Scheduler

Scheduler Settings

The Scheduler Settings tab allows you to configure scheduled updates and scans. This feature is only available in the PRO version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and is available after the product has been activated with a valid ID and Key. You'll also get to try this feature if you use the free trial, however it will cease to function once your trial expires.

You may click an existing scheduled item and use the Edit button to modify the scheduled task or the Delete button to remove it. Clicking the Add button allows you to create a new scheduled task as shown below. Use the radio buttons next to Type: to select what type of scheduled task you wish to create (Scan or Update).

Scheduling a scan

• Frequency:This is where you select how often you want your scheduled scan to occur. Available options are Hourly, Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Once, and On reboot.
• Starting on:This is where you choose the date and time that the scheduled scan should run for the first time. You may click in the box itself to change the date or time and you may also change the date by clicking on the small calendar icon on the right side of the box.
• Recover if missed by: This is set to 0 by default, but if set to any other number (1-23), the task will attempt to run if the scheduled time was missed because the system was turned off during the actual scheduled time and the system is running within the number of hours that 'Recover if missed by' is set to. For example, if you have a daily scan set to run at 12:00AM, but your computer was not running at 12:00AM and you have 'Recover if missed by' set to 8 hours, if your PC is running any time between 12:00AM and 8:00AM, the scheduled scan will execute. This option is unavailable for monthly and on reboot scans.
• Repeating every: This is where you select how often the scheduled scan repeats. Available options are 1-23 hours for hourly scans, 1-60 days for daily scans, and 1-8 weeks for weekly scans. This option is unavailable for scans set to run on reboot.
• Wake computer from sleep to perform task: This option will have Malwarebytes Anti-Malware attempt to wake your computer from sleep mode to execute the scheduled scan. Unfortunately this does not work on all system configurations. This option is unavailable for scans set to run on reboot.
• Perform scheduled scan silently from system account: This will have Malwarebytes Anti-Malware run the scan from the hidden SYSTEM user account, resulting in the scan running in the background without the scanner window showing. Upon completion of the scan, regardless of whether or not threats were found, the scan will terminate.
• Terminate program when scan completes successfully: This will have Malwarebytes Anti-Malware close if no threats were detected. This checkbox is automatically selected and cannot be unchecked if you have also enabled the 'Perform scheduled scan silently from system account' option.
• Remove and quarantine all threats automatically: This will have Malwarebytes Anti-Malware remove any detected threats. Note that it also honors your scanner settings for PUP, PUM and P2P objects, so if any or all are not set to be selected for removal, they will not be removed.
• Save log file regardless of user settings: This will have Malwarebytes Anti-Malware save a logfile upon completion of the scan even if 'Automatically save log file after scan completes' is unchecked under your general settings.
• Restart the computer if required for threat removal: This will have Malwarebytes Anti-Malware reboot your computer without any notice should a threat be detected and removed during your scheduled scan which requires a reboot to complete the removal process. Note: You will not have the opportunity to save anything you are working on when this restart occurs so any open files in other programs will not be saved.
• Add: Once you have your scan configured the way you want it, click the Add button to add it to the scheduler.
• Cancel: If you've decided not to add your scheduled scan after all or not to make any changes to the one you were editing, click Cancel and no changes will be made and no new scheduled scan will be added.

Scheduling an update

• Frequency: This is where you select how often you want your scheduled check for updates to occur. Available options are Realtime, Hourly, Weekly, Monthly, Once, and On reboot.
• Starting on: This is where you choose the date and time that the scheduled update should run for the first time. You may click in the box itself to change the date or time and you may also change the date by clicking on the small calendar icon on the right side of the box.
• Recover if missed by: This is set to 0 by default, but if set to any other number (1-23), the task will attempt to run if the scheduled time was missed because the system was turned off during the actual scheduled time and the system is running within the number of hours that 'Recover if missed by' is set to. For example, if you have a daily update set to run at 12:00AM, but your computer was not running at 12:00AM and you have 'Recover if missed by' set to 8 hours, if your PC is running any time between 12:00AM and 8:00AM, the scheduled update will execute. This option is unavailable for monthly and on reboot updates.
• Repeating every: This is where you select how often the scheduled update check repeats. Available options are 1-59 minutes for realtime updates, 1-23 hours for hourly updates, 1-60 days for daily updates, and 1-8 weeks for weekly updates. This option is unavailable for all other frequencies.
• Wake computer from sleep to perform task: This option will have Malwarebytes Anti-Malware attempt to wake your computer from sleep mode to execute the scheduled update. Unfortunately this does not work on all system configurations. This option is unavailable for updates set to run realtime or on reboot.
• Show tooltip balloon after successful update: This option will have Malwarebytes Anti-Malware's tray icon used for realtime protection notify you when a successful update has occurred, but only if the database was actually updated. In order to receive this notification, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware's protection module must be running, however it does not require that either component of the protection module be enabled.
• Run flash scan after successful update: This will have Malwarebytes Anti-Malware run a flash scan to check your system for any active threats which might reside on your system. It's useful for verifying that you aren't infected with anything which was not detected in the previous database but is now detected in the one which was just downloaded by the updater. This scan cannot be set to run silently.
• Add: Once you have your update configured the way you want it, click the Add button to add it to the scheduler.
• Cancel: If you've decided not to add your scheduled update after all or not to make any changes to the one you were editing, click Cancel and no changes will be made and no new scheduled update will be added.