While being a good option for protecting against online threats, McAfee antivirus has often come under scrutiny for its privacy and data collection practices. Moreover, many users reported computer performance issues, such as slow speed when running scans and the antivirus eating up a lot of PC resources, prompting them to look for a McAfee removal tool to remove the software from their computer.
If you are one of those users who wish to uninstall McAfee from your device, here is a comprehensive guide with the best tools listed and explained to help you. Since manual software installation may lead to registry issues, leftover files may conflict with other software, and the startup entries the software leaves behind may slow down the system boot time, it is recommended to remove McAfee completely using any of the software in this article.
However, since we cannot skip an antivirus completely to ensure protection against viruses and other attacks, this article also walks you through the best McAfee replacements.
Before beginning with any of these, let us quench the curiosity of those who may be thinking of reasons for removing McAfee.
Why Uninstall McAfee
Below are the reasons McAfee may not live up to your expectations, and you may want to uninstall it.
- It consumes significant system resources, slowing down the computer.
- The software clutters your system by duplicating alerts and functions.
- McAfee interferes with the performance of other software installed on your computer.
- It performs an unsolicited installation of other software.
The above are some of the reasons you may need to remove McAfee from your device. Let us now list and explain the best software to uninstall McAfee to help you perform a complete software removal from your computer.
Best McAfee Removal Tools
The following are some of the most specialized tools for McAfee uninstallation to remove this software and all its traces from your computer while preventing all post-uninstallation issues related to device stability and performance.
1. McAfee Consumer Product Removal Tool (MCPR)
McAfee itself offers a McAfee Consumer Product Removal Tool (MCPR) to help you completely uninstall McAfee software from your PC. It addresses potential residual files or registry entries that the standard removal may leave behind by ensuring the software gets wholly wiped out. All you need to do is download and run the tool, follow the simple removal instructions, and restart your computer after removing the McAfee antivirus software.
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2. Revo Uninstaller
Revo Uninstaller is another software we recommend as one of the best McAfee removal tools. Known for its comprehensive scanning and removal capabilities, this software is also fairly easy to use. Simply download and install Revo Uninstaller, search for McAfee, click uninstall, follow the on-screen uninstallation directions, and restart your computer after everything is done.
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3. IObit Uninstaller
Here comes the IObit Uninstaller. It is another tool to uninstall McAfee; we recommend it for its efficient handling of stubborn programs like McAfee with their associated files and registry entries. Moreover, using IObit Uninstaller is also quite simple.
You can simply download and run it, navigate to the tools option, choose the stubborn program remover from the available tools, find McAfee in the program database, initiate the removal process, scan for and clean leftovers, and restart your computer.
4. Antivirus Removal Tool
Next on our list, the Antivirus Removal Tool is as straightforward as its name suggests. It is a portable program that detects and completely removes antivirus software, including McAfee.
Moreover, it helps in detecting past installations of antivirus programs and offers one-click access to Windows Add/Remove Programs, from which you can uninstall the antivirus program using the regular uninstaller. It also provides official specialized uninstallers for 28 antivirus programs and comes with multi-language support.
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5. Wise Program Uninstaller
Wise Program Uninstaller is not only a McAfee removal tool but also a simple and user-friendly program to uninstall all unwanted programs completely. It boasts a built-in scan engine that scans and deletes all the leftover files, folders, and registry entries after the de-installation.
Moreover, Wise Program Uninstaller comes with Safe Uninstall and Forced Uninstall options to ensure complete McAfee uninstallation and removal of its associated files. You simply need to locate McAfee in the list of installed programs in the Wise Program Uninstaller, choose Safe Uninstall, and confirm the uninstallation. If Safe Uninstall fails, you can use Forced Uninstall and restart your device after McAfee removal.
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After removing McAfee, your computer, if it does not have another antivirus program installed, becomes open to attacks. Hence, it is essential to look for McAfee alternatives to protect your computer. The following section shares our top recommendations to replace McAfee on your computer.
Also know: Best Free PC Cleaner and Optimizer for Windows 10, 11
Best McAfee Alternatives
The following are our top picks for the best alternatives to McAfee.
1. Bitdefender
Bitdefender is among the best antivirus programs for Windows. It comes with top-notch protection against threats like viruses, worms, ransomware, Trojans, zero-day exploits, spyware, and rootkits in real-time. Moreover, it optimizes your computer speed and performance to ensure a seamless experience.
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2. Norton
Norton is among the most well-known McAfee competitors. It is a feature-rich antivirus with real-time monitoring and protection against all forms of malware. Moreover, features like dark web monitoring, VPN to prevent DDoS and doxxing attacks, webcam protection, and a password manager make it worth your attention.
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3. Avast
Avast Antivirus is another comprehensive and strong McAfee alternative. It boasts a wide range of premium features, such as a VPN, identity theft protection, and performance optimization tools. Moreover, this antivirus software has consistently performed well in independent lab tests, justifying its position on our list.
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4. TotalAV
TotalAV is another McAfee replacement that we recommend. This software protects your computer in real-time from viruses and other threats and boasts an ad blocker for annoying ads.
Moreover, TotalAV allows you to run scheduled scans, enjoy uninterrupted gaming and streaming with a built-in silent mode, offers a junk and duplicate file cleaner, a safe browsing VPN, game performance optimization tools, and a secure password vault, making it one of the fiercest McAfee competitors.
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5. Surfshark
Next, we would like to name Surfshark Antivirus as one of the best alternatives to McAfee. A part of the Surfshark One and Surfshark One+ bundles, this software offers a good level of real-time protection from malware.
Moreover, this lightweight software offers all-in-one security with its robust features, such as web protection, automatic quarantine of detected threats, heuristic detection to identify new or modified malware, VPN, private search, and a data breach scanner.
Click here for more information
Also know: Best Free Junk File Cleaner for Windows 10, 11 PC
Best McAfee Removal Tools and McAfee Alternatives: The Conclusion
While McAfee antivirus software is user-friendly and offers a wide range of features, its performance and privacy concerns are strong reasons to use the best McAfee removal tools in this article to uninstall it completely. Instead of McAfee, you can use one of the McAfee alternatives listed above to keep your computer protected from threats. If you have any related questions or concerns, you can share them in the comments section.
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