Remove McAfee completely, including the leftovers

Uninstalling McAfee removes the program from this computer. It does not cancel your subscription or stop automatic renewal payments. If you are leaving McAfee for good, sort out the subscription first, while it is fresh in your mind.

1. Open your web browser and type mcafee.com into the address bar yourself.
2. Sign in with the email address you used when you bought McAfee.
3. Look in your account for your subscription and its automatic renewal setting, and turn automatic renewal off if you do not want to be charged again.

If you only had the free trial that came with the computer and never entered card details, there is nothing to cancel. If you plan to reinstall McAfee later, keep your account details handy, because you will need them to download it again.

This is the normal, safe way to remove any program. It runs McAfee's own uninstaller, which removes the program and the protection services that run in the background. Save any open documents first and close your other programs. If you use a laptop, plug it in.

1. Select Start, then Settings, and go to AppsInstalled apps.
2. Type McAfee into the search box above the list.
3. Find the main McAfee program. Its name varies, for example McAfee, McAfee Total Protection or McAfee+. Select the three dots ... next to it and choose Uninstall, then Uninstall again to confirm.
4. If Windows asks whether to allow the app to make changes to your device, select Yes.
5. McAfee's own uninstall window opens. If it shows tick boxes, tick the McAfee product and any option to remove all of its files, then select Remove or the closest matching button.

The uninstaller may ask you to confirm more than once, or suggest that you keep McAfee. That is normal. Carry on until it says it has finished. In Windows 10, the list is at SettingsAppsApps & features: select McAfee, then Uninstall.

McAfee can install more than one item. The most common extra is McAfee WebAdvisor, which warns you about risky websites. Each item has to be removed on its own.

1. Go back to SettingsAppsInstalled apps and search for McAfee again.
2. Uninstall each remaining entry that starts with McAfee, in the same way as before.
3. McAfee WebAdvisor may also be added to your web browser as an extension, a small add-on that runs inside the browser. Type edge://extensions into the address bar in Microsoft Edge, or chrome://extensions in Google Chrome, and press Enter. If McAfee WebAdvisor is still listed, select Remove.

Leave alone anything that is not made by McAfee, even if you do not recognize the name. Other entries in the list may belong to Windows or to your computer's maker.

Some parts of an antivirus cannot be removed while Windows is running, so they are cleared away during a restart. Restart even if McAfee did not ask you to.

Select Start, then the power button, then Restart. Choose Restart rather than Shut down, as a restart gives Windows a cleaner start.

When the computer is back on, check two things:

• Look in SettingsAppsInstalled apps. McAfee should no longer be listed.
• Look at the notification area, at the right end of the taskbar near the clock. The red McAfee shield should be gone.

If both look clear, you can skip the next step and go straight to checking Microsoft Defender.

Sometimes the normal uninstall stops with an error, or McAfee still appears after the restart. For this, McAfee offers a free tool called the Consumer Product Removal tool, often shortened to MCPR. It removes McAfee's home products and the pieces they leave behind.

1. Go to McAfee's official website at mcafee.com/support (another website) and search for MCPR or Consumer Product Removal. Open McAfee's own article about the tool and download it from there.
2. Open your Downloads folder and double-click the file, usually called MCPR. Select Yes if Windows asks for permission.
3. Follow the screens. You will be asked to accept McAfee's license agreement.
4. On the security check screen, type the letters and numbers shown, exactly as they appear, including capital letters. This proves a person is running the tool.
5. Wait while it works. This can take several minutes. When it says it has finished, restart the computer.

If the tool says the removal did not succeed, restart the computer, download a fresh copy of MCPR from McAfee's website, and run it once more.

With McAfee gone, Microsoft Defender should switch itself back on within a few minutes of the restart. It is worth checking, so you know the computer is protected.

1. Select Start, type Windows Security and open it.
2. On the home page, look at Virus & threat protection. A green tick and No action needed mean Defender is protecting you.

If it still names McAfee, or says virus protection is off, restart once more and check again. If it is still off after that, follow our guide to turning Windows virus protection back on.