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Connect the USB drive without opening it, dismiss any AutoPlay prompt, and scan the entire removable drive from File Explorer before you view a file. In Windows 10 or 11, right-click the drive, choose Scan or Scan with Microsoft Defender (the wording depends on your security software), and wait for the result. Keep real-time protection and security-intelligence updates enabled. Treat a drive from an unknown person, a found drive, or a public computer as hostile until a scan is clear.
The safe order of operations
A USB scan is useful only if it happens before you open content that could execute code. The safest sequence is:
- Start with real-time protection enabled and security intelligence up to date.
- Insert the drive, but do not open it, browse its folders, preview files, or accept an AutoPlay prompt.
- Run a scan of the whole removable drive.
- Wait for the scan to finish and follow the security product’s quarantine or removal instructions.
- Open files only after the result is clear, and remain cautious with executable, Office, and PDF files from an unfamiliar source.
Microsoft warns that some malware spreads by copying itself to USB flash drives and other removable drives. A drive can therefore be dangerous even when you did not download anything yourself.
Before you connect an unfamiliar USB drive
Decide whether you should handle it yourself
A found drive or one that came from a public computer should be treated as suspect. If it may contain business, financial, medical, or confidential information, follow your organization’s incident-response procedure instead of connecting it to your everyday computer. An IT or security team can examine it on an isolated system and preserve evidence without exposing your workstation.
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For a personal computer, make sure you have saved your work and that your antivirus is active. Do not use an administrator account for routine browsing or file handling; Microsoft recommends a non-administrator account for normal work because it limits what malicious software can change.
Check Windows Security first
On Windows 11, open Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection. On Windows 10, open Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection.
- Under virus and threat-protection settings, confirm Real-time protection is on.
- Open Protection updates and select Check for updates. Let Windows install the latest security intelligence before scanning.
- If another antivirus product is your active provider, use its scan command instead. Windows Security may show that Microsoft Defender is not the active antivirus when a third-party product has taken over.
Real-time protection watches files as they are accessed, but it is not a substitute for deliberately scanning the entire drive. The manual scan gives you a clear result for the removable device before you start using its contents.
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Scan the entire USB drive in File Explorer
Method 1: use the drive’s context menu
- Insert the USB drive. If Windows displays an AutoPlay window, close it without selecting an action.
- Press Windows key + E to open File Explorer.
- Select This PC in the navigation pane. Identify the removable drive by its label and capacity; do not assume the first drive letter is the USB device.
- Right-click the removable drive. Select Scan or Scan with Microsoft Defender. If the command is hidden, choose Show more options first, then select the scan command.
- Allow the scan to examine the whole drive. Do not open another File Explorer window for the USB while the scan is running.
- Read the result. If a threat is found, choose the product’s recommended quarantine or removal action and leave the flagged item unopened.
Microsoft describes the essential action this way: “Open File Explorer. Right-click the removable drive. Select Scan or Scan with <your security software’s name>.” The exact label varies with the installed security product and Windows build.
Method 2: run a Custom scan when the menu command is missing
A missing context-menu entry does not mean the drive is safe. It can indicate that the active antivirus does not add a shell command, that Microsoft Defender is disabled by another antivirus, or that the command is hidden in the modern Windows menu.
- Open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection.
- Select Scan options.
- Choose Custom scan, then select Scan now.
- In the folder picker, select the USB drive’s root (the drive itself, not just a single folder) and start the scan.
If a different antivirus is active, open that product from its notification-area icon or Start-menu entry and choose its custom or removable-drive scan. Do not run two real-time antivirus engines at the same time unless the vendor explicitly supports that configuration.
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Scan a particular file or folder a second time
After a clean full-drive scan, you can check a specific item again if it is especially sensitive or if another person sent it separately. In File Explorer, right-click the file or folder, choose Show more options, and select Scan with Microsoft Defender (or the equivalent command from your antivirus).
This is a narrower check than scanning the drive. A file-only scan does not establish that other folders, hidden files, or boot-related content on the USB are clean, so it should not replace the initial whole-drive scan.
What to do while the scan runs
- Do not double-click a file to “test” it.
- Do not enable macros, editing, or other active content in an Office document.
- Do not run an executable, installer, script, shortcut, or batch file from the drive.
- Do not open a PDF merely because it appears to be a document; an unfamiliar PDF can still contain malicious content or exploit a vulnerable reader.
- Do not copy the drive’s contents to another location until the scan has completed.
A clean scan reduces risk but does not create trust in the person or source that supplied the drive. If the files are unexpected, verify them through a separate communication channel before using them.
Interpret the result and handle a detection
No threats found
A “no threats found” result means the scanner did not identify known or detectable malware at that time. Keep real-time protection on while you work with the files. If the drive came from an unknown or public source, open only the specific files you need, and avoid executable, Office, and PDF files unless you can verify their origin.
Threat quarantined or removed
Accept the security product’s quarantine or removal recommendation. Do not restore the item simply because you recognize its filename. Record the detection name if you need to report it, then eject the drive safely. If the files are important, obtain clean copies from a trusted source rather than attempting to repair the infected copy yourself.
The scan cannot clean the drive
Leave the USB disconnected after the result is displayed. If the drive belongs to an organization, contact its security or IT team. For personal data that is not worth preserving, reformatting the drive after confirming that no files are needed removes ordinary file-based malware, but reformatting is not a substitute for investigating a potentially infected computer or a suspicious incident.
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Keep removable-drive protection enabled
Enable removable-drive scanning for full scans when available
Windows Security and managed Defender configurations can provide a setting to include removable drives in a full scan. In Windows Security, open Virus & threat protection > Manage settings and look for the removable-drive scanning option exposed by your Windows edition and security policy. Turn it on if it is available. On managed computers, an administrator may control the setting centrally, so a local switch can be absent or locked.
This setting affects scheduled or full-scan coverage. It does not remove the need to run a manual scan immediately when you connect an unknown drive.
Keep security intelligence current
Return to Virus & threat protection > Protection updates and use Check for updates before scanning a drive that may contain a new threat. Leave Windows Update enabled so the antivirus engine and its signatures continue to receive fixes.
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Turn off AutoRun and AutoPlay
AutoRun and AutoPlay can cause Windows to present or launch actions as soon as removable media is connected. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recommends disabling both features for removable media.
Windows 11
- Open Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > AutoPlay.
- Turn off Use AutoPlay for all media and devices.
- Review any per-device defaults shown on that page and set them to Take no action where the option is available.
Windows 10
- Open Start > Settings > Devices > AutoPlay.
- Turn off Use AutoPlay for all media and devices.
- Set removable-drive behavior to Take no action if Windows displays that choice.
Disabling AutoPlay does not scan a drive and does not make its files trustworthy. It simply removes an automatic trigger so you can initiate the scan yourself.
Extra caution for drives from public computers
A USB stick used in a library, hotel, school, print shop, or another shared computer deserves the same treatment as a found drive. Do not infer safety from a familiar folder name, a company logo, or a document extension. Malware can hide files, add misleading shortcuts, or copy itself alongside legitimate documents.
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- Scan before browsing the root of the drive.
- Do not enable macros or active content in Office documents.
- Do not run programs, installers, scripts, or shortcuts from the device.
- Use a non-administrator Windows account.
- Keep Windows, the document viewer, and other software patched.
If your organization provides a dedicated kiosk or malware-analysis workstation, use that environment rather than a computer that has access to sensitive networks.
When the computer itself may be infected
A normal in-Windows scan can be interfered with by malware that is already running. Warning signs include repeated detections, security settings that turn themselves off, unexplained administrator changes, or a drive that infects more than one computer. Disconnect the computer from sensitive networks according to your organization’s policy and do not continue opening files from the USB.
Use Microsoft Defender Offline from Windows
- Open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options.
- Select Microsoft Defender Offline scan, then choose Scan now.
- Save your work first. Windows will restart and scan outside the normal desktop environment.
- After Windows starts again, review the result in Protection history.
The offline scan is a recovery step for the computer, not a replacement for the initial removable-drive scan. It is useful when a running infection may be hiding from an in-OS scan.
Create offline media only on a clean computer
Microsoft cautions that malware can interfere with creation of rescue media. If you create bootable Microsoft Defender Offline media, do so on a computer you have good reason to believe is not infected. A USB drive used for that media is reformatted; all existing data on it is erased. Use a blank drive or back up its contents before creating the media, and never use the suspicious drive as the rescue-media target.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Protection in managed organizations
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint can apply controls beyond the personal Windows Security interface. An administrator can enable real-time scanning of removable storage and use an attack-surface-reduction rule that blocks untrusted and unsigned processes from running from USB devices. These policies are appropriate when an organization needs consistent enforcement across many computers.
Do not change a company policy to make a drive easier to open. Ask the security team for an approved transfer method or an exception that is logged and reviewed.
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Which scan should you use?
| Option | Coverage | When to use it | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole-drive manual scan | Checks the removable drive and its folders | Every unknown, found, or public-source drive before opening files | Must be started by the user and allowed to finish |
| Single-file or folder scan | Checks only the selected item | Second opinion for a particular document or folder | Does not establish that the rest of the drive is clean |
| Real-time protection | Monitors files as they are accessed | Leave enabled during normal use and while handling removable media | Not a deliberate full-drive verification |
| Full scan with removable drives included | Extends a full scan to removable storage when the setting is enabled | Routine scheduled or full-scan coverage | Availability and control vary by Windows edition and policy |
| Microsoft Defender Offline | Boot-time scan of the computer outside the normal Windows session | Suspected infection, repeated detections, or security settings being disabled | Requires a restart; rescue media reformats its target drive |
| Managed Defender for Endpoint policy | Centralized removable-storage scanning and process controls | Business or institutional fleets | Requires administrator configuration |
Troubleshooting common problems
There is no “Scan” option
Choose Show more options in the Windows 11 context menu, or use the Custom scan path in Windows Security. If another antivirus is active, use its own removable-drive or custom-scan command. A missing menu item is an interface issue, not evidence that the drive is safe.
The drive opens automatically
Close the window without selecting a file, turn off AutoPlay using the Settings path above, eject the drive, and reconnect it. If a program launched or a warning appeared, stop using the computer for sensitive work and run a full security scan.
The scan is unusually slow
Large drives, many small files, compressed archives, and older USB connections can all increase scan time. Do not cancel simply because progress pauses on one file. Keep the computer powered, avoid opening the drive, and let the security product finish. If the scan repeatedly fails at the same location, disconnect the device and ask IT or a security professional to examine it.
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A detection returns after removal
Disconnect the USB drive, run a full scan of the computer, and then use Microsoft Defender Offline if the computer shows signs of compromise. Do not reconnect the drive to other computers while the issue is unresolved.
Windows cannot read the drive
Do not initialize or format an unknown drive merely to make it accessible. If its contents matter, stop and use an approved recovery or incident-response process. If it is disposable and no data is needed, replace it rather than experimenting on a computer that contains sensitive information.
Quick Recap
A practical checklist
- Real-time protection is on.
- Security intelligence has been updated.
- AutoPlay is disabled or set to take no action.
- The removable drive is identified in This PC without opening its files.
- A whole-drive scan has completed.
- Any detection has been quarantined or removed, not opened or restored.
- Office, PDF, executable, script, and shortcut files from an unknown source remain untrusted until their source is verified.
- If the computer may already be infected, it has been isolated and checked with an offline scan or your organization’s response process.
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