Applies to: Sophos Home for MacOS
Computers running Sophos Home are protected by real-time features which will detect and stop threats as they try to access the system. If an infection is suspected, or if a threat was recently cleared, a manual scan can be performed to ensure the system is healthy.
Running a full system scan inspects all folders and files on the computer. The more files involved, the longer the scan will take. If using external drives, consider removing them, and scanning them later using right-click scan
Triggering a scan through the Sophos Home dashboard
NOTE: This scan requires the computer to be connected to the internet, as it will contact the Sophos Home Dashboard to initiate/process.
- Access your Sophos Home Dashboard
- Click the computer that you need to scan.
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Click the Scan button to start the scan on the computer.
Note: The message "If the device is offline, it will be scanned when it is back online." is a static message and will not change. It is just to let you know that "IF" your device is offline when you click the scan button, the scan will start next time your computer is back online.
If your device is currently online the scan will start after a few seconds. You can verify this by looking at the Sophos Home Shield in your menu bar and seeing if it is spinning.
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You will see an indication on the Shield that the scan has started and is in progress. You will also see the result when finished.
- Click on the Scan Complete message to access the Summary
Running a scan using the Sophos Home shield
NOTE: This scan does NOT require the computer to be connected to the internet. However, we recommend to connect it to receive the latest virus definitions.
- Click the Sophos Home shield on the Menu bar to open Sophos Home
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Click on the three dots on the upper-right side of the window and select Scan
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Tick Run Full Scan (A) and click Start Scan (B)
- You will see an indication on the Shield that the scan has started and is in progress. You will also see the result when finished.
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Click on the Scan Complete message to access the Summary
Scheduling scans
Scheduled scans will show on the Sophos Home dashboard on completion. The computer must be connected to the internet and not asleep for the scan to take place.
If the machine is offline/asleep, the scheduled scan will not go through. Another scan will be attempted on the next scheduled day/time.
- Sign in to your Sophos Home dashboard.
- Click the computer that you wish to scan.
- Navigate to PROTECTION ---> General --> Scheduled scan
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Click on the slider to enable the scan and choose the desired date/time.