The Best Free Spyware Removal Tools

Spyware is a form of malware that tries to steal information from you without you knowing or approving. It could be disguised as a legitimate program or work behind the scenes to do things like track web browsing data or monitor keystrokes to collect passwords.

You might have a spyware infection if your computer's performance has recently started to suffer, and especially if strange pop-ups are showing up, websites are redirecting to places you don't want to go, email contacts are getting odd spam messages that appear to be from you, or you're a victim of identify theft.

Below are several free anti-spyware tools that can scan your hard drive, flash drive, external hard drive, etc. to remove spyware. Some of them only work when you manually start the scan but others will monitor your computer all the time to make sure spyware can't modify your computer or monitor your information.

Note: All the programs mentioned below are known to scan for spyware but they might not scan for other things like viruses. Other scanners remove some kinds of malware but not spyware, so we've omitted those from this list.

Important: Spyware is often bundled with a normal program's installer. See How to Safely Download & Install Software for some tips on avoiding spyware in the first place.

1.SUPERAntiSpyware

SUPERAntiSpyware should be your very first pick if you want to get rid spyware that's already on your computer. It updates often, installs and scans quickly, and gives you complete control over what gets scanned.

It's able to check inside ZIP files, skip unknown file types (for a quicker scan), ignore files bigger than 4 MB, and skip over non-executable files (so that only EXEs and similar file types are scanned).

What really makes SUPERAntiSpyware stand out among the others in this list is that it can also be set up to only scan files that have been changed within the last so-many days (1 day, 5 days, etc.), ignore System Restore and Volume Information data, use more of the CPU for a faster scan (called Scan Boost), and even scan the files that shortcuts point to.

SUPERAntiSpyware can scan the whole computer or just parts of it where spyware normally exists. You can also run a Critical Point Scan to delete spyware that's currently running in memory or use the Custom Scan option to pick what gets scanned and where to check (flash drives, internal/external hard drives, select folders, etc.).

This anti-spyware tool can also delete temporary Windows files before the scan is started, exclude folders from scans, scan from the right-click context menu, and close down any open web browsers before scanning.

Download SUPERAntiSPyware

The free version is 100% free but you do have to manually run scans and definition updates (they don't happen automatically). However, these limitations are lifted with the professional version.

Tip: If you want to try the professional edition, you can enable the trial during installation of the free version. More »

2.Malwarebytes

Malwarebytes is another big-hitter when it comes to cleaning up spyware. It's easy to use and tends to find a lot more malicious items than similar programs.

It scans through registry values and keys, files, and running processes, plus includes a heuristics analyzer to find potentially unwanted programs.

When the scan is complete, it's really easy to tell where the spyware was found, and selecting the ones to quarantine is just a click or two away.

Malwarebytes can also scan individual files and folders as well as whole hard drives, with the right-click context menu in Windows Explorer. There's an option to scan within archives, ignore certain files/folders, and to scan for rootkits too.

Download Malwarebytes

Automatic updates, a more detailed scanning schedule, and automatic quarantine is only available in the premium version. You can start a trial from the top of the free version. More »

3.Avast Free Antivirus

Avast can detect and remove spyware before you even know it's on your computer. What makes it different than the two from above is that it's always on and always watching for new threats.

There are lots of settings you can adjust in Avast, like to enable CyberCapture to block unrecognized files, use Hardened Mode to really lock down on security, scan for potentially unwanted programs, scan from Windows Explorer, exclude files/folders/URLs from scans, and lots more.

Download Avast Free Antivirus

Also included in Avast is a Wi-Fi inspector, VPN client, junk cleaner, software updater, and web and mail protection

Avast sells paid antivirus programs but also offers this free one, all of which provide anti-spyware protection.  More »

4.AVG AntiVirus Free

AVG is another popular antivirus program that serves as a full malware scanner, checking for and removing not only spyware but also ransomware, viruses, and more... all automatically and for free.

AVG provides not only protection for your computer but also for your web activity and email. You can perform a full system scan, a boot-time scan, or a custom scan, but there's also a dedicated button that instantly starts a check for spyware on all your removable devices.

Another unique feature in AVG is its Deep Scan option that runs a much slower but also more thorough scan, a good option if nothing else seems to get rid of the spyware. You can configure it to recognize files by their content and not their extension, which is ideal if the spyware is using a hidden/false file extension.

The Deep Scan option can also open and scan through over 20 archive file types, much more than most other spyware scanners that usually just support the popular ones (ZIP and RAR).

Download AVG AntiVirus Free

Something else worth mentioning about AVG is its ability to scan through files in the order that they exist on the hard drive, which can speed up scanning since it's not performing an unnecessary number of HDD seeks. More »

5.Adaware

Adware is another anti-spyware program that actively blocks new threats as well as scans the computer for existing ones. It has a clean, new design and isn't hard to use.

This program is unlike some anti-spyware tools because it does update on its own and can even run a full system scan on a schedule.

While it doesn't provide an active web, email, or network protection, when it comes to spyware, you can be confident that it will do everything it can to stop and remove those threats.

Like most always-on antimalware programs, Adaware supports silent/gaming mode and exclusions. It can also scan boot sectors, rootkits, archives, processes, cookies, and registry items.

Download Adaware

Note: Several additional features that are in other editions of Adaware are not included in this free version; you can see what they are here. More »