McAfee is an antivirus program that often comes preloaded onto Windows PCs and Laptops, backed by a 30-day free trial thanks to established deals with several manufacturers. The hope is that you will choose to pay for the service in order to protect the PC. However, you don’t have to use McAfee if you don't want to.
For consumers who prefer a different antivirus, it is a good idea to remove that pre-existing software from the system. This will ensure that there are no conflicts when you install your preferred antivirus. In this guide, we will explain how to remove McAfee completely, so you can start with a clean slate.
Do you need McAfee?
Uninstalling Mcafee From Windows 10
You must be running with Administrative rights on your Mac. Open Terminal; Type sudo /usr/local/McAfee/uninstall EPM and press enter; If prompted type the administrator password; For more details please refer to page 20 of the Product Guide. McAfee Volunteer Moderator. Business Products.
McAfee is an antivirus and anti-malware program that is designed to protect you from exploits on the internet. The internet is full of hackers and cybercriminals who may attempt to launch a cyberattack at you. If you are victimized with malware, ransomware, a trojan, a worm, or any other kind of exploit, your data could be stolen by hackers.
Under the worst circumstances, the hacker could take over your entire machine and turn on the cameras or microphone to snoop on you. They could also steal all your data to perform identity theft or break into your bank account.
Uninstall Mcafee Endpoint For Mac
These threats are very serious, and it is absolutely imperative that you protect yourself against them, either with McAfee or some other antivirus program. Which antivirus you decide to install and use is completely up to you. However, we strongly recommend that you get an up-to-date service that provides real time, active malware protection.
Use this command. All modules sudo /usr/local/McAfee/uninstall EPM: Threat Prevention module: sudo /usr/local/McAfee/uninstall ThreatPrevention: Firewall module: sudo /usr/local/McAfee/uninstall Firewall: Web Control module: sudo /usr/local/McAfee/uninstall WebControl. McAfee Total Protection provides three different ways to scan your Mac: real-time scanning, on-demand scanning and scheduled scanning. Our real-time scanning helps protect your Mac as you’re using it for in-the-moment protection. For a more comprehensive scan, you can simply choose to Run a Scan directly from the Console. Double-click Programs and Features or Add/Remove Programs. Select McAfee WebAdvisor or McAfee SiteAdvisor from the list. Click Uninstall/Change or Remove. When prompted, select only the checkbox next to SiteAdvisor or McAfee WebAdvisor. Click Uninstall or Remove. Restart your computer.
Using the internet without an antivirus is a very risky endeavor, and it is much better to use McAfee than no antivirus at all. Overall, McAfee is considered an excellent antivirus program. Admittedly, some people may consider McAfee a little pricey - and it is possible to get similar protection for less. Thus, the choice is yours.
Below are some key advantages of McAfee antivirus, which if purchased using the Total Protection package comes with a lot of extra features:
- Protect against all kinds of exploits
- Real time web protection
- Identity theft protection
- Password manager
- Safe browsing
- Parental tools
- Encrypted storage
How to uninstall McAfee with Windows tools
Uninstalling McAfee is easy whether it came pre-installed or you installed it yourself. You can remove it from Windows by using your computer’s built-in system tools. Alternatively, you can uninstall McAfee using the McAfee uninstaller/removal tool (more on this below).
Type settings in your search bar and click on the Settings App.
Click Apps.
Locate McAfee in the list of installed programs and click Uninstall.
When prompted, click Uninstall again to confirm that you want to remove the software.
Once the software has uninstalled, restart your computer to ensure that it has been removed completely.
How to Remove McAfee with the McAfee MCPR Removal Tool?
If you prefer to use the McAfee removal tool - or are having problems removing McAfee for some reason - you are free to uninstall it using the method below. The MCPR tool is McAfee’s official uninstaller.
Download the MCPR Tool from the McAfee website.
Double-click MCPR.exe to launch the application.
Select Yes, Continue.
If a security warning appears, click Run. The MCPR Removal Tool will now launch.
Click Next on the McAfee Software Removal screen.
Click Agree on the End User License Agreement (EULA) page.
Type in the characters shown on the Security Validation captcha and click Next.
Wait for the tool to uninstall McAfee. This might take a few minutes.
When you receive the Removal Complete message, click Restart.
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Many people had reported that they are unable to uninstall the McAfee after they have used it for the trial period, or after using when it came pre-installed with their new laptop.
This type of problem is common with security programs, and it is not much alarming. However, it is necessary to uninstall McAfee entirely before installing any other security program on your system to avoid the conflicts.
If you are one of those people who are undergoing this problem, then this guide is just for you.
In this guide, we would discuss some methods that can help you to uninstall the McAfee security solution from your system completely.
Uninstall using Windows Settings
The easiest method to get rid of McAfee is using Windows inbuilt settings.
- Open Settings
Open Settings by clicking on the Windows icon and selecting settings icon from the menu or search for settings in the search bar.
- Go to Apps
In the settings window, look for the Apps and click on it.
- Search For McAfee
In the list of apps, search for McAfee
- You will find numerous apps related to McAfee
- Click Uninstall
Uninstall each of them one by one by clicking on them and selecting Uninstall.
- Click Allow
After you click on Uninstall, Windows will ask your permission to uninstall the application. When you allow it, you would be taken to McAfee uninstaller, the same interface that installed it.
Uninstall using McAfee Consumer Product Removal tool
If you are unable to uninstall the McAfee through Windows settings, then you can try McAfee’s official removal tool known as McAfee Consumer Product Removal or MCPR tool.
1. Download the latest version of MCPR from the official site of McAfee.
2. Run it after it gets downloaded, you will notice it does not require installation.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions and wait for the uninstallation process to complete. It will take some time, depending on the processing speed of the system.
4. Once done, the McAfee programs on your system should have gone. If you like to get more information, click on ‘View Logs.’
Uninstalling McAfee on a Mac
Usually, it is quite easy to remove applications from macOS. However, things are different with McAfee. It is complicated to remove it even on Mac since it does not get uninstalled in the usual way. Here are the steps to do that:
1. Check whether you are signed in with the Administrator account or not. Of not, then do that.
2. Open the Applications and click on Utilities Folder. Look for the Terminal and open it.
3. Now you have to enter a command to uninstall the McAfee from the device. However, the command depends on the version of McAfee you are using. For instance, for McAfee version 4.8 or earlier enter following command:
sudo /Library/McAfee/cma/uninstall.sh
And for McAfee version 5.0 and later use the following command:
sudo /Library/McAfee/cma/scripts/uninstall.sh
Background remover for mac. After entering the command according to your version of McAfee, hit Enter
4. The macOS should remove all the programs and files related to McAfee from your Mac device.
Final Words
So these are the top solutions to remove McAfee from your device altogether. However, sometimes you may find it difficult to remove it even after using MCPR on Windows and Terminal on Mac. In that case, it is better to get a good uninstaller to remove McAfee.
Furthermore, we understand that there might be several reasons that have prompted you to get rid of McAfee, but securing your computer is also essential. If you are not satisfied with McAfee, then there are many more alternative security program options you can go for. Windows Defender is good, but getting a proper antimalware would be more beneficial.