Before downloading a program you want to be sure the file is clean. The free service VirusTotal helps with that. Here is how to use it and how to read the report.
What VirusTotal is
VirusTotal is a free online service that runs a file through 70+ antivirus engines at once and shows the overall result. The report is public — anyone can view it.
Why it matters
I scanned each of my programs on VirusTotal and published links to the reports. So you can see for yourself that the file is clean, instead of taking my word for it.
Why one or two engines sometimes flag the file
Out of 70+ engines, one or two may flag the file. This is a false positive — common for small programs without an expensive signing certificate. All major engines (Microsoft Defender, Kaspersky, ESET and others) consider the files clean.
How to open the report yourself
- Go to the Security page.
- Press the “Open report” button next to the program you need.
- The real report opens on the official virustotal.com site.
In short
VirusTotal lets you confirm a file is clean. One or two false positives are normal for a small author — what matters is that the report is open.