As of 13 August 2026, AI can only partly check a file for malware before opening it.

What to actually do

1. Use a tool built for this

   The route this page recommends

2. Do it yourself

   Second choice

   A chat interface, chat-fluent skill, and roughly 15 minutes until you can act on the result.

   How to actually do it

   1. Leave the file unopened and note its exact filename, extension, source and how it arrived.
   2. Open your device's built-in security or antivirus app, update its malware definitions if an update is offered, and run a scan on the file or the folder containing it.
   3. Read the scanner's result and record the detection name, action taken and whether the file was quarantined, without restoring or running the file.
   4. If the file contains no private, confidential or personal information, use an independent multi-engine scanning service and submit the unopened file or its hash according to that service's instructions.
   5. Paste the two scan reports, filename, source and extension into the prompt, leaving out personal information and the file itself unless you have a clear reason to share it.
   6. Compare the chatbot's explanation with the original scanner results, and keep the file quarantined or delete it if the scanners disagree, identify malware or give no clear result.
   7. If the file is important and the results remain unclear, send it to your organisation's IT or a reputable security professional instead of opening it.

   Prompt

   Help me assess a file for malware without treating your answer as proof that it is safe. Do not ask me to open or run the file. Do not claim that a file is clean from its name, extension, appearance or a single scan. Explain what I should check using my device's up-to-date antivirus scanner and, only if the file contains no private or confidential information, an independent multi-engine scanning service. I will provide the following information or scan report:
   
   Filename: [filename]
   File type or extension: [extension]
   Where it came from: [source]
   How it arrived: [email, download, message or other]
   Hash, if available: [hash]
   Scan report: [paste the report here]
   
   Tell me what the report actually establishes, identify disagreements between scanners, list any warning signs, and give a cautious next action. If the evidence is inconclusive, say so. Remind me when deleting the file, quarantining it or asking the sender for a fresh copy is safer than opening it.

   Open it prefilled in ChatGPT or Claude, or copy it into Gemini, which takes no prefill link.

3. Hand it to a person

   The distant third

   A person who owns the outcome does this end to end, worth it when the failure is dear.