Manage Norton Scans settings on Mac

Default settings are optimal for most users, but you can customize your scan settings to include or exclude files from Scans.

To change settings for predefined scans:

1. Open your Norton device security product.

2. On the left pane, click Security.

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

4. In the Preset scans tab, hover your cursor over the relevant scan and then click (the gear icon).

5. Enable or disable the slider next to each setting to specify your preferred options, and then click Save.

   • 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.

   • Scan whole files: Scans entire files rather than only the parts typically affected by malicious code. Scanning larger files takes longer.

   • Scan all Time Machine backups: Scans all backups saved in Time Machine. Time Machine is the built-in backup feature on your Mac.

     When the scan runs, the external storage device used for your Time Machine backups must be connected to your Mac.

   • Scan archives (RAR, ZIP, etc.): Analyzes all archive files, such as .zip, .rar, and other executable or installer archives. This significantly increases the scan duration.

   • Scan external drives: Scan all external drives connected to your Mac.

   • Scan mounted network volumes: Scan all mounted network drives that are mapped to your Mac.