In this article, you will learn how to use Surfshark's External storage scans feature on your Windows or macOS device.
Before we begin, make sure you have an active Surfshark subscription, which includes the Antivirus. You can purchase it on our pricing page.
This article covers:
What is the External storage scan feature?
This feature immediately scans USB media when it is connected to a device so that malware can be blocked instantly. As long as this feature is enabled, it will activate automatically.
This feature comes in especially handy if you wish to configure whether you'd like to scan large external devices, such as Synology NAS, HDD (Hard disk drive) or similar.
This feature is available on both Windows and macOS devices.
How to use Surfshark's External storage scan
External storage scan is really easy to use. Once enabled, it activates automatically whenever an external storage device, such as a USB, is plugged into your macOS or Windows device.
- Open the Antivirus menu on the left, scroll down, and toggle the External storage scans switch to the on position.
- Once enabled, you'll see a pop-up at the bottom-right of your screen – to proceed, click Scan.
Alternatively, you can click Don't scan to not scan the currently plugged-in storage device. If you select No, don't ask again, you will no longer be suggested to scan external storage. - Once the scan is in progress, you'll see the following:
It is highly recommended not to eject the external storage device while it's being scanned. - Once the scan is complete, you'll be notified whether your external storage device has any threats.
In case it does, you'll be notified of it by the following pop-up. All threats will be placed in quarantine. Click on review threats to act on the quarantined files.
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