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Applicable for: Mac

Manage Norton Real-Time Protection settings on Mac

Default settings are recommended for most users. If you want to turn off a feature temporarily, turn it on as soon as possible.

To change Real-Time Protection settings:

  1. Open your Norton device security product.

  2. On the left pane, click Security.

  3. In the Security dashboard, in the Antivirus tile, click Open.

  4. In the Real-Time Protection tab, enable or disable the slider next to each setting to specify your preferred options:

    • Auto-Protect: Checks for malware each time you or an app tries to run, open, or modify a file.

      When Auto-Protect is turned off, your Mac is not adequately protected from Internet threats and security risks. It is recommended always to keep Auto-Protect turned on.

    • Notify me about potentially unwanted programs: Scans for and notify you about programs that are stealthily downloaded with other programs and typically perform unwanted activity.

    • Scan for Tools: Tools are apps that can access, control, or potentially harm computers.

    • Automatically scan external drives when attached: Scan all external drives connected to your Mac.

DocID: v20240131165356565
Last modified: 07/18/2025

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