This tutorial explains how to scan files before downloading in Chrome. You can scan any file on the Internet before downloading from 40+ anti-malware engines and make Chrome downloads more secure. The method explained in this tutorial is pretty simple as it integrates with the Chrome context menu and gives you the option to scan files before downloading, as shown in the screenshot below. To scan files before downloading in Chrome, I will use a Chrome extension by Metadefender i.e. Metadefender for Chrome. The best part is that this Chrome extension also gives you the option to automatically scan all download files. So, a handy Chrome extension I must say that can keep your Chrome downloads safe.
How to scan files before downloading in Chrome using Metadefender for Chrome:
Metadefender for Chrome uses Metadefender- online virus scanner, similar to VirusTotal, to scan the files before downloading in Chrome. It simply gives you the option to scan a file before downloading in the Chrome context menu. So, when you land on a page to download any software, music, document, etc file, you can use this option to scan it before saving them to your PC. I personally use VirusTotal to scan for all apps and software that I review. For me, it’s basically a 2-step process, the first in which I download the file and the second in which I scan the downloaded file on VirusTotal. But I guess this Chrome extension from Metadefender will cut-off those extra minutes that I spend in this process. With this, I can simply scan the file before downloading. Recently, I also reviewed Metadefender and I found it very useful because of its additional features which are missing in VirusTotal. 
After you have opted a file to scan before downloading, it opens a new Chrome tab in which the file is analyzed by Metadefender. After the analysis is complete, you can see if the file is infected with any types of viruses . The best part, if you check for any software you can also get to know about its vulnerabilities. To know more about the analysis and features that Metadefender offers, I will strongly recommend you to first read the article linked above.
Verdict:
This tutorial explains how to scan files before downloading in Chrome. You can get a file scanned from 40+ anti-virus engines like Avast, Sophos, etc before downloading it on your PC. In addition to this, you can also choose to scan all Chrome downloads to prevent any malicious file to be downloaded from the internet. You can easily keep your downloads safe in Chrome by the Chrome extension mentioned in the tutorial.
