2022-10-16
Antivirus, no matter how you look at it, is a necessary application for safe work at your computer or mobile device. As for the Avast antivirus, there are no significant complaints about it, and reviews of the program are quite positive.
One disadvantage worth mentioning, however, is the increased use of resources. Not everybody likes Avast's constant presence on the hard drive and in the RAM, which is why some users eventually want to uninstall Avast Free or at least temporarily disable it, even though they do run the risk of getting infected by viruses.
In this guide, we'll cover both scenarios - uninstalling and disabling Avast, so choose the option you're comfortable with.
Content :
- How to remove Avast antivirus
- How to disable Avast on your computer
- Solution 1
- Solution 2
- Solution 3
Do not want to read text? Here's a video tutorial:
How to remove Avast from your computer without a trace
To completely remove the antivirus, we need the proprietary Avast Uninstall Utility - aka AvastClear. Its action is narrowly focused: it finds Avast traces on the computer and clears them. This method of desktop antivirus removal helps in those cases where the standard Avast uninstallation (via Control Panel, Programs and Features) is impossible.
So to completely remove Avast from your computer under Windows follow these steps:
- Download avastclear.exe utility on your PC from official site.
- Reboot your computer and enter Safe Mode. You could theoretically uninstall the program in Windows regular mode but Avast cannot be completely uninstalled.
- Open the Avastclear.exe program.
- Please indicate to the program the directory where you have located the Avast antivirus.
- Hit the DELETE button to completely remove Avast antivirus from your PC.
- Reboot the PC to apply the changes.
How to disable Avast antivirus while the program is installed
Disabling Avast antivirus is useful if:
- You don't want to uninstall Avast (virus checks are scheduled);
- Computer is slow or needs additional resources (you are running Photoshop, Chrome with a dozen open tabs or installing a program)
In such cases you can simply disable antivirus, and below we will discuss two ways to do it. These methods apply equally to Windows 7 and Windows 10 operating systems as well as older versions of the OS.
The first method: Disabling the antivirus components
- Open the main window of Avast by launching it from the desktop or by selecting the "Open Avast user interface" item from the context menu in the Notification Panel. (The Notification Panel in Windows XP, 7, 10 and other is located at the bottom right corner. )
- Go to "Protection" - "Protection main components". Disable the following components if not needed:
- File Protection
- Behavior Analysis
- Web Protection
- Mail Protection
Second method (how to temporarily block Avast through settings)
- Go to the "Protection" - "Main Protection Components".
- Set the slider to "Disable". In the "Really disable this screen?" dialog window set the Avast Disable interval: between 10 minutes and the next reboot.
- Click "Ok" to confirm the shutdown.
During this time the file system virus protection will be fully disabled. Remember to enable Avast protection when needed. The "Enable virus and threat protection" switch will appear in the Windows 10 Notification Center.
In the same way you will disable the other components of the antivirus - Web screen, Mail screen and other components installed by the user.
The third way (via Notification panel)
The following steps are performed to suspend the antivirus:
- Right click the Avast icon in the Notification panel.
- "Manage Avast screens" > "Disable all screens" (you may choose the time interval to disable it).
Because each antivirus component "eats up" a part of your PC resources, disabling each module may increase its performance. This is particularly useful for low-powered computers, budget laptops.
That's all; if you have any questions about Avast, feel free to contact us via the feedback form. Good luck in your fight against viruses!
