Do you suspect that your PC is infected with a Trojan horse? Has it been acting slow, or maybe crashing abruptly while a program is running?

If you’re looking to remove a Trojan from your Windows 10 PC, then you’ve come to the right place.

In this guide, we’ll have a brief look at what exactly a Trojan horse is, how it works, and what steps you take to remove it from your PC.

So, let's start with a brief definition of a Trojan horse.

What Is a Trojan Horse?

A Trojan horse, or Trojan, is a type of malware that deceives itself as a legitimate application. It could be found hidden in an email attachment, games, software, movies or songs, etc.

It is different from a computer virus in that a Trojan doesn't replicate itself and has to be installed by the user. Trojan's main objective is to try and disrupt, crash, or at times, outright steal a user's data from their system.

And it seems to be on the rise, too.

The Malwarebytes State of Malware 2020 [PDF] report identifies Trojans as the second most occurring malware attack faced by businesses, just after Adware.

While there are thousands of different Trojans out there, a few popular and especially debilitating Trojans include the Danabot, Lokibot, Trojan T9000, and remote access Trojans.

What Does a Trojan Do & How Can You Detect Them?

Although Trojans come in varying forms and threat-severity, all of them are classified as such because they more or less carry out the same specific activities on your PC.

These include things such as:

  • Keeping track of the websites you visit.
  • Installing other malicious software on your PC, such as a worm or virus.
  • Send crucial information like usernames and passwords to black-hat hackers.
  • Creating Backdoors.
  • Use your PC to conduct DDOS attacks.

While there's no sure-shot way to recognize a Trojan without an antivirus program, a subtle giveaway is the gradual decline of your PC’s speed, which is hampered due to CPU resources being used by the Trojan.

Methods to Remove Trojans From Windows 10

Pro Tip: Before starting with the Trojan removal, you must backup your Windows 10 files. This is to ensure that you can easily restore your data if something was to go south. Just be aware that you might also be backing up the Trojan horse, so you'll have to fix the backup once you restore it.

After you are done with the backup, you’re good to go.

1. Run Microsoft Defender

First introduced with Windows XP, Microsoft Defender is a free antimalware tool to protect Windows users from viruses, malware, and other spyware.

You can use it to help detect and remove the Trojan from your Windows 10 system. Follow the steps below to get started with using Microsoft Defender.

  1. In the Windows search box, type 'Windows Security' and click on Virus & Threat Protection.
  2. From there, click on scan options, and select Full scan. 
  3. Finally, click on Scan now.

The software will then begin the scanning and will remove any Trojans that it finds.

2. Run System Restore

System Restore helps you revert your computer to a previous point in time and helps solve your system's problems due to any malfunctions.

If your PC files are infected with a Trojan, performing a System Restore is a good idea, as it will restore the previously uninfected files, but only if you have a restore point from before the Trojan appeared on your computer.

Figuring that out can be somewhat tricky, but try and remember how long your computer has been malfunctioning and find a restore point from before that period.

To get started, first, you have to check if your system has a previous System Restore.

  1. Type Restore on the Start menu search bar and click on Create a Restore Point.
  2. Under the System Protection tab, click on System Restore.
  3. In the next window, select Choose a different system restore and click Next to choose a specific Restore Point.
click on choose a different system restore to select a restore point of your choice

However, if you do not have a previous Restore Point, this method will not work for you. If that’s the case, do not worry. Just skip to the next method.

If you do, however, have a previous System Restore, follow these steps.

Select a point of time where you believe your system worked fine, and click on Next. Finally, click on Finish. Your PC will then restart, and your settings will change back to a previous time.

choose a specific restore point and click on next

Following this method should delete the Trojan, along with its files from your PC.

3. Run an Anti-Trojan Software

If you don’t already have an antivirus program, you should install one. Microsoft Defender is Windows 10 default antivirus program, but there are many other options available.

An antivirus program is the Achillies Shield of your PC, protecting it from online threats. However, you can also download specific Trojan horse removal tools.

Avast Trojan Remover

The Avast Trojan Remover is one of the best Trojan scan and removal tools out there. It's free too.

Download the Avast Trojan Remover and install the program on your PC. From there, it's a simple click and scan process.

Scan your PC with the Avast AntiVirus, and the tool will delete the trojan for you.

remove spyware from windows 10 by avast

Bitdefender Antivirus

Bitdefender is another great antivirus tool that you can make use of. It comes in both free and paid versions.

Available for free, it is offered for Windows, Mac OS, and Android.

download bitdefender antivirus

Download Bitdefender and launch it on your PC. The software will then download all the necessary files on your PC. Open the application to scan and delete the trojan from your PC.

3. Use Safe Mode

Although you won’t remove the Trojan itself through this method, booting your PC in safe mode can come in handy.

At times, Trojan malware might disrupt your antivirus, and thus, making it difficult to delete it. By opening your PC in safe mode, your antivirus program will be able to do its job properly.

  1. Click on Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog box.
  2. There, type msconfig and click on OK.
  3. In the Boot tab, check the Safe boot checkbox and click on Apply.
check the safe boot radio box

Now reboot your PC for the changes to take effect. On the next start-up, your PC will boot in safe mode.

Related: How to Boot in Safe Mode on Windows 10

4. Reset Windows 10

Follow this method as a last resort.

If none of the above methods have worked so far, you can reset Windows 10 to remove the Trojan for sure.

All the files and installed apps will be cleared from your PC by performing a Windows Reset, meaning your PC will become clean as it came when you bought it.

After clearing all the apps and files, Windows 10 will reinstall.

To begin the reset process, head to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery. From there, click on Get Started to begin the reset process.

Next, you’ll have two options to choose from: Keep my Files or Remove Everything. Choose the one that you’d like to go for and get started with the Reset. As you're attempting to remove a Trojan horse from your system, you should select Remove Everything, but be warned: it does exactly what it says on the tin.

Related: Top Ways to Reset Windows 10

Trojan Removed For Good!

A Trojan horse infection can be a roadblock for the smooth working of your PC. We hope that following one of the methods worked for deleting the Trojan malware for good from your PC.