Summary :
You may want to turn off Avast antivirus when failing to install a new application or driver since the antivirus may don’t allow installations. How to disable Avast? This post will walk you through some simple methods in Windows and Mac, as well as useful tips to protect your PC after disabling antivirus.
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What Is Avast?
On your Mac, choose Apple menu System Preferences, then click Network. Open Network preferences for me. Click the Add button in the list at the left, click the Interface pop-up menu, then choose VPN. Click the VPN Type pop-up menu, then choose what kind of VPN connection you want to set up, depending on the network you are connecting to. I am new to MacBook Pro and i just want to know whether Macbook pro comes with any default antivirus software or we need to buy and install. More Less MacBookPro5,5, Mac OS X (10.6). By the way, Avast doesn't know either and they suggested to format my hard drive. This is NOT an option. Macbook Pro Specs: Macbook Pro 13 (MacBookPro9,2). 2.5GHz i5. 4GB RAM (Factory). 500GB Toshiba MK5065GSXF Media (Factory). OSX 10.9.5 Mavericks.
Simply put, Avast is one of the best free antivirus programs on the market that you can download it for use. It has been around a long time, helping you to protect against many threats from the local files, instant messages, emails, internet, P2P connections, etc.
It also offers various services including computer security, firewall, anti-phishing, browser security, antispyware, anti-spam and more. Importantly, it can be used in multiple platforms such as Windows, Mac, Android, iPad & iPhone and loT. To get more information about this program, refer to its official website.
Why Need to Disable Avast
Although this antivirus program is powerful and excellent, you sometimes need to disable Avast, especially when you install a new application or driver. This is because the program might not recognize or allow the installation as it deems the app or driver as unknown sources and even it misreads a trustable setup as a threat.
For this common issue, we will show you how to disable Avast in detail for Windows and Mac, along with some visual pictures.
How to Disable Avast Free Antivirus in Windows 10/8/7
The following section is about methods to turn off complete or individual Avast antivirus shields. Let’s go to see the detailed steps.
How to Close Avast Completely (All Shields)
Basically, turning off all the shields of Avast refers to completely stopping or disabling the whole active protection of this free antivirus. Thus, you should know what you are doing. Generally, the following is also the procedure of how to stop Avast from running in the background.
Step 1: Control Avast Shields
1. Go to the taskbar in Windows 10/8/7, right-click on the icon of Avast and you can see some options regarding the security suite.
If you find your Windows 10 taskbar is not working, please don’t panic since I have useful methods to help.
2. Choose Avast shields control.
3. Choose one option based on how long you want to stop Avast from running. To disable Avast permanently, you can choose the last one. To temporarily disable Avast, the former three options are available.
Step 2: Confirm Your Operation
After choosing an option, this software asks you to make a confirmation. All shields will be turned off or stopped. This may cause a malware attack, so do this operation prudently. Then, click OK to continue.
Step 3: Go Back to the Main Window
Later, open the main interface and you will find this software gives you a message in red saying “All your shields are off”. This means you are not protected by Avast. To use it again, you should click RESOLVE.
How to Disable Avast (Specified Shields)
In the above, we have shown you how to close Avast completely. Sometimes, you may want to only turn off or stop certain shields. Now, let’s go to see the step-by-step guide.
Step 1: Run Avast Free Antivirus in Windows 10/8/7. Then, go to its Protection interface where you can click Core Shields to choose core defenses.
Step 2: Choose the shield that you want to turn off or stop and click on the switcher.
Step 3: Avast gives you four options: Stop for 10 minutes, Stop for 1 hour, Stop until your next restart, and Stop indefinitely. Choose one based on your own needs.
Step 4: After confirmation, you can see the switcher becomes OFF in the Protection tab. To turn it on, you can change the switcher from OFF to ON.
How to Disable Avast on Windows Startup
Some users may want to stop this antivirus from running on startup. If you are the one, follow these steps below.
Step 1: Right-click on the taskbar and choose Task Manager.
Is Task Manager not responding in Windows 10/8/7? Now get the full solutions to fix Task Manager if you can’t open it.
Step 2: Navigate to the Startup tab.
Step 3: Right-click on AvLaunch component and choose Disable. After that, it won’t automatically run when turning on your Windows 10/8/7.
How to Uninstall Avast Antivirus
Sometimes, you may want to remove Avast from your computer when you still can’t install an app or driver after trying the above ways. Here is how to uninstall Avast Antivirus in Windows 10/8/7.
Avast For Mac
Step 1: Go to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features.
Step 2: Right-click on Avast Free Antivirus and choose Uninstall to remove it.
How to Disable Avast Mac
As mentioned above, you can use this program (full name – Avast Security) in Mac. Similarly, you can disable it when failing to install a new app or driver.
To do this work, you can open Avast Security, go to the Preferences interface where you can see three types of Avast Shield, choose the shield you want to turn off and then click Disable. If required, type an administrator password.
Besides, you can also choose to uninstall this program completely instead of stopping certain shields.
How to Protect Your PC: Make a Backup
To some degree, you can only disable some shields of Avast or directly remove it rather than disabling it from Startup. Even, some users report that it will automatically restart.
After you disable/turn off Avast shields or uninstalling the program, your PC may be at risk of threats like malware, spyware, viruses, and more, which could cause data loss. To avoid data loss, you should make a backup for your important files.
MiniTool ShadowMaker can be your good assistant in backing up files. As a professional and secure file backup software, it can help to make a backup for Windows operating system (Windows 10/8/7/, etc.), the entire disk and partitions besides files & folders.
It offers two methods to back up your important files, imaging backup and file sync, helping to keep data safe well. Now, don’t hesitate to download MiniTool ShadowMaker Trial Edition for 30-day free trial by hitting the download button.
Here is the procedure of how to back up files.
Step 1: Choose a Local Backup
- Double-click this program.
- Continue to use the trial edition by clicking Keep Trial.
- From the following interface, click the left Connect button to start a local backup.
Step 2: What to Back up
- Go to the Source section, and choose the Folders and Files type.
- In the pop-up window, check all the items you want to back up and click OK to go back to the Backup page.
What do I need to back up my computer? What files should I back up? Now, get the answers to these two questions in this post.
Step 3: Where to Back up
- In the same way, go to the Destination section of the Backup page.
- Choose a path to store the backup. A USB drive, external hard drive, NAS or network can be chosen depending on actual needs.
Step 4: Run a Backup
Choose Back up Now to start the backup in the Manage page.
Useful Methods to Protect Your PC Against Virus and Malware
In addition to backing up your important files after you disable Avast or uninstall it, you can take some other measures to protect the PC from malware and virus.
Run Windows Defender
Windows Defender is a free antimalware program that comes with Windows 10, helping scan programs you open & new files downloaded from the web, protect PCs against from viruses, malware, and other malicious threats.
You can automatically update it through Windows Update. If you disable Avast, please ensure Windows Defender is running.
Troubled by Windows Defender not turning on? Here are full solutions to repair Windows Defender in Windows 10/8/7 and the best way for PC protection.
Keep Windows Up-to-Date
Microsoft periodically releases some special security updates to protect your PC against viruses and some other malware attacks. Please make sure your Windows is running the latest operating system version to gain these security updates.
Use a Firewall
If a virus tries to connect to your computer, Windows Firewall or any other firewall program may tell you the suspicious campaign. Besides, it can block viruses or worms from trying to download malicious applications to the PC.
Ensure UAC Is Turned on
UAC refers to User Account Control that can notify you and ask you whether to approve the changes when some changes are made to your computer that needs administrator-level permission. This way, UAC can keep viruses from unwanted changes.
Some other tips you can pay attention to after you disable Avast
- Use a strong password
- Use your Internet browser's privacy settings.
- Clear your Internet cache and your browsing history.
- Pay attention to Windows SmartScreen notifications.
- Use a pop-up blocker with your Internet browser.
- Don't open email attachments that you don't recognize and email messages from unfamiliar senders.
Bottom Line
After reading this post, you have clearly learned how to disable Avast in PC and Mac or uninstall Avast Antivirus. After stopping or removing it, your PC may be at risk of malware threats, thus, some measures to keep your PC from viruses are told to you. Take action!
Should you encounter any question regarding our software or any suggestion of closing or disabling Avast, leave your idea in the Comment part below or send an email to our team – [email protected]. We will reply to you as soon as possible. Thank you!
I don’t know where this widespread myth originated from. The myth that Macs do not get viruses. Macs are computers, and like any computer, they can have vulnerabilities, and there are always people who want to get into your computer and steal your data. And they will always find ways to infect devices, including Macs, with malicious software.
However, it is true that the quantity of malware programsfor Macs created every year is significantly lower than the same amount forPCs.
Every day, the AV-TEST Institute registers over 350,000 new malicious programs (malware) and potentially unwanted applications (PUA).
In 2019, there were 89.68 mln malware programs developed for Windows and 3.17mln for Android. For comparison, there were only 60K malware programs for macOS: about 1500 times less than for Windows and 52 times less than for Android.
So, while macOS is much safer (because it is being targeted less), there are still 60K programs being created to harm Macs every year.
My point is Macs do get viruses, and the question is, what should you do to protect them?
There is a significant list of antimalware solutions available for macOS. Among them, ClamXAV, Bitdefender, Intego, Norton, Malwarebytes, and Avast. If you don’t know how to choose from a such variety check my post on how to do it properly.
In this post, we will do a full review of Avast Security forMac, both free and paid versions.
But before we move forward, let’s address the safety and trust questions.
Is Avast Security for Mac Safe?
According to multiple antivirus testing labs (AV-Test,AV-Comparatives), Avast for Mac is considered as a legitimate antimalwareprogram. So, it is safe to install either free or paid versions. However, therewere reports that Avast was selling user data to various organizations.
Does Avast Sell Your Data?
Avast was selling the data about user’s behavior on the internet (including Google searches) since 2013 when they acquired the company called Jumpshot.
They claimed that the data was anonymized before being sold to interested parties, but the damage to the reputation was already done. Some tools even decided to label Avast as spyware. Mozilla and Opera browsers removed the software from their bundles.
After the data collection practices were discovered, the company decided to shutdown Jumpshot. However, it is not clear if they stopped collecting user data or not.
So, at this time, the company is not selling data, but nobody knows what can happen in the future. And it’s up to users to decide whether Avast can be trusted or not. To learn more, read the Privacy policy on their site.
Is Avast for Mac any Good?
To answer this question, let’s check the testing reportsfrom two independent research labs. I could’ve read user reviews, or base theresearch on articles from bloggers (Avast affiliates), but I only trustcompanies which perform AV testing professionally.
There are multiple AV testing labs, but only two providetests for Macs.
Is It Good According to AV-Test?
AV-TEST GmbH is an independent IT security research institute from Germany. They do not recommend any products but produce the test results free of charge, and it’s a job of a consumer to decide which AV is the best.
The latest Avast product review can be found here: Avast Home User Products.
AV-Test tests security programs in three categories:Protection, Performance, and Usability. The highest score in each category is6.
In the latest test, Avast was given the highest score in protection against malware infections (viruses, worms, and/or Trojans). It was able to detect 100% of threats in the test samples, higher than the industry average of 99%.
In the Performance test, which gauges the impact of the product on the system, Avast was also awarded the perfect score of 6.
The effect of the antivirus on the speed of downloads, installing and launching apps, and copying files, was between 1-4%, which is lower than the industry average.
And finally, Avast excelled in the Usability test, whichmeasures false positives (false detection of legit software as malware, ordisplaying unnecessary warnings).
However, it is helpful to see things in perspective. Whilethe last results were impressive, over the years Avast did not consistently getgood marks in some of the tests:
Is It Good According to AV-Comparatives?
AV-Comparatives is an antimalware testing lab based in Austria, and the certifications it awards are globally recognized.
According to the AV-Comparatives, in the latest tests, Avast received an Approved Security Product award along with products such as Avira, Bitdefender, CrowdStrike, F-Secure, Kaspersky, and Trend Micro.
In the lab’s main test, Real-World Protection Test, Avastwas able to achieve Advanced level, which is higher than Standard, but lowerthan Advanced+.
I have to note that Avast Security program performance inAV-Comparatives tests has also fluctuated over the years.
So, if you read this article two-three years after its publication, I suggest checking the latest results from both labs, so that you have freshest data.
Did someone else test Avast?
Well, I did. I was lucky to find a place with hundreds of malware targeting Mac users. And I was dumb enough to download all of them on my MacBook and test 13 antimalware products.
What did I find? I found that Avast is not the best in the class. It missed a few malware samples.
I also found two (or strictly speaking only one) antivirus programs which detected and removed all viruses, including trojans, worms, adware and ransomware.
A link to the post with the results of my test and the name of the winners is down below in Conclusion.
Avast Security for Mac Review
Installation
The free download of Avast Security for Mac is availablefrom the company web site avast.com.
- On Mac, the install media will be saved as a DMG file in the Downloads folder.
- Just run the installer from there.
- Double click on Install Avast Security.pkg file and keep clicking on the Continue button where appropriate.
- Agree to terms of the software license.
- Hit the Install button. The software will download the latest virus definitions.
- Enter the password when the installer tries to install new software.
- At the end of install Mac’s System Security will pop up a message if you want to install System Extension.
- Open System Preferences, click on the padlock icon and then click Allow.
- While you are in System Preferences app, click on the Privacy tab, select Full Disk Access on the left pane, then find Avast in the right pane and check the box next to the app name.
What’s interesting about the installation is that it didn’task for my email or any other information like almost all other free apps.
Scanning
Once the antivirus is installed, you should run the scan.
If you didn’t give Full Disk Access during installation, theapp would ask it again during the scan. This is expected from any antimalwareprogram.
Avast Antivirus Free Download For Macbook Pro
How long does it take to finish the initial scan depends onthe size of the disk. Just minimize the app and keep doing what you were doing.Avast does take some CPU resources, but do not slow down other processes on Mac.
On my MacBook Pro Avast scanned 159095 files in 10 minutesand 45 seconds with default settings.
It classified one of the Mail attachments as a threat andoffered to resolve the issue by moving it to the Virus Chest.
Virus Chest
Avast uses a special isolated space called Virus Chest tocontain the infected files. The files get automatically moved there during thescan.
You can also add files manually.
Sometimes, the file can be placed in Virus Chest by mistake.In this case, you can restore it by opening the Virus Chest from the mainwindow, scroll and find the file. When the file is selected, you can see thetrash icon and three dots next to it.
To restore the file, click on three dots, and in thedrop-down menu, select either Restore or Restore as action. Restore as actionlets to restore the file in a user-specified location. Both actions requireentering the admin password.
Is it safe to delete files from the Avast virus chest? Clicking on the Trash icon in the chest deletes the file permanently. It does not go to MacBook Trash, so they will be gone forever. The only option after removing the file is to try special tools such as Disk Drill, but the results are not guaranteed.
Core Shields
Several protection components in the app block malware in real-time. They are called Core Shields, and they include File, Web, and Mail.
File Shield
This is the main layer of protection, and this is the core functionality you expect from any antivirus to do in real-time. Every time any file gets saved, copied, modified, it gets triggered.
It also scans the files when they get opened or executed. If malware detected during a file scan, the shield protects the Mac from being infected.
Web Shield
As the name suggests, it protects a user when she browsesthe internet from downloading malware or executing malicious scripts.
Mail Shield
This is the final component. It scans incoming (andoutgoing) messages in the email clients, such as Mail.app or Microsoft Outlook.It does not scan Gmail when the user accesses it from the browser. Browser, asI mentioned above, is protected by Web Shield.
By default, all shields will be enabled, but they can bedisabled at any time.
For instance, the Mail Shield had problems with the MacMyths.com mail server.
Basically, Avast told me that I might be connected to a server that pretends to be my mail server in order to get confidential information. And all my accounts went offline.
I had to turn off Mail Shield and turn all accounts backonline.
Configuration
It is possible to use the antivirus as is with the defaultsettings, but I suggest to check some configuration settings anyway.
Click on the Menu button in the top right corner of the appscreen, and then click on Preferences.
General
In this section, make sure that the following settings areenabled:
- Turn on automatic updates
- Open Avast Security when computer starts up
Personal Privacy
Remember how the article about the company selling data?Usually, when I download an app, it asks me if I allow sharing my data, but notthis program. All three checkboxes in the Personal Privacy were enabled bydefault. So, go ahead, uncheck all of them.
Core Shields
Enable all settings in this section. Additionally, it ispossible to exclude certain files or web/mail servers from scanning. It isuseful for test servers if you are a developer or the files that you know arenot malware.
Scans and Wi-Fi Inspector
Leave default settings as is.
Ransomware Shield
It’s a premium feature, not available in the free version.
Premium Features
As you know, Avast is not a charity company. It’s afor-profit corporation, and they make money only when users buy their premiumproducts. They are not making a single penny from their free software.
So, I don’t understand people who complain that the company is aggressively promoting Avast Premium Security.
For instance, at the bottom of the main screen of the free app, you can see a bar with a message “You are not protected in 3 areas”. Clicking on the Resolve button brings another screen with an offer to:
- Protect primary folders from Ransomware
- Monitor Wi-Fi
- Protect from DNS hijacking
All of those features are part of the Premium package, which costs $69/year.
Is the package worth the money?
The only feature, interesting to me, is Ransomware protection. If you don’t know what it is, it’s malware that encrypts the entire computer disk and then asks money in order to decrypt it again.
One of the examples of Ransomware attack happened in Baltimore when all computers in the city government were compromised, and the city lost all its data.
The best prevention against such attacks, however, is periodic backups. If you keep backing up the Mac, it is easy to restore it later in case of malware attack (assuming the backup drive was not encrypted either).
So, to conclude, I wouldn’t pay for Premium. In my opinion,the free version is pretty good. It performs very well in malware detection andremoval, and it does provide real-time protection.
Uninstalling Avast antivirus
Since Avast gets access to the various system folder, do noteven try to delete the app by moving it to Trash. That won’t work.
To remove the program completely, click on Avast in theApple menu bar. In the drop-down menu, select the Uninstall Avast Securityitem. Enter the admin password if needed. The uninstall process will start, andin the end, all you need is to click on the Quit button.
In case you don’t trust Avast to clean up after itself, you can try CleanMyMac or AppCleaner. Both apps will remove the app without leaving any traces.
Conclusion
The free app from Avast is an excellent antivirus approved by independent testing labs. It is safe to use Avast; however, there are still some concerns about their user data collection practices.
While both Avast is a good free product, in my experience, it does not catch all viruses.
How do I know? I tested them myself along with a dozen other antimalware products. I intentionally downloaded 117 malware samples to find out which software is best in scanning and removing viruses.
Needless to say that I was surprised by my findings. Enough, to say that Avast removed 98.3% of samples after multiple scans.
Only one antivirus product was able to detect and remove 100% samples. Check here to find out which one is the best: