Sometimes the error messages do not allow the correct uninstallation of the antivirus, but there is a solution for everything. In today’s article we will see how to uninstall Avast on my PC and on my Android with the standard method provided by the software in Windows and macOS, and then with the alternative method, that is, with forced removal.
Index of contents
How to uninstall Avast
You have always used the free Avast program to protect your PC from cyber threats, but now you have decided to change it for another. You want to install a new antivirus, but unfortunately you cannot remove Avast.
How to uninstall Avast in Windows
If you want to know how to uninstall Avast from a PC equipped with the Windows operating system, you should know that you can take two paths: the first involves using the classic Windows control panel (or the «PC Settings» panel, in Windows 10).
The second, however, leads to the download of a utility that allows you to carry out the forced removal of the antivirus from the PC, when the first procedure cannot be carried out due to errors.
Standard procedure
To uninstall Avast according to standard Windows procedure, follow these steps:
- Click the Start button (the flag icon located in the lower left corner of the screen)
- If you are using Windows 10, click on the gear iconlocated on the left side of the menu that appears on the screen. This will open the panel with the PC settings.
- Now, select the Application icon, choose Avast Free Antivirus (or the paid version of Avast installed on your PC) from the list of programs installed on your PC
- Click the uninstall button(shown on the right) twice in a row.
- In the window that opens, first click the yes button, then the uninstallbutton and confirm your wish to remove Avast from the PC by pressing the yes button first.
- Then Restart your PC(to restart the PC at the end of the procedure and remove all antivirus residue). You can also avoid answering the questionnaire that you see at the bottom of the window, it is optional.
If you are using a version of Windows earlier than 10 or 8.x, you must follow a slightly different procedure to uninstall Avast. Go to the Control Panel by clicking the Start Windows button and select the appropriate item from the menu that opens.
At this point, click on the Uninstall a program item located at the bottom left of the window that has opened (to access the list of applications installed on the PC), select Avast! Free Antivirus from the next screen and click the Uninstall / Change button , which is located in the upper left.
Otherwise, the procedure to follow is the same as I illustrated above for Windows 10:
- Click and then the yes button.
- Then on the uninstall button
- Confirm that you want to remove Avast from your PC by clicking yes and restarting your PC.
Yes, along with Avast Antivirus, you also installed the tool on your PC Clean the browser Avast remove malicious extensions from browsers, proceed to uninstall the latter by going to the Start menu> PC Settings> Windows 10 Applications or in the Start menu> Control Panel> Uninstall a program from previous editions of Microsoft’s operating system by selecting Clean Avast browser from the list of programs installed on the PC and clicking the uninstall button.
In the window that opens, click the uninstall button, wait for the Avast Browser Cleanup removal procedure to finish, and click the ready button to close the window .
Alternative procedure
In some special cases, the standard procedure for uninstalling Avast may not be accessible (it fails or is not completed) and therefore it is necessary to resort to a force removal of the program . To do this, there is a little free tool available from the manufacturer of Avast, which is called Avast Antivirus Clear.
If you also encountered problems during the normal Avast uninstallation procedure, please connect to the program’s website and click on the avastclear.exe item to download the antivirus removal utility on your PC. When the download is complete, you must restart your PC and enter safe mode.
If you are using a PC equipped with Windows 10, click the start button (the flag icon located in the lower left corner of the screen), go to the PC settings (gear icon located on the left side of the screen). menu displayed on the screen), and in the window that opens, click the Update & security item .
At this point, select the item restore from the left sidebar, hit the Restart now button located under the Advanced startup heading.
And, on the screens below, select Troubleshooting, Advanced, Startup Settings, and Resume.
Finally, when the blue screen starts the configuration, press button 5 on the PC keyboard and Windows will start in safe mode with network (to allow Internet access).
If you use Windows 7 or an earlier version of Microsoft’s operating system, to access safe mode you just have to restart the PC and press the F8 button on the keyboard at boot time.
Once you’ve logged into Windows in safe mode, launch the program by double-clicking it. avastclear.exe previously downloaded.
Then, select the version of Avast that you have installed on your PC (Avast Free Antivirus, Avast Pro Antivirus, Avast Internet Security, Avast Premier, or Avast Business Security) from the drop-down menu at the bottom of the window that has opened.
Now click on the uninstall button to start the software removal procedure.
At the end of the procedure in question (which should take just a few seconds), click the Restart your PC button.
The system will reboot and return to the standard Windows run mode, without Avast at last.
How to uninstall Avast on macOS
Avast is also available on macOS, where it allows you to root out previously known malware for the Apple operating system.
There are viruses for macOS, but currently they are few and therefore there is no urgent need, as in Windows , to use an antivirus with real-time monitoring action.
If you have come to this same conclusion and want to know how to uninstall Avast from your Mac, proceed as follows:
- Access the main Avast screen by clicking the antivirus icon in the menu bar (in the upper right, next to the system clock)
- Select the Open Avast item from the menu that appears on the screen. Alternatively, open the Launchpad (the rocket icon located in the Dock bar) and select Avastfrom the list of applications installed on your PC.
- At this point, go to the Avast Security menu located at the top left and select the Uninstall Avast item from the menu that appears.
- In the window that appears on the screen, click the uninstall button, type your Mac administrator password, and press Enter. The antivirusshould uninstall in seconds.
If you cannot start Avast properly on your Mac, open the dmg package that contains the antivirus installation file (you can also download it directly from the Avast website) and double-click the uninstall icon present inside.
The same software removal procedure that we explained above will begin.
Uninstall Avast on Android
After using the Avast application for a while on your mobile phone an Android tablet, have you decided to uninstall it, but you don’t know how to proceed?
Go to the desktop of your device (the screen with the list of all the applications installed on the device), make a long touch on the fixed A icon and drag the latter to the uninstall or trash button that appears on the screen.
Alternatively, if neither of these two items appear, select the uninstall item from the menu that should be displayed on Android (the procedure may vary depending on the launcher and the version of Android used).
Another way to continue is to go to the iOS settings menu (the gear icon located on the home screen or in the drawer), select the Application item, then the one related to Avast and press the first uninstall and then accept button.
Again, you can open the Play Store , select Avast within the Play Store and first press the uninstall button and to accept.
Avast also offers some applications for iPhone and iPad. Not as antivirus as such, since in iOS it is not necessary, but applications to navigate safely (Avast SecureLine VPN) or manage passwords (Avast passwords). If you installed them and now you want to get rid of them, do this.
Go to your device’s home screen, locate the app icon you want to remove and long tap anywhere, and the icon will start to “dance”. Press the button (X) that appeared on it, respond Delete to the warning that appears on the screen and that’s it.
Leave a Reply