The Best Lightweight Antivirus For Windows 7 in 2023 (Editor's Choices) (2023)

FAQs

The Best Lightweight Antivirus For Windows 7 in 2023 (Editor's Choices)? ›

Bitdefender Antivirus Free is probably the best choice for most users, thanks to an easy-to-use app that's light on resources and has excellent protection scores against malware. AVG, Microsoft Defender, Malwarebytes and Avast are all solid alternatives, but none is as good overall as Bitdefender.

Independent test lab AV-Comparatives has rated Avast “the antivirus with the lowest impact on PC performance.” Fast, light, and powerful, Avast ensures you don't have to sacrifice your Windows 7 PC's performance for world-class protection.

Microsoft Defender Antivirus is free and is included in Windows, always on and always working to protect your PC against malware.

Norton 360 — Best Antivirus Alternative to Microsoft's Windows Defender in 2023. Norton 360 is better than Windows Defender in every aspect — it has higher malware detection rates, better internet security protections, more additional features, and coverage for more platforms.

What Is the Lightest Free Antivirus? The lightest free antivirus software is Bitdefender, which uses up very little RAM while running in the background.

Bitdefender — Best Lightweight Antivirus in 2023. Its cloud-based malware scanner uses machine learning together with signature-based scanning technology, and it's one of the best on the market. It's fast, it doesn't cause any slowdown, and it detected 100% of the malware files during our stress-testing.

Is Microsoft Defender enough for personal use? Yes, Microsoft Defender is a good enough choice for basic protection against malware. However, if you want more rounded device protection against online threats, there are much better antivirus options available.

Comparison Results: Microsoft Defender has an edge in this comparison. According to reviews, it is more lightweight than Malwarebytes. To learn more, read our detailed Malwarebytes vs. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Report (Updated: May 2023).

What is the best all in one antivirus? ›

AV-Test is an independent organization which evaluates and rates antivirus and security software for Microsoft Windows and Android operating systems. According to AV-Test results, Bitdefender's anti-malware software had the least impact on system performance in 2022.

Windows 7 Ultimate is the, well, ultimate version of Windows 7, containing all the features available in Professional and Home Premium, plus BitLocker technology. Windows 7 Ultimate also has the largest language support.

Yes, Windows Defender is a good basic virus protection software. You may not find everything you want if you are extremely security focused. A third-party antivirus or anti-malware software will likely find threats that Windows Defender may miss.

CAUTION: Microsoft no longer supports Windows 7. x, Windows XP, or Windows Vista. Your PC could be at risk from new threats if you're using any of these Windows versions. McAfee strongly recommends that you upgrade your PC's operating system to a newer version as soon as possible.

Avast Free Antivirus really is free — you'll never need to pay for it and it'll provide you with essential online security and protection. If you're looking for more security and privacy features, our Avast Premium Security software is the right product for you.

Of the antivirus programs we tested, the lightest one is ESET Smart Security Premium which slowed our test laptop down by about 12% during active scans. ESET is also one of our picks for the best antivirus software overall.

Also known as rogue antivirus, fake antispyware, or smitfraud, fake antivirus software is malware that imitates real antivirus software by running phony security scans and displaying fake computer virus warnings on your device. Scammers design these warnings specifically to scare you.

Simply being cautious, using updated software, and using antivirus is enough to keep you safer while using Windows 7. However, the recommendation is still to upgrade to Windows 10 if possible.

How to speed up Windows 7? ›

Protection from unknown threats: While free antivirus solutions can protect against known viruses, most cannot detect unknown threats, or malicious files whose signatures the system has not yet identified. Most premium antivirus tools protect against both known and unknown or yet-known threats.

By using AI technology, IObit monitors device memory usage and optimizes RAM to improve your PC's overall system performance. IObit's malware protection is also effective, but if you're looking for an antivirus PC cleanup tool, I'd recommend either Avira or TotalAV — both have much more advanced anti-malware engines.

From then on, Microsoft changed the name from Windows Defender antivirus to Microsoft Defender antivirus. Today, Microsoft Defender antivirus is a platform-independent application and is available for several platforms, including Windows. You can also download it on your Android and iOS devices.

AV-Comparatives' October 2021 Performance Test found Microsoft Defender to have a much stronger effect on performance than AVG AntiVirus FREE — hindering usability when copying files, archiving and unarchiving data, and installing apps.

While McAfee is a good all-round product, Norton comes in at a similar price point with better protection scores and slightly more useful security features such as a VPN, webcam protection, and ransomware protection, so I would give Norton the edge.

All in all, Malwarebytes is a better antivirus solution than Microsoft Defender simply because it has much more to offer. This includes apps for all major OS, including Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. Plus, Malwarebytes offers tons of features — both basic and advanced ones — for more well-rounded protection.

You should be fine using either, although the extra features Malwarebytes has may catch your eye. If you do want extra protection, using Malwarebytes and Microsoft Defender together instead of using a different antivirus is definitely an option, but may not be necessary.

Norton has better malware protection, web security, features, and customer support. If you want the best antivirus suite in 2023, go with Norton.

What is the best antivirus for low end PC? ›

Support for Windows 7 ended on January 14, 2020

Microsoft Security Essentials reached end of service on January 14, 2020 and is no longer available as a download.

Keep Windows updated - Periodically, Microsoft releases special security updates that can help protect your PC. These updates can help prevent viruses and other malware attacks by closing possible security holes.

Open your Windows Security settings. Select Virus & threat protection > Scan options. Select Windows Defender Offline scan, and then select Scan now.

Microsoft is ending support for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 operating systems from January 10, 2023. Windows 7 was first released in 2009 as the successor to Windows Vista. Microsoft has announced that it is ending support for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 operating systems from January 10, 2023.

For how long will AVG continue to support Windows 7? Based on current user data, we intend to continue supporting Windows 7 for at least another 2 years from January 2020. However, this could change based on the number of users who continue to run Windows 7.

Can Windows 7 be upgraded to 10? ›

You can upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 7 or a later operating system. This includes upgrading from one release of Windows 10 to later release of Windows 10. Migrating from one edition of Windows 10 to a different edition of the same release is also supported.