Malicious programs are a serious threat to your data. Viruses, worms and Trojans lurk on the Internet, in e-mail attachments and on websites, just waiting to nest in your system. Many malware programs hide in the Windows autostart. This is a good hiding place, because many virus scanners do not detect the malicious program there when Windows starts. With the free “Autoruns” tool from Microsoft, you can not only clean out Windows Autostart, but also check all programs for S
Are there malicious programs hiding in your system startup? The “Autoruns” tool finds them all!
Worried that malware is hiding in your Windows startup? Microsoft's free Autoruns tool reveals every program that launches automatically – a favourite hiding spot for viruses and Trojans that ordinary scanners often miss. Turn on the VirusTotal check, run a rescan, and entries flagged in red signal possible threats. A quick monthly scan keeps Windows faster and far more secure.
4 Min. reading time
13 May 2026
