Launch a Scan

Required user role when using Tenable Nessus Manager: Standard, Administrator, or System Administrator

In addition to configuring Schedule settings for a scan, you can manually start a scan.

Note: You cannot create and launch scans, create or view policies or plugin rules, or use the upgrade assistant while Tenable Nessus compiles plugins.

Note: If you are scanning a Linux machine with Tenable Nessus, the Linux machine's shell configuration file must have a PS1 variable of four or more characters (for example, PS1='\u@\h:~\$ '). Having a PS1 variable of less than four characters (for example, PS1='\$ ') can drastically increase the overall scan time.

To launch a scan:

  1. In the top navigation bar, click Scans.

    The My Scans page appears.

  2. In the scans table, in the row of the scan you want to launch, click the button.

    Tenable Nessus launches the scan.

What to do next:

If you need to stop a scan manually, see Stop a Running Scan.