M-Files and Virus Scanning

Excluding the M-Files drive and installation folder from virus scanning

To exclude the M-Files drive and the installation folder from virus scanning, add their paths to the correct exclusion lists or exception lists in the anti-virus software. For example, with Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager (SEPM), this is done with an "exceptions policy". Other commonly used anti-virus software products can use terminology such as "excluded items list", "exclude objects", or "exclude from scanning". There are usually separate exclusion lists for scheduled scanning and real-time scanning.

If you cannot exclude the M-Files drive in the anti-virus software, use M-Files Admin to set the antivirus scanning processes not to have access to scan the drive. To do this, in the Advanced Vault Settings section of M-Files Admin, go to Client > Desktop > Excluded Antivirus Scanning Processes. To get access to this setting, the Manage Client Settings Centrally setting must be set to Yes. Before you set it to Yes, read the setting description on the Info tab.

Click Add Process and enter the name of the antivirus scanning process. For example, scan64.exe. Add as many processes as is necessary. Finally, click Save.

You can use Microsoft's Process Monitor to make sure that the M-Files drive and installation folder are excluded from virus scanning. For instructions, refer to this article.

Excluding the M-Files Client process from virus scanning

If your anti-virus software lets you exclude processes by name, it can be a good idea to exclude MFClient.exe from real-time scanning on the client computers. It can improve performance because it makes sure that the virus scanner does not scan the same files twice: once when the application opens the file and a second time when MFClient.exe does an internal Open operation on the same file.

Excluding M-Files server processes and vault data from virus scanning

On the M-Files server machine, make sure that these processes are excluded from real-time virus scanning:

Excluding other processes

The exclusion of the pdfSaver.exe process from real-time virus scanning can improve performance when the user converts documents to PDF. Its default location is C:\Program Files\PDF-XChange\PDF-XChange Standard.

Antimalware support

M-Files Server supports antimalware checks on Microsoft Windows Server 2016 and later. Files uploaded to the M-Files server can be scanned for viruses and malware before they are saved in the repository. To do this, you must use an anti-virus software that is compatible with Windows Antimalware Scan Interface (AMSI). For example, Microsoft Windows Defender. Real-time scanning must also be enabled.

To take the antimalware checks into use, add these Microsoft Windows registry settings on the M-Files Server computer: