How to Use XProtect on Mac

Understanding XProtect: Apple’s built-in malware scanner

XProtect on Mac is a key part of Apple’s cybersecurity strategy for macOS. It comes preinstalled with your Mac, and it runs in the background, using signature-based detection to identify malware. Most of the time, you’ll barely know it’s there.

The reason XProtect exists, of course, is that malware is a very real problem. If you’ve ever wondered can MacBooks get viruses, then you should know the answer is a definite yes—it can and does happen.

How XProtect protects you in practice

Unlike third-party cybersecurity apps, you don’t need to enable XProtect on Mac. By default, it automatically runs alongside the rest of macOS, quietly protecting you from digital threats.

In any version of macOS, from version 10.15 (Catalina) onwards, XProtect will check for viruses and other malware in these cases:

1. The first time an app is launched.
2. Whenever an app has been changed in the file system.
3. When XProtect’s signatures are updated.

1. Automatic malware scanning when you open apps

Whenever you open an app for the first time, XProtect will scan it for viruses and other malware. If it detects any known malware, it will block it and move it to your Trash. You’ll also see an alert about it from Finder. In some cases, XProtect will also ask you to share malware samples with Apple, which helps the company improve macOS security.

2. Protection during file downloads from web

XProtect is focused on preventing rogue apps from running. If you download an infected app and try to run it, XProtect should work alongside Gatekeeper to prevent the app from running. Together, they’ll give you warnings about unsigned apps and harmful software. However, neither XProtect nor Gatekeeper will scan files as soon as they’re downloaded from the internet, so you’ll need extra protection for that.

3. Always-up-to-date threat definitions

XProtect bases its protection on YARA malware definitions. These are updated automatically, so you don’t need to do anything extra to use XProtect on your Mac with the latest definitions. If there are any substantial updates to XProtect itself, those will be handled by your computer’s normal system updates.

4. Built-in collaboration with other macOS security tools

As we mentioned earlier, XProtect is a key part of your Mac’s security, but it’s not the only protection you get. It’s actually part of Apple’s three-tiered cybersecurity strategy, which looks like this:

• Prevent malware from launching: This includes the quality controls in the App Store, as well as the Gatekeeper tool, combined with Apple Notarization.
• Blocking malware from running on customer systems: Again, this involves Gatekeeper and Notarization, as well as XProtect.
• Remediating malware that’s already executed: This is solely the responsibility of XProtect.

5. Malware detection logs and background alerts

Although XProtect runs silently in the background, macOS may still log its activity. If macOS does log anything, it will be kept in your Mac’s Unified Logging system, which you can access through the built-in Console tool.

Here’s how we can use Console to check for XProtect Activity:

1. Open Console from Applications > Utilities.
2. Check through the Reports in the side menu. Look for anything that mentions XProtect.

If you can’t find anything in Console, we suggest trying some third-party tools instead. In our tests, we had more luck with the third-party apps Ulbow and XProCheck, which showed us current XProtect activity and when the last XProtect scan was.

A hint from our experts: 

 

While XProtect offers good basic protection for Macs, it’s very limited. It won’t, for example, let you check for malware on your Mac on demand, and it won’t automatically detect malware in downloaded data. For that, we suggest using MacKeeper’s Antivirus solution, which offers both real-time and on-demand detection and removal of malicious software.

 

To run a scan with MacKeeper, simply do as follows:

1. Download, install, and run MacKeeper.
2. Select Antivirus from the side menu, and click the Start Scan button.
3. When the scan is finished, if MacKeeper has found any malware, select it, and click Delete.
4. Confirm the removal by clicking the Delete button in the pop-up.

How to check XProtect status on your Mac

XProtect is integral to macOS—if your Mac is running, so is XProtect. To check your XProtect installation, open the Apple menu, hold the Opt key, and click System Information. Navigate to Software > Installations, and check the most recently installed XProtectPlistConfigData file to see the version number.

Leave nothing to chance

It’s good to know that XProtect comes with macOS. You can’t manually activate XProtect on your Mac or deactivate it—it’s always there on your Apple device, ready to leap into action when needed. But it’s also the bear minimum you need to protect yourself and your Mac from malware. XProtect doesn’t let you run on-demand scans, it gives you very little control over its features, and it doesn’t offer extras like privacy protection.

That’s why we recommend using a third-party security tool like MacKeeper’s Antivirus. It gives you complete protection from malware, including on-demand scans and real-time protection, so if you download an infected file MacKeeper will find it. You can also schedule daily scans and reminders for full scans. Use it alongside our macOS hardening checklist, and you can keep your Mac virus-free and secure.