How to Update Your Virus Definitions in McAfee Total Protection

The importance of having updated virus definitions cannot be overstated enough. A program like McAfee Total Protection doesn’t just use these definitions during scans of your hard drive, but it also uses them as you browse the Internet under regular conditions as well. Having outdated virus definitions may cause the program to miss a malicious website containing spyware or other types of malware, which can then infect your computer. Updating your virus definitions in McAfee Total Protection will only take a few short moments of your time.

Step 1

Verify that the McAfee Total Protection software is running on your computer. A small “M” icon appears in the system tray of your computer’s taskbar whenever the program is running. If the “M” icon is not present in this location, use either the McAfee desktop icon or the McAfee “Start” menu icon to load the program. If the icon does appear in the system tray, double click on it to open the main McAfee Total Protection program window.

Step 2

Click once on the tab labeled “Home” on the left side of the screen. A series of general options in regards to the program will open in the main program window.

Step 3

Click the option labeled “Update” directly beneath the “Protection Status” option. Both of these options are located in the “Home” section of the window on screen.

Step 4

Click the button labeled “Update” in the main portion of the window. McAfee Total Protection will now use your Internet connection to download any virus definition updates that are available. You will receive a message indicating the completion of the process once the updated definitions have downloaded and installed. Performing a full system scan of your computer now that the definitions have been updated will result in a much more accurate and thorough search of your hard drive for viruses and other types of malicious software.