Question Is there a way to check if unscanned photos are safe?

[Mateos]

Hi everyone,
I haven't used third-party antivirus software for a while now. I just rely on Windows Defender.
Today I was downloading some photo files from an external disk. Each photo was automatically scanned by Windows Defender but a few of them failed to be scanned. There was no specific error message, just that they Couldn't be checked for viruses.
Is this normal? And how can I check whether those photos are safe to open?

Thanks!

 

[USAFRet]

Source of these files?

Why did the AV software fail to scan them?

Do you have Show file extensions turned ON?

 

[Mateos]

The files were JPGs downloaded from Google drive. Windows defender tried to scan them during the download but a few couldn't be checked for viruses. There was no specific error message, just that the scan couldn’t be completed.

 

[USAFRet]

The files were JPGs downloaded from Google drive. Windows defender tried to scan them during the download but a few couldn't be checked for viruses. There was no specific error message, just that the scan couldn’t be completed.

Who uploaded them?

Given that 'non-scan' is an unusual condition, I would try to force a scan of these.

 

[Mateos]

The files were uploaded by an event organizer not someone I know personally. I don't think they're harmful but I’d rather be safe. Since it's not common for Windows defender to skip scanning files I'd like to run a manual scan just to be sure. What's the best way to do that?

 

[USAFRet]

The files were uploaded by an event organizer not someone I know personally. I don't think they're harmful but I’d rather be safe. Since it's not common for Windows defender to skip scanning files I'd like to run a manual scan just to be sure. What's the best way to do that?

What OS?
Assuming Win 11, you can tell the AV application to do a Custom scan and what specific locations to scan.

 

[Mateos]

Yes I’m using Windows 11. Thanks for your help!