3 Ways to Fix “Virus Scan Failed” Error in Google Chrome

Quick Tips

• In most cases, clearing browsing data or disabling extensions should help fix the “Virus scan failed” error in Chrome.
• Several users have managed to fix this error by modifying a few registry files on Windows.
• If nothing else works, consider resetting Google Chrome to its default settings.

Try Basic Fixes

• Disable antivirus temporarily: When an antivirus finds any threats with the file you’re trying to download, it might block it. Sometimes, it also blocks safe files, such as open-source applications. To allow the download, you might have to temporarily disable the antivirus program on your PC and try downloading the file again.
• Disable browser extensions: One of your extensions may be causing Chrome to show the “Virus scan failed” error. Type chrome://extensions in the URL bar and hit Enter. Then, disable all the extensions and see if that helps.

Fix 1: Clear Browsing Data

The “Virus scan failed” error can occur if the existing browsing data has become corrupt and conflicts with Chrome’s scanning operations. If that’s the case, purging the old browsing data will help.

Step 1: Press the Ctrl + Shift + Del shortcut to open the Clear Browsing Data panel.

Step 2: Use the Time range option to select All time from the drop-down menu. Mark the checkboxes that read Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files.

Step 3: Hit the Clear data button.

Fix 2: Modify Registry Files

Apart from the antivirus program, Windows also monitors and scans your downloads from the internet. If Windows encounters a problem while scanning your downloads, you may run into errors. To avoid this, you can bypass the scanning process temporarily by editing a few registry files.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R to launch the Run dialog box. Type regedit in the Open field and press Enter.

Step 2: Use the address bar at the top to navigate to the following entry.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies

Step 3: Expand Policies and look for the Attachments key. If you can’t find it, right-click on Policies, go to New > Key. Then, name it Attachments.

Step 4: Right-click on the Attachments entry, go to New, and choose DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name the new entry ScanWithAntiVirus.

Step 5: Double-click on the ScanWithAntiVirus key, change its value to 1, and hit OK.

Close the Registry Editor after this and restart your PC to apply the changes.

Fix 3: Reset Google Chrome

If nothing works, you might have to reset Chrome to its default settings. It’s important to know that resetting Chrome will remove all extensions and your settings preferences. So, make sure to use this as a last resort.

To reset Google Chrome:

Step 1: Type chrome://settings/reset in the address bar up top, and press Enter. Then, click on Restore settings to their original defaults.

Step 2: Click Reset Settings to confirm.