---
title: How to scan software with VirusTotal
url: https://photostructure.com/guide/scan-for-viruses/
date: 2022-06-05
keywords: troubleshooting, installation, Windows, macOS
---


{{% note %}}
Please scan _any_ software for malware before installing.
{{% /note %}}

PhotoStructure, Inc. only recommends software that we've either audited (like third-party libraries in the PhotoStructure product), or that we've scanned for malware and regularly run on our own systems.

Unfortunately, sites can get [hacked](https://www.welivesecurity.com/2016/08/30/osxkeydnap-spreads-via-signed-transmission-application/) at any time, so **another layer of security is a good idea**.

## 🛡️ Consider using VirusTotal

VirusTotal, a website run by Chronicle Security, a subsidiary of Google, is

- free to use,

- doesn't require any software to be installed on your computer, and

- uses 50+ different antivirus engines simultaneously, so you can check for false positives.

## What's a false positive?

Virus and malware detection isn't perfect:

- software that is **actually clean** may be marked as containing malware. This is called a ["false positive"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_positives_and_false_negatives#False_positive_error).

- Similarly, some security vendors **may not detect malware** and declare malware as being safe. This is called a ["false negative"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_positives_and_false_negatives#False_negative_error).

Both situations are bad, but this is why VirusTotal is useful:

- If all 50 antivirus vendors say a file is clean, _it may be clean_, but newer viruses may evade detection. Only download and run software from domains that you trust, and always have offline backups to ensure against [cryptolockers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CryptoLocker).

- If 10+ antivirus vendors say a file has a virus, _it almost certainly does_.

- If only a couple vendors mark a file as suspect, _it may be a false positive_. Click "Reanalyze file", check the VirusTotal's "Community Score," and do more research about the domain and developer, if you can.

## 🦠 To use VirusTotal

1. Download the software you're going to install

2. Visit <https://virustotal.com/>

3. Either drag and drop the installer you downloaded onto that browser page, or click "Choose file", and select the installer you just downloaded.

You should see a report like this:

{{< figure src="/img/2022/05/virustotal.png" caption="You want all green balls" >}}

If your report has any detections, especially if it's software that we've linked to, please hop into the [forum](https://forum.photostructure.com) or [discord](/go/discord) so we can take a look.