Encountering viruses and bugs on Windows is quite annoying. Isn’t it? Did you get stuck with the “Operation did not complete successfully because the file contains a virus” alert? Well, yes, this probably indicates that your device just got hit by a potential virus or malware.
We kind of know what you must be thinking? How could the virus or malware penetrate even when you had a security tool installed. Not to forget Windows Defender too! Before this virus creates any further damage and infects your device and data, it requires your immediate attention to be resolved.
Wondering how to fix this issue? Here are a few solutions that you can try to fix the “Operation did not complete successfully because the file contains a virus” error by making a bunch of changes in the Windows Settings.
Operation Did Not Complete Successfully Because The File Contains A Virus (Solved)
Also read: How to Get Rid of COM Surrogate Virus on Windows 10
Let’s get started.
#1 Pick a Different Antivirus Software
Is your device installed with antivirus software? Well, if the answer is affirmative, then we strongly advise you to switch to an alternative security tool. If the virus or malware could easily manage to enter your device, even after the presence of an antivirus tool, then it had some sort of security loophole. Hence, switch to a different Antivirus software to make sure that your device is well protected and guarded against viruses and malware.
Download Systweak Antivirus
We have a quick suggestion for you! Systweak Antivirus is a powerful security suite solution for your Windows device that offers real-time protection against all sorts of malicious threats, including viruses, malware, Trojans, Spyware, Adware, and even Ransomware attacks.
Systweak Antivirus can serve as a great alternative and it also enhances your device’s speed and performance by removing unwanted/malicious Startup items.
Download today to secure your device against any potential cyber threats!
Also read: What Does Antivirus Software Do?
#2 Turn Off Windows Defender from Registry Editor
Our next workaround to resolve the “Operation did not complete successfully because the file contains a virus” issue is by disabling the Windows Defender completely from Windows Settings. Here’s what you need to do:
Press the Windows icon, tap the gear-shaped icon to open Settings.
In the Windows Settings window, select “Update and Security”.
From the left menu pane, switch to the “Windows Defender” option. Toggle OFF the “Real-time Protection” option and disable it.
This is a temporary way to disable Windows Defender. But if you wish to turn it off completely, you’ll need to make some changes in the Windows Registry Editor.
Press the Windows + R key combination to open the Run dialog box. Type “Regedit” in the textbox, hit Enter.
Navigate to the following location:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender
On the right side of the window, look for a file named “DisableAntiSpyware”. Right-click on it and select New> DWORD (32 Bit).
Set the value as 1 and then hit the OK button.
Exit all windows, reboot your device, and check if the issue persists.
Also read: How to Fix Windows Defender Error 577
#3 Repair the File
Launch the Start menu search, type “Command Prompt”, right-click on it, and select “Run as Administrator”.
In the Command Prompt Shell, type the following commands in the same order to repair the problematic file:
SFC /SCANFILE=C:\windows\explorer.exe
SFC /SCANFILE=C:\Windows\SysWow64\explorer.exe
Exit all windows, reboot your machine.
#4: Add an Exclusion in Windows Defender
If a particular file is unable to run on your device, you can add it as an exclusion on the Windows Defender or the antivirus tool that is installed on your machine. This hack can work wonders if a specific file is falsely detected as a threat by the antivirus tool. Here’s what you need to do:
Launch the Start menu search box, type “Windows Security” and hit Enter.
Tap on the “Virus and Threat Protection” option.
Navigate to Manage Settings> Add or Remove Exclusions.
Tap on the “Add an Exclusion” option and browse to the file location.
Once the exclusion has been successfully added, try running the problematic file again to check if the error alert still pops-up.
#5 Disk Cleanup
By running a Disk Cleanup on the selected drive, you will be able to get rid of unwanted files, cache files, and other junk data. It will also help you in fixing the “Operation did not complete successfully because the file contains a virus”. Let’s quickly learn how to use the Disk Cleanup tool on Windows 10.
Fire up the Start menu search box, type “Disk Cleanup” and hit Enter.
Pick a Drive on which you need to perform a scan.
Select all the files that you need to keep or delete, and then press the OK button to proceed.
How do you fix Operation did not complete successfully?
The “Operation did not complete successfully” alert pops-up on the screen when your device gets hit by a potential virus or malware. If a particular file is infected or if it contains malware traces, your system displays the “Operation did not complete successfully” error message on the screen. You can use any of the above-mentioned workarounds to get past this issue.
Conclusion
Here are a few solutions that will allow you to fix the “Operation did not complete successfully because the file contains a virus or potentially unwanted” issue on Windows 10. We strongly advise you to use any of these above-listed solutions and resolve this error message on priority before the virus or malware infects your entire device and creates further damage.