Function

• The quarantine function of your antivirus protects your computer when you download a file that may be infected with malware or a virus. The application moves the file to a quarantined section of your hard drive, an area where the file is inaccessible to the operating system, protecting your computer from infection.
  
  

Identify Quarantined Files

• Check the quarantined file directory when you receive a quarantine alert from the application. If the file name does not look familiar, your antivirus software may have identification tools or a support team that can help you narrow it down. Leave the file safely quarantined until you can sort out the function and origin, which will help you make the decision of how best to proceed with the infected file.
  
  

Recover Quarantined Files

• When a file is quarantined, the computer can no longer access it, so if the quarantined file is essential to an application, that application will not work as long as the file is quarantined. Most antivirus applications have a "Recover" or "Clean" function for quarantined files that attempts to disinfect the file, removing an embedded virus. When the application determines that the file is no longer a threat, it restores it to its original location in functional condition.
  
  

Delete Quarantined Files

• When you determine that a file cannot be repaired, or is not necessary for any applications, another alternative is to delete the file entirely, eliminating the virus risk at the same time. When an antivirus application deletes a quarantined file, the action is typically irreversible.