360 Total Security 12.0.0.1187 for Windows

360 Total Security 12.0.0.1187 is a free antivirus and PC maintenance suite for Windows from the Chinese company Qihoo 360 (Beijing Qihu Keji Co. Ltd.). You can download 360 Total Security from its official site to get real-time protection, cleanup and speed-up tools in one program.

Overview

The product appeared in 2014 as the international version of Qihoo 360's security software and quickly gained users with a generous free package. Its main screen offers a single check-up that runs a virus scan, looks for junk files and suggests optimisations such as disabling unnecessary startup items. For protection, the suite combines its own cloud engine with additional scanning engines that can be switched on in the settings, and it adds real-time monitoring, web protection, a sandbox for running suspicious programs in isolation, and a vulnerability check for missing Windows patches. On the maintenance side there are a cleaner, a startup manager, a driver backup tool and a desktop organiser. That breadth is attractive for people who want one free tool, but it also makes the program busy and pushy, with notifications and suggestions to try other features or the paid Premium version. The product has had public disputes with independent testing organisations over how versions were submitted for testing, which is worth knowing when you compare results.

How to install

1. Download the installer from the official download page.
2. Uninstall any other antivirus with real-time protection first.
3. Run setup, choose the installation folder and uncheck additional offers.
4. Run a full check-up and review each suggested fix before applying it.
5. Adjust notifications and optional engines in the settings.

Updates are listed in the version history.

System requirements

According to the installation guide: Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista or XP in 32-bit or 64-bit, 512 Mb of memory, a 1.6 GHz CPU and 1 Gb of free disk space. The installer is about 193.19 MB according to catalogue data.

Is it trustworthy?

Get it only from the official site. Security software sees everything on your PC, so the vendor's reputation and data practices matter as much as detection rates; read the privacy policy and decide whether you are comfortable with it. Windows already includes Microsoft Defender, which is enough for many users.

Price

The basic suite is free. Premium is a paid subscription that removes ads and adds extra features.

Pros and cons

• Pro: antivirus and cleanup in one free package.
• Pro: sandbox for suspicious files.
• Pro: runs on old Windows versions.
• Con: many pop-ups and upgrade prompts.
• Con: past disputes with testing labs.
• Con: cleanup tools can be too aggressive.

Alternatives

Other antivirus programs on our site include Avast Antivirus, AVG Antivirus, Avira Free Security, Bitdefender Antivirus and Norton Antivirus. Malwarebytes is useful as a second-opinion scanner.