WinZip Disk Tools is a PC optimizer that some anti-malware scanner consider to be risky. WinZip Disk Tools offers to make your computer run better and you might find some use in it, but many of its features are already available for Windows users for free. Really, WinZip Disk Tools is not nearly as useful as it’s advertised as. In addition, it seems like some people get WinZip Disk Tools installed by accident.
Unless you really find WinZip Disk Tools helpful, it might be best to remove it.
Winzip Disk Tools quicklinks
- Problems with WinZip Disk Tools
- How potentially unwanted programs get installed
- How to remove WinZip Disk Tools
- Automatic Malware removal tools
- How to remove WinZip Disk Tools using Windows Control Panel
(Win)
Note: Spyhunter trial provides detection of parasites and assists in their removal for free. limited trial available, Terms of use, Privacy Policy, Uninstall Instructions,
(Mac)
Note: Combo Cleaner trial provides detection of parasites and assists in their removal for free. limited trial available, Terms of use, Privacy Policy, Uninstall Instructions, Refund Policy ,
About WinZip Disk Tools in short:
| Threat type | Potentially unwanted program. |
|---|---|
| Why WinZip Disk Tools is unwanted | It offers redundant features,
it may get installed without permission. |
| How it gets installed | Downloaded from its home page,
advertised online, installed by other programs. |
| How to remove WinZip Disk Tools | Uninstall WinZip Disk Tools,
find and remove malware with anti-malware tools, such as Malwarebytes. |
Problems with WinZip Disk Tools
It’s detected by antivirus programs as Potentially Unwanted, Artemis, and Riskware: Virustotal.com.
This doesn’t mean that WinZip Disk Tools is dangerous. It just means that antivirus vendors consider WinZip Disk Tools to be mildly risky and potentially unwanted by users. If you installed it purposely and knowingly, that’s fine.
However, it’s worth it to warn users about WinZip Disk Tools’ possible problems to make them consider if they really want to install the program. Here are some of the problems:
- It gets installed on computers without permission from their users.
- Its features are almost entirely redundant to the tools that Windows offers for free.
Another issue is that WinZip Disk Tools scans your PC and finds a bunch of “Issues”, which can look a little scary. In reality, these “Issues” are mostly harmless items. They can be deleted, but they’re not real problems. In general, junk files are offered to be deleted to free up drive space, but they take up very, very little of it. It’s just busywork for WinZip Disk Tools.
Another good example of WinZip Disk Tools’ lack of usefulness is that it offers to defragment your hard drive. This is something that Windows does regularly. For WinZip Disk Tools to do it on top would either require to stop Windows from doing it, or it else it would be a huge waste of your PC resources, slowing down your computer for no good reason.
Overall, I think that using the tools that are available on Windows, such as Storage Sense, is better (and definitely cheaper) than using WinZip Disk Tools.
How potentially unwanted programs get installed
Based on people’s complaints and about WinZip Disk Tools, it does seem that some people install it by accident (Answers.microsoft.com, Answers.microsoft.com). Then they wonder if it’s some sort of a mandatory, first-party program (it is not).
This could happen if WinZip Disk Tools’ free trial version is installed with other programs as an optional offer. However, it seems like online ads are used the most to promote WinZip Disk Tools and other WinZip programs. In addition, some software download sites offer the program.
WinZip Disk Tools is made by the same company that made WinZip Driver Updater and various other programs that offer to do things like managing your drives, updating your device drivers, etc. These are things that Windows already does for free.
How to remove WinZip Disk Tools
You can uninstall WinZip Disk Tools manually. Or have an anti-malware program, such as Malwarebytes, remove it. Not all anti-malware programs flag it, your current antivirus solution might not have.
If you uninstall WinZip Disk Tools manually, it’s still advisable to scan your device with an antivirus tool to see if any other potentially unwanted programs are installed.
This is especially important if you got WinZip Disk Tools from a software download site, as those programs are sometimes distributed bundled with adware and other unwanted optional offers. They can often result in malware and potentially unwanted software being installed by accident.
Automatic Malware removal tools
(Win)
Note: Spyhunter trial provides detection of parasites and assists in their removal for free. limited trial available, Terms of use, Privacy Policy, Uninstall Instructions,
(Mac)
Note: Combo Cleaner trial provides detection of parasites and assists in their removal for free. limited trial available, Terms of use, Privacy Policy, Uninstall Instructions, Refund Policy ,
How to remove WinZip Disk Tools using Windows Control Panel
Many hijackers and adware like WinZip Disk Tools install some of their components as regular Windows programs as well as additional software. This part of malware can be uninstalled from the Control Panel. To access it, do the following.- Start→Control Panel (older Windows) or press Windows Key→Search and enter Control Panel and then press Enter (Windows 8, Windows 10).
- Choose Uninstall Program (if you don't see it, click in the upper right next to "View by" and select Category).
- Go through the list of programs and select entries related to WinZip Disk Tools . You can click on "Name" or "Installed On" to reorder your programs and make WinZip Disk Tools easier to find.
- Click the Uninstall button. If you're asked if you really want to remove the program, click Yes.
- In many cases anti-malware programs are better at detecting related parasites, thus I recommend installing Spyhunter to identify other programs that might be a part of this infection.
