Scanning Mac for viruses/malware after file transfer

Hi,


I recently became a bit paranoid with viruses/malware and would greatly appreciate any input. I bought my mac last year and did a file transfer from my previous mac air. When i checked the apps that were installed, there were several which i didn't recognise and seemed pretty random so i moved them to the bin straight away. I know that mac has its own version of these scanners that automatically run in the background but i was wondering if theres a proper way to scan for any viruses or bugs that might be on my laptop? Ive attached a photo of the apps which I move to the bin and would love if you guys could point out any dodgy apps that you see.



[Edited by Moderator]

Posted on Jun 15, 2026 2:48 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jun 15, 2026 3:52 PM

I don't see anything in your list that has been identified as a Virus/Malware, although many would consider CleanMyMac to be Malware but that would have been downloaded on the old Mac and transferred to your computer. It is a utility still available today, but around here it is known as BrickMyMac due to the amount of trouble it has caused users and the amount of time spent on this Support Site helping people remove it. The files in your list are quite old and you just need to delete them after they were transferred to your new Mac.


Mac OS already performs scans of files like you indicated in your post, including when there is a file change. Beyond the regularly scheduled scans, there are 3 conditions when a scan is performed instantly.

  • An app is first launched
  • An app has been changed (in the file system)
  • XProtect signatures are updated

Protecting against malware in macOS - Apple Support


And then here is more details on when the regularly scheduled scans are performed.

  • Fast Scan every 6 hours
  • Standard Scan every 24 hours
  • Slow Scan every 7 days

https://eclecticlight.co/2025/02/05/watch-your-background-scheduling-xprotect-remediator-scans/


New virus definitions used in those checks are updated automatically. The most recent one is version 5437 that downloaded on 6/2/26. You can check if you have that one by holding the Option key and clicking the Apple button in the upper left and choosing System Information. Select Installations in the Sidebar and scroll all the way down to the last XProtectPlistConfigData install you see.

4 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jun 15, 2026 3:52 PM in response to grindlife

I don't see anything in your list that has been identified as a Virus/Malware, although many would consider CleanMyMac to be Malware but that would have been downloaded on the old Mac and transferred to your computer. It is a utility still available today, but around here it is known as BrickMyMac due to the amount of trouble it has caused users and the amount of time spent on this Support Site helping people remove it. The files in your list are quite old and you just need to delete them after they were transferred to your new Mac.


Mac OS already performs scans of files like you indicated in your post, including when there is a file change. Beyond the regularly scheduled scans, there are 3 conditions when a scan is performed instantly.

  • An app is first launched
  • An app has been changed (in the file system)
  • XProtect signatures are updated

Protecting against malware in macOS - Apple Support


And then here is more details on when the regularly scheduled scans are performed.

  • Fast Scan every 6 hours
  • Standard Scan every 24 hours
  • Slow Scan every 7 days

https://eclecticlight.co/2025/02/05/watch-your-background-scheduling-xprotect-remediator-scans/


New virus definitions used in those checks are updated automatically. The most recent one is version 5437 that downloaded on 6/2/26. You can check if you have that one by holding the Option key and clicking the Apple button in the upper left and choosing System Information. Select Installations in the Sidebar and scroll all the way down to the last XProtectPlistConfigData install you see.

Scanning Mac for viruses/malware after file transfer

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