Top Ways to Detect Malware on Your Mac in 2025

You’ve probably heard the myth that Macs are immune to viruses — I used to believe that too. But the truth is, while macOS has solid built-in security, it’s not invincible. Macs can get infected with malware. In this post, we’ll explore the common signs of infection, how to scan your Mac for viruses, and how to remove malware — both manually and with trusted tools.

Is It a Virus or Just a Bug? How Malware Affects Your Mac

Mac viruses are a form of malware designed specifically to target macOS. While some cause minor annoyances, others can seriously compromise your privacy and security. For instance, browser hijackers redirect your searches to unwanted third-party sites, and adware floods your screen with endless pop-ups and banners. More dangerously, ransomware can lock your files by encrypting them, demanding a payment for access. And spyware quietly runs in the background, tracking your activity and stealing sensitive data without your knowledge.

How to Tell If Your Mac Has a Virus

Before diving into how to detect malware on your Mac, it’s important to recognize the common warning signs of an infection. One of the clearest indicators is a noticeable slowdown in performance. However, don’t jump to conclusions just yet — sluggishness can also be caused by things like low memory or apps that consume a lot of resources. Alongside a lagging system, malware infections often bring other symptoms such as:

If you notice these symptoms on your Mac, it’s a good idea to run a virus scan right away.

How to Automatically Scan Your Mac for Viruses and Malware

My top choice for detecting and removing viruses is CleanMyMac. It effectively handles all kinds of malware and is a powerful, all-in-one tool to keep your Mac running smoothly. This app cleans out harmful files, junk, and anything slowing down your system—all while protecting your important data.

Here’s how to scan your Mac for viruses using CleanMyMac:

1. Download and launch CleanMyMac.
2. Select Protection from the right-hand menu.
3. Click Scan to start the process.
4. The scan may take a few minutes. If any threats are detected, click Remove right away to get rid of them.

How to Manually Check and Detect Malware on Your Mac

Manual threat detection takes a while longer. You’ll need to run several built-in Mac tools and clean up various folders.

Use Activity Monitor to Spot Suspicious Activity

To manually check for malware, begin with Activity Monitor, a built-in macOS app that shows all active processes. You’re looking for anything suspicious—often, malware uses an unusually high amount of CPU, memory, or energy.

Here’s how to use it:

If you find something malicious, select it and click the X icon in the toolbar to force quit it.

1. Open Activity Monitor from Applications > Utilities.
2. Review each tab: CPU, Memory, Energy, Disk, and Network.
3. Sort processes by resource usage by clicking the column headers (e.g., %CPU).
4. Look for unfamiliar or oddly named processes—especially those using a lot of resources.
5. Search the names online to verify if they’re legitimate.

Keep in mind that force-quitting a malicious process won’t remove the malware—it simply stops it temporarily, giving you some time to investigate further.

Also, not all malware is easy to detect. Some threats are designed to hide themselves from tools like Activity Monitor, so they may go unnoticed.

For continuous monitoring and real-time alerts about suspicious activity, consider using dedicated tools.

One great option is App Tamer, which keeps an eye on CPU usage. If any process starts consuming an unusual amount of CPU, you’ll get a notification. This can help you quickly spot potential malware that’s hogging system resources.

Another useful tool is iStat Menus, which offers a broader range of system monitoring. Unlike App Tamer, it tracks multiple metrics, including memory usage, disk activity, battery health, and sensor temperatures. You can configure custom alerts for any of these metrics—such as high memory pressure or rising temperatures. While the app offers suggested thresholds, you’re free to set your own. This way, you’ll receive immediate notifications if something abnormal occurs, giving you a chance to respond before it becomes a serious issue.

Uninstall suspicious apps

Malware can sometimes pose as a legitimate app, even using common file extensions like .dmg. It’s important to check if your Mac is unknowingly harboring one of these disguised threats.

1. Open Finder and navigate to the Applications folder. Sort the apps by Date Modified so the most recently added ones appear at the top.

2. Carefully scan the list for any applications you don’t recognize or didn’t install yourself. If something looks suspicious, drag it to the Trash.

3. Next, clean up any leftover files. In Finder, click Go in the menu bar and select Go to Folder…. Then, check the following folders one at a time for files related to the suspicious app (they’ll often have similar names):

• ~/Library/Application Support
• ~/Library/Preferences
• ~/Library/LaunchAgents

4. Delete any associated files you find, then don’t forget to empty the Trash to completely remove the malware.

Be cautious not to delete essential system files or those belonging to legitimate apps — removing them could cause your Mac to malfunction. For detailed steps, check out our guide on how to safely delete apps on a Mac.

Keep in mind that Finder can only remove apps that aren’t currently running. And with malware, quitting the app can be tricky. Malicious software often hides in the background and may not show up in Activity Monitor or even in the Force Quit menu. In these cases, use CleanMyMac. Navigate to: Applications > Scan > Manage My Applications > Uninstaller Then, select the suspicious app and click Uninstall.

Delete suspicious login items and profiles

Some malware can sneak into your system by setting itself to launch automatically when your Mac starts up. To check for suspicious login items: Go to Apple menu > System Settings > General > Login Items. Review the list carefully. If you see any items you don’t recognize or didn’t add yourself, click the minus (–) button to remove them.

Keep in mind, some viruses are sneaky and might not appear in the Login Items list. In fact, malware often disguises itself as launch agents — small background apps that manage processes without showing up visibly.

Luckily, CleanMyMac is good at detecting these hidden threats. To remove them: Open CleanMyMac > Performance > Scan, then click View All Tasks > Login Items. From there, review the list, select any suspicious entries, and click Remove to eliminate them.

Another important spot to check for malware is the Profiles section. You can find it by going to Apple menu > System Settings > Privacy & Security > Profiles (located at the bottom).

Profiles are configuration settings that define certain rules for how your Mac operates. These can be either helpful or harmful. For instance, a company-issued profile might enforce regular password changes — that’s a good one. But a malicious profile could reroute your internet traffic through a proxy server to steal personal information.

Carefully review any installed profiles, and if you spot one that looks suspicious or unfamiliar, remove it — but only if you’re certain it’s not needed.

Run an antivirus scan on Mac using the built-in tool

At this stage, you might be wondering if Macs come with an app that can automatically scan your computer for viruses. The short answer is no. Here’s the longer explanation.

Macs have a robust, multi-layered security system that includes a built-in antivirus feature called XProtect. However, XProtect doesn’t have a user interface, so you can’t manually run a virus scan with it. Instead, it works silently in the background and automatically activates when you open an app it detects as malicious, prompting you to remove the threat.

To stay protected, make sure your system updates are always current. Go to System Settings > General > Software Updates > Automatic Updates and ensure the Install Security Responses and system files option is turned on.

Note: While the built-in Mac antivirus, XProtect, offers a solid layer of protection, it doesn’t guard against all advanced threats. For comprehensive security, using third-party antivirus software is usually necessary.

Remove Downloaded and Temporary Data

The next step in manually neutralizing malware is to clean up your Downloads (because malicious files can hide there and even have a .dmg extension) and Temporary Files.

Next, manually remove any suspicious files from your Downloads folder (malware often hides there, sometimes as .dmg files) and clear out temporary files.

To clean your Downloads folder:

1. Open Finder and go to Downloads.
2. Delete any files that look unfamiliar or suspicious.

To remove temporary files:

1. Open Terminal (in Finder > Applications > Utilities).
2. Enter open $TMPDIR and press Enter.
3. In the Finder window that appears, delete the folders you see.

Temporary files are generally safe to delete, but if you’re unsure, consider using a trusted cleanup tool instead.

Check browser extensions

Finally, inspect your browser extensions, as malicious ones can flood you with ads, alter your homepage, or harvest personal data.

Go through each extension in all your browsers and remove any that look suspicious, unnecessary, or that you didn’t install yourself.

Safari

Open Safari and click Safari in the top-left menu. Select Preferences, then go to the Extensions tab. Find the extension you want to remove, select it, and click Uninstall.

Chrome

Open Chrome and enter chrome://extensions in the address bar.

Or, click the three dots in the top-right corner, select Extensions > Manage extensions, and click Remove on any unwanted extension.

Firefox

Open Firefox and enter about:addons in the address bar.

Or, click the ☰ menu in the top-right, select Add-ons and Themes, then choose Extensions on the left.

To delete an extension, click the three dots next to it and choose Remove.

How to scan your Mac for viruses online

If you see a web-based “Scan Your Mac for Viruses” offer, beware—it’s a scam. Effective and secure full-disk scans require software running locally on your Mac. Online tools can’t access your file system completely, so they can’t deliver a real virus check. For true protection, use reputable antivirus software installed directly on your Mac.

How to protect your data from Mac viruses

Now that you know how to scan for and remove malware on your Mac, the next step is learning how to prevent infections and safeguard your data. Here are the essential strategies.

Back up your Mac

Backing up your entire Mac or key files is essential. You can do this using the built-in Time Machine app. Follow these steps to back up your Mac:

1. Connect a portable hard drive.
2. Go to the Apple menu > System Settings > General > Time Machine.
3. Add a backup disk and follow the instructions.

Time Machine works if you have no alternative, but its backups aren’t highly compressed and can consume a lot of space. Additionally, it defaults to backing up your entire Mac, so you’ll need to adjust its settings if you want to back up only specific files.

Regularly update software and operating system

Keeping your software up-to-date ensures you benefit from the latest security patches. I recommend enabling automatic updates for both macOS and your apps:

1. Click the i icon and toggle on all options in this window.
2. Open System Settings.
3. Go to General > Software Updates > Automatic Updates.

Use Firewall and other security measures

Often, the simplest steps can prevent the biggest headaches. Here’s a quick action you can take right now—under 30 seconds—to boost your Mac’s protection.

1. Navigate to the Apple Menu > System Settings > Network.
2. Go to Firewall settings and ensure it’s turned on.

Stay alert to new virus threats and updates

Finally, stay informed about emerging Mac virus threats by subscribing to one or two reputable cybersecurity newsletters or websites. That’s all you need.

How to scan Mac for virus: Solved

If your Mac becomes infected, you have two main approaches: remove the virus manually or rely on a third-party malware scanner. Thanks to macOS’s robust built-in security, simply deleting the suspicious app (along with any related files or malicious browser extensions) can often be enough.

If you need a more thorough cleanup, or if the built-in tools miss something, try CleanMyMac—a comprehensive Mac care app that includes a powerful malware scanner. It will scan your entire system, identify threats, and remove them completely.

Additionally, iStat Menus and App Tamer are excellent for monitoring your Mac’s health and performance. They notify you when resource usage spikes—often a sign of malware—and help pinpoint the problem process.

All of these apps are available through Setapp, alongside dozens of other macOS and iOS utilities. You can try any of them free for 7 days, with no restrictions or ads.

FAQs

Is There a Built-In Virus Scanner on macOS?

Indeed, Macs include a built-in virus protection system called XProtect. It operates silently in the background without any visible user interface or manual intervention.

Is Your Mac Vulnerable to Viruses?

Absolutely—despite its built-in security measures, a Mac can still become infected with malware.

Can MacBooks catch viruses from websites?

Yes, Macs can get malware from websites, particularly when downloading infected files, falling victim to phishing scams, or exploiting browser vulnerabilities.

Can a Mac have a virus without showing any symptoms?

Yes, a virus can exist on a Mac without obvious symptoms. Some malware operates quietly in the background to steal your data. To keep your Mac secure, install CleanMyMac and perform regular malware scans.