How to Prevent Your Antivirus Program From Deleting Files

Many antivirus software program applications mechanically delete suspicious recordsdata throughout safety scans. Although these antivirus instruments allow you to restore deleted recordsdata, they’ll most certainly delete the file once more throughout subsequent scans. To stop a recurrence, it’s finest to configure your antivirus to exempt essential recordsdata when scanning for viruses and malware.

We’ll present you ways to stop your antivirus from deleting recordsdata mechanically with out your approval. This tutorial will cowl steps for Windows Defender and standard third-party antivirus software—Avast, AVG, BitDefender, and so forth.

Before you proceed, verify that the file(s) is protected and gained’t injury your PC and knowledge earlier than exempting it from antivirus scans. Excluding a (dangerous) file from being deleted could improve your PC’s vulnerability to malware assaults and different threats.

Note: The troubleshooting steps on this tutorial are relevant to Windows 10, Windows 11, and Mac or (macOS) units.

Prevent Avast Antivirus from Deleting Files

Follow the steps beneath to cease Avast from deleting a file, folder, or app when scanning your PC for threats.

1. Launch the Avast, choose the hamburger menu icon within the top-left nook, and choose Settings.

2. In the General part, choose Exceptions on the sidebar and choose the Add Exception button.

3. Select Browse.

4. Select the checkbox subsequent to the merchandise (file, folder, app, and so forth.) you need to exempt from Avast scans and choose OK.

5. Select the Add Exception button to proceed.

That’ll stop Avast from deleting the chosen file(s) throughout all safety scans. Avast additionally permits you to exclude gadgets from a selected sort of scan. See the subsequent step for detailed instruction.

6. Head to Avast’s Exceptions menu (see step #3) and choose Add Advanced Exceptions.

7. Head to the File/Folder tab and choose Browse to select the recordsdata/folder you need to exclude. Afterward, examine the field subsequent to the scan varieties and choose Add Exception.

After this, Avast will skip the file(s) throughout the chosen safety scans. Avast can even record all exempted gadgets within the “File or Folder” part. To delete an exclusion, hover your cursor on the merchandise and choose the Bin icon. Otherwise, choose the Pen icon to edit the exclusion.

Prevent AVG from Deleting Files

AVG can also be an Avast-owned safety software program. The course of for stopping AVG from mechanically deleting recordsdata is comparable to Avast’s.

1. Launch AVG, choose the hamburger menu icon within the top-right nook, and choose Settings.

2. Head to the General tab, choose Exceptions on the sidebar, and choose Add Exception.

3. Select Browse.

4. Select the checkbox subsequent to the file(s) or folder(s) you need to exclude from malware scans, and choose OK.

5. Select Add Exception to proceed.

To take away a file from the exception record, hover your cursor on the merchandise within the “File or Folder” part, and choose the Bin icon.

Prevent BitDefender from Deleting Files

If BitDefender is the default antivirus answer in your pc, right here’s how to stop the app from deleting a file when scanning for threats.

1. Open BitDefender, head to the Protection tab (on the sidebar), and choose Settings within the “Online Threat Prevention” part.

2. Select Manage exceptions within the “Exceptions” row.

3. Select Add an Exception on the subsequent web page.

4. Select the folder icon with a magnifying glass within the search field.

5. Select the file or folder you need to stop the antivirus from deleting and choose OK.

6. In the “Protection Feature” part, toggle-on Antivirus. Afterward, choose the checkbox subsequent to the scan varieties. BitDefender gained’t scan the exempted gadgets whenever you run the chosen scans. Select Save to proceed.

Head to the “All exceptions” tab to preview the exempted recordsdata. Select the Bin icon to delete a file or choose the Pen icon to modify the exception choices.

Prevent Windows Defender from Deleting Files

Windows Defender additionally permits you to exclude gadgets—recordsdata, file varieties, processes, folders, and so forth.—from safety checks. In this part, we’ll present you ways to configure the Windows Security settings in order that your PC gained’t mechanically delete recordsdata it suspects to be malicious.

1. On a Windows 11 pc, go to Settings > Privacy & safety > Windows Security.

For Windows 10, head to Settings > Update & Security and choose Windows Security.

2. Select Virus & menace safety within the “Protection areas” part. That’ll launch the Windows Security app.

3. Scroll to the “Virus & threat protection settings” part and choose Manage settings to open Windows Defender settings menu.

4. Scroll to the “Exclusions” part and choose Add or take away exclusions.

5. Select the Add an exclusion button.

6. Select File from the choices, because you’re making an attempt to stop Windows Security (or Windows Defender) from deleting a selected file sort.

7. Navigate to the folder or vacation spot the place the file is positioned in your pc and choose the file you need to cease Windows Defender or Windows Security from deleting. Select Open to proceed.

8. To cease Windows Defender from deleting a selected file sort or extension, choose File sort within the drop-down menu and enter the extension within the field.

Note: You can enter the file extension with or with out the previous interval (.). Say you need to cease Windows Security from flagging or deleting DLL recordsdata, you’ll be able to enter the file sort/extension as dll or .dll. For executable recordsdata (or exe recordsdata), sort exe or .exe into the dialog field.

9. Select Add to embody the file sort in Windows Defender’s exclusion record.

10. To exclude a selected course of, return to the “Exclusions” menu (see step #4), choose the Add an exclusion button, and choose Process.

11. Enter the method title and choose Add.

Quick Tip: Launch Task Manager and go to the Details tab to view a listing of all processes working in your Windows pc. Check the “Name” column for the title of every course of.

When you exclude a course of within the Windows Security settings, recordsdata opened by that specific course of can even be excluded throughout real-time safety. However, the method’ recordsdata gained’t be exempted throughout on-demand and scheduled scans.

You’ll discover excluded recordsdata, folders, file varieties, processes, and different gadgets within the Windows Security Exclusions web page—proper beneath the “Add an exclusion” button.

To take away an merchandise from the record, choose the file/file sort/course of, and choose Remove.

You ought to disable Windows Defender and use third-party antivirus applications if Windows Security retains deleting your recordsdata.

One More Thing: Disable Storage Sense in Windows

Storage Sense isn’t an antivirus. It’s a characteristic in Windows that frees up disk area by mechanically deleting recordsdata you haven’t used within the final 30 days. If your PC typically deletes recordsdata, and your antivirus program isn’t the perpetrator, think about disabling Storage Sense.

Note: Storage Sense doesn’t delete gadgets within the Downloads folder or gadgets saved by cloud storage providers like OneDrive.

Go to Settings > System > Storage and toggle off Storage Sense within the “Storage management” part.

There are lots of of antivirus software program on the market. If you don’t use any of the apps talked about above, contact the developer or examine the developer’s web site to learn the way to stop that antivirus from deleting recordsdata when scanning for malware.

Losing essential recordsdata will be horrible. If your antivirus deleted a file you haven’t added to its exception record, you’ll be able to all the time get again the file utilizing knowledge restoration software program.