protect your PC without slowing it down.

At this point, press the Install button and, when the installation procedure is finished, press the Continue, Accept and Scan first buttons to analyze the system and detect any threats.

I remind you that in case you want to enable the additional features of Avast, such as the VPN, you will have to subscribe to a subscription starting from 17.88 euros / first year or buy a license at advantageous prices on Mr Key Shop, a site that sells 100 legal licenses. % unused by companies.

To learn more about how Avast works, I recommend reading my tutorial dedicated to the program.

AVG Antivirus Free

Another great antivirus, according to what the comparative tests reported but also based on my experience and that of many other users, is AVG Antivirus Free (produced by a subsidiary of Avast Software since 2016).

To download the antivirus in question, connected to its official website, click on the green Free Download button and wait a few moments for the program installation package to be downloaded to your computer. Subsequently, open the .exe file, obtained press the Yes button and wait for all the components necessary for the software to function from the Internet.

When the download is complete, click on the Customize wording and choose the Minimum Protection item from the drop-down menu proposed (more than enough to protect your PC effectively without slowing it down). Then press the Install button to start the installation procedure. Once this is done, press on the Continue and Accept buttons, then on the item Continue with the free version and press on Run first scan, to start the system analysis.

I warn you that the advanced functions of AVG, such as the firewall and secure web browsing, require the subscription of a subscription plan, with costs starting from 34.99 euros / first year, but if you want to save something you can rely on the Mr site. Key Shop, which allows companies to purchase unused antivirus licenses.

If you need more information about AVG antivirus, you can consult my guide dedicated to the topic.

Avira Free Antivirus

In an article all focused on identifying what is the best free antivirus for Windows 10 it is practically impossible not to mention Avira and its Free Antivirus, which always collects good results even in comparison tests.

To download the antivirus in question to your computer, connect to the official Avira website and click the Download free button in the center of the screen. When the download is complete, double-click on the .exe file obtained and press first on Yes and then on Accept and install. At this point, the download of the program will start, after which the antivirus installation will be performed automatically.

When the antivirus download is finally complete, you can start a full system check by clicking on the Smart Scan button, present in the screen that will be shown to you. Wait, therefore, for the outcome of the first scan and view the report, following the instructions for solving the problems found.

I remind you that to use Avira’s premium features, such as checking for software and driver updates on your PC and using the password manager, just to give you a few examples, they require a subscription starting from 34.95 euros/year ( you can save some money by purchasing a license on the Mr Key Shop website ).

You can learn more about this by reading my tutorial on Avira Free Antivirus.

Other grateful antiviruses for Windows 10

As anticipated at the beginning of the tutorial, to draft the article in question I referred to the comparative tests carried out by AV Comparatives and AV-Test, two companies that periodically publish online reports regarding the degree of effectiveness of antivirus based on their effectiveness of the real-time protection, false positives and impact on computer performance.

By relying on these reports you can therefore discover additional antivirus to try as an alternative to those I have already proposed but which, as already reiterated, precisely based on the results provided by these tests are those that at the time I am writing this article offer the better yield. However, if you want to experiment with other solutions, no one will stop you from doing so.

In general, in case you want to consult other solutions for Windows PCs, perhaps even taking into consideration the paid ones, I recommend reading my guide on antivirus for Windows or, if you are looking for other protection software regardless of the operating system on which to install them, you can consult my tutorial on the best free antivirus in Italian.

 

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