How to Uninstall Avast Antivirus

Follow these simple steps to completely uninstall Avast Antivirus

Image of an antivirus scan

mohamed_hassan/Pixabay 

by Ryan Dube
Ryan Dube is a freelance contributor to Lifewire and former Managing Editor of MakeUseOf, senior IT Analyst, and an automation engineer.
Updated August 12, 2019

Avast Antivirus has a special Self-Defense mode that prevents malicious software from uninstalling Avast from your system. Unfortunately, this means you can't uninstall it either.

If you still need to know how to uninstall Avast Antivirus, just follow the steps below to disable Avast's self-defense feature and uninstall the software.

If you're uninstalling Avast Antivirus, make sure you're replacing it with another antivirus program. Never leave your computer connected to the internet without any antivirus software protecting it.

How to Disable Avast's Self-Defense Mode

To disable self-defense mode in Avast, you'll need to go into a 'hidden' area of the Settings.

  1. Open the Avast user interface and click Menu at the top of the user interface.

    The location of the Menu option on the Avast user interface.

  2. Select Settings from the drop-down menu that appears.

    Screenshot of selecting Settings from the Avast menu

  3. This opens a new Settings window. Select General from the left navigation pane, and then select Troubleshooting from the sub-menu.

    Screenshot of selecting Troubleshooting in the Avast Settings window.

  4. Deselect the checkbox beside Enable Self-Defense to turn Self-Defense mode off.

    Screenshot of disabling Enable Self-Defense in Avast

  5. This opens a pop-up window asking you to confirm. Select OK to confirm the change.

    Screenshot of the Self Defense off confirmation window

  6. At this point, Self-Defense mode is turned off and you can close the Settings window as well as the Avast user interface.

Complete the Avast Uninstall

Now that Avast Self-Defense is disabled, you're ready to uninstall Avast Antivirus.

The uninstallation process for Avast is the same whether you want to uninstall Avast from Windows 10 or perform the Avast uninstall for Windows 8 and Windows 7.

  1. Select the Start menu and type Control Panel. Select the Control Panel app to open it.

    Screenshot of opening Control Panel in Windows 10

  2. In the Control Panel window, select Programs and Features.

    Screenshot of selecting Programs and Features in the Control Panel.

  3. In the Programs and Features window, scroll down to the Avast Antivirus application and select it. Then, select Uninstall to begin the uninstall process.

    Screenshot of launching the Avast Antivirus uninstall.

  4. This will launch Avast's configuration screen where there are several options available to modify the Avast installation. The main options are Update, Repair, or Modify. However, you'll see the Uninstall button at the bottom of this window. Select it to launch the Avast uninstall process.

    A screenshot of the uninstall option in Avast Antivirus

  5. You'll see a confirmation window asking you if you really want to uninstall Avast. Select the Yes button.

    Screenshot of the Avast uninstall confirmation window.

  6. This will launch the Avast uninstallation process. It may take a few minutes for the progress bar to complete as the uninstallation deletes all of the Avast files distributed throughout your system.

  7. When the uninstallation is complete, you'll see a prompt to restart the computer so the uninstallation can complete. Select the Restart computer button to finish.

    Screenshot of the Avast uninstallation Restart Computer prompt.

  8. Restarting your computer will complete the uninstallation process. Once this is done, Avast will be completely uninstalled from your system.

Install New Antivirus Software

If you've uninstalled Avast Antivirus so that you can install new antivirus software, there are lots of good, free antivirus software options to choose from.

If you're only uninstalling it to test whether it's interfering with other things you're trying to do with your computer, make sure to download the latest version of Avast Antivirus and reinstall it on your system so that you're fully protected.