Spybot - Search & Destroy can detect and remove a multitude of malware, viruses, trojans and modules from your computer. Spybot also can clean program and Web-usage tracks from your system, which is especially useful if you share your computer with other users. Spybot – Search & Destroy is a tool specifically aimed at removing spyware and other threats to privacy. It doesn’t promise to handle any other kind of malware. In testing, it missed the types.

Pick a software title...to downgrade to the version you love!

Spybot Latest Version

Spybot Popular Version

Select Version of Spybot to Download for FREE!

Spybot Description

Spybot - Search & Destroy can detect and remove a multitude of adware files and modules from your computer. Spybot also can clean program and Web-usage tracks from your system, which is especially useful if you share your computer with other users. Modules chosen for removal can be sent directly to the included file shredder, ensuring complete elimination from your system. For advanced users, it allows you to fix registry inconsistencies related to adware and to malicious program installations. The handy online-update feature ensures that Spybot always has the most current and complete listings of adware, dialers, and other uninvited system residents.
Version 1.3 adds enhanced immunization features, an improved interface, and integration of BrowserManager for spyware detection, plus the new Hosts File feature and bug fixes.

Spybot Comments

Publisher's Description

Spybot Free Edition is an on-demand anti-spyware scanner. Spybot searches your hard disk for all known types of spyware, adware and potentially unwanted programs. It offers powerful features to remove these threats and thus protect your privacy. It automatically detects: adware networks, attempts at host redirection, registry modifications, and unwanted changes in the browser configuration of Internet Explorer and Firefox.

If an attempt is made to redirect your computer to a different Domain Name Server without your permission Spybot can detect and stop this happening. Spybot also protects your privacy is by removing ‘Usage Tracks’.

Spybots team of ‘Forensic Detectives’ constantly monitor the Internet for new threats and attack vectors so it is important, that in order for software to give maximum protection, it is regularly updated. The signatures for Spybot Free Edition are updated once a week.

Spybot +AV is a licensed version of Spybot that enhances the protection offered by Spybot Free Edition. This product not only protects against spyware but also incorporates an award winning antivirus engine licensed by Bitdefender.

Our approved Spybot - Search & Destroy protects your computer against malware. Spybot Anti-Beacon helps prevent your data from being sent to third parties. The new Spybot Identity Monitor helps you realize and take action when your personal information held by third parties has been compromised. If you are not looking for a single system, you can find your individual solution among the family packages or the small business package

Love Spybot 2.0. After 2 weeks of struggling trying to remove Coupon Dropdown, I finally tried Spybot 2.0 and it was the only one that worked--after trying Malwarebytes anti-Malware, McAfee and many others.

I like the immunization feature, that's all I like. I run it once a month or so. However, for some reason, SpyBot wants to run on startup every time.
System services are all deactivated (security center, scanner, updating). All system integration is deactivated/uninstalled. However, for some strange reason, SpyBot runs on startup.
I have unchecked every option within the program but it still wants to run on startup. WHY? I just want to use the immunization feature. Why is it so difficult to design the application to not run on startup? It is doing absolutely nothing when it runs. It isn't scanning, it isn't immunizing, it isn't updating, WHY IS IT RUNNING ON STARTUP? Why do I need to use a 3rd party tool to remove your application from startup? Honestly it is really simple, don't force your app to run if the user doesn't want it. Who are you to decide you know better?

good stuff

3 stars only

Spybot Search & Destroy Review

This has been Bloatware ever since 2.x came around, and detection rates aren't all that great compared to something like MalwareBytes. You're better off looking elsewhere for anti-spyware now.
Yes it has more features, but many of them are unnecessary. Some of the paid stuff like command line options is available in the older version for free.
Using 1.6.2, and plan to keep doing so.

love it

Spybot is great at what it does, and that is to remove spyware and ad-ware. I use it daily for repairing machines. Its the only one I use. It is way better and more thorough than MalwareBytes, SuperAntiSpyware, and Microsoft's Spyware Removal.
I have performed multiple testing with this and other applications because I want the best tools. It doesn't claim to remove malware so I won't dock it for that. It will not detect malware like MoneyPak etc.. I use a malware scanner for this.
Cons
Being able to make a boot-able CD. It will start and use 100% CPU but never go past that point.
I think the phone application on it is useless.
Certain sections that are no longer updated are being updated in a different file so it looks like updates aren't being performed.

Are any of these reviews actually getting to Spybot S&D? I sure like v 1.6.2 and rely on it a lot and hate to see it go downhill with ver 2.x. I hope Spybot can fix all their bugs - FAST!.
I also noticed Spybot ver 2 does not list Windows 7 as one the the supported OS's. Although win7 sucks in user friendliness, Win7 is far better than Win8.
I'll try and load Spybot 2.x for my own review. ONE crash though and I go back to v1.6.2. Spybot and all other programs would have an easier job if Microsoft would fix their whole OS concept.
Microsoft did the same thing with their geeks (out of touch w real world users) trying to improve MS Windows w bells and whistles and only create new bugs and problems with each new version. They had it right with MSDOS as their OS and 'windows' loaded as an 'environment' over DOS.
The OS (DOS) should be separate and accessible when the bells and whistles (Windows) crash. They should follow the UNIX concept of building a rock-solid & secure foundation that DOESN'T crash and is non-hack-able with viruses, spyware, malware, etc.
They should have built on that concept to lock down the security and stability of an operating system and allow users to load whichever windows version they wanted over a solid foundation according to their needs. There should be 3 separate Registries, 1.) one for the separate, rock-solid, secure OS, 2.) one for the windows system, drivers and software needed to start and run the ver of windows and 3.) one for ALL Application Programs loaded so when windows crashes, all three Registries are not lost and the entire system w drivers and programs have to be completely re-installed.
I'm ready to go to MAC and junk Microsoft.
I partition my hard drive so the bare minimum Windows files, security sw, hardware drivers, etc., are the only things loaded on the main partition so the PC starts and runs as if there are NO programs on it - it keeps it FAST! I load ALL Program Apps on a separate partition so I have a list of them should they need to be reloaded when windows crashes. To eliminate loss of data, I make sure ALL data, videos, music, images, and anything I create or design is on completely separate partition or even on a separate physical HDD also partitioned. This allows programs to find files a LOT faster than searching en entire HUMONGOUS hard drive for the files - fragmented or not. It also allows for faster backups of data without having to backup programs or Windows files. Think of your hard drive as a 100,000 acre ranch and you have to find 23 calves. If the acreage is partitoned into smaller pastures, it would be a LOT easier and faster to look in one smaller pasture where you put them. The same goes with a 100 GB hard drive.

If I can ever get my hands on the Devs of this. This program nuked my Windows 7 OS and now it looks like it cannot be recovered

Pros: Our approved Spybot - Search & Destroy protects your computer against malware. Spybot Anti-Beacon helps prevent your data from being sent to third parties. The new Spybot Identity Monitor helps you realize and take action when your personal information held by third parties has been compromised. If you are not looking for a single system, you can find your individual solution among the family packages or the small business package that brings together all the security and privacy applications you need.
spybot

Cons: Our approved Spybot - Search & Destroy protects your computer against malware. Spybot Anti-Beacon helps prevent your data from being sent to third parties.

Bottom Line: Our approved Spybot - Search & Destroy protects your computer against malware. Spybot Anti-Beacon helps prevent your data from being sent to third parties. The new Spybot Identity Monitor helps you realize and take action when your personal information held by third parties has been compromised. If you are not looking for a single system, you can find your individual solution among the family packages or the small business package

Love Spybot 2.0. After 2 weeks of struggling trying to remove Coupon Dropdown, I finally tried Spybot 2.0 and it was the only one that worked--after trying Malwarebytes anti-Malware, McAfee and many others.

I like the immunization feature, that's all I like. I run it once a month or so. However, for some reason, SpyBot wants to run on startup every time.
System services are all deactivated (security center, scanner, updating). All system integration is deactivated/uninstalled. However, for some strange reason, SpyBot runs on startup.
I have unchecked every option within the program but it still wants to run on startup. WHY? I just want to use the immunization feature. Why is it so difficult to design the application to not run on startup? It is doing absolutely nothing when it runs. It isn't scanning, it isn't immunizing, it isn't updating, WHY IS IT RUNNING ON STARTUP? Why do I need to use a 3rd party tool to remove your application from startup? Honestly it is really simple, don't force your app to run if the user doesn't want it. Who are you to decide you know better?

good stuff

3 stars only

This has been Bloatware ever since 2.x came around, and detection rates aren't all that great compared to something like MalwareBytes. You're better off looking elsewhere for anti-spyware now.
Yes it has more features, but many of them are unnecessary. Some of the paid stuff like command line options is available in the older version for free.
Using 1.6.2, and plan to keep doing so.

love it

Spybot Search Destroy Download

Spybot is great at what it does, and that is to remove spyware and ad-ware. I use it daily for repairing machines. Its the only one I use. It is way better and more thorough than MalwareBytes, SuperAntiSpyware, and Microsoft's Spyware Removal.
I have performed multiple testing with this and other applications because I want the best tools. It doesn't claim to remove malware so I won't dock it for that. It will not detect malware like MoneyPak etc.. I use a malware scanner for this.
Cons
Being able to make a boot-able CD. It will start and use 100% CPU but never go past that point.
I think the phone application on it is useless.
Certain sections that are no longer updated are being updated in a different file so it looks like updates aren't being performed.

Are any of these reviews actually getting to Spybot S&D? I sure like v 1.6.2 and rely on it a lot and hate to see it go downhill with ver 2.x. I hope Spybot can fix all their bugs - FAST!.
I also noticed Spybot ver 2 does not list Windows 7 as one the the supported OS's. Although win7 sucks in user friendliness, Win7 is far better than Win8.
I'll try and load Spybot 2.x for my own review. ONE crash though and I go back to v1.6.2. Spybot and all other programs would have an easier job if Microsoft would fix their whole OS concept.
Microsoft did the same thing with their geeks (out of touch w real world users) trying to improve MS Windows w bells and whistles and only create new bugs and problems with each new version. They had it right with MSDOS as their OS and 'windows' loaded as an 'environment' over DOS.
The OS (DOS) should be separate and accessible when the bells and whistles (Windows) crash. They should follow the UNIX concept of building a rock-solid & secure foundation that DOESN'T crash and is non-hack-able with viruses, spyware, malware, etc.
They should have built on that concept to lock down the security and stability of an operating system and allow users to load whichever windows version they wanted over a solid foundation according to their needs. There should be 3 separate Registries, 1.) one for the separate, rock-solid, secure OS, 2.) one for the windows system, drivers and software needed to start and run the ver of windows and 3.) one for ALL Application Programs loaded so when windows crashes, all three Registries are not lost and the entire system w drivers and programs have to be completely re-installed.
I'm ready to go to MAC and junk Microsoft.
I partition my hard drive so the bare minimum Windows files, security sw, hardware drivers, etc., are the only things loaded on the main partition so the PC starts and runs as if there are NO programs on it - it keeps it FAST! I load ALL Program Apps on a separate partition so I have a list of them should they need to be reloaded when windows crashes. To eliminate loss of data, I make sure ALL data, videos, music, images, and anything I create or design is on completely separate partition or even on a separate physical HDD also partitioned. This allows programs to find files a LOT faster than searching en entire HUMONGOUS hard drive for the files - fragmented or not. It also allows for faster backups of data without having to backup programs or Windows files. Think of your hard drive as a 100,000 acre ranch and you have to find 23 calves. If the acreage is partitoned into smaller pastures, it would be a LOT easier and faster to look in one smaller pasture where you put them. The same goes with a 100 GB hard drive.

If I can ever get my hands on the Devs of this. This program nuked my Windows 7 OS and now it looks like it cannot be recovered

Even the 'vendor' spiel seems vague and evasive. Spybot program maintenance seems to have been abandoned years ago!?
Where could it have obtained or justified the 5 stars? how old are the 82M downloads?

This is sad. Spybot was a good program, but the 2.0 version is clunky and overloaded with useless crap.

It used to be the 'go to' to remove crap from your computer, then they tried to make something out of it it didn't need to be. They made it junk 3 years ago and it is still junk
@JBetaNewsB: If you look at the 5 star reviews, they are all at least 2 years old, going on 3 or more. They were posted back when this thing was worth downloading. Not many use it anymore, hence the lack of recent, lower ratings.

This 'was' a good program, Why do these companys always think changing the format of a good program makes it better?

This program is pretty ineffective and is prone to false positives. Look elsewhere for spyware/adware protection like a full antivirus suite!