This article explains how to uninstall Avast Free Antivirus from your Windows computer.

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 Avast and select Menu at the top.

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

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

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

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

6. With Self-Defense mode off, you can close the Settings window as well as Avast.

Complete the Avast Free Antivirus Uninstall

Now that self-defense mode is off, follow these Avast Free Antivirus uninstall steps to finish the removal:

1. Open Control Panel. One quick method is to search for it from the Start menu; select Control Panel to open it.

2. Choose Programs and Features.

3. Select Avast Free Antivirus from the list, and then choose Uninstall to begin the uninstall process.

4. Select Uninstall at the bottom to launch the Avast Free Antivirus uninstall process.

5. You’ll see a confirmation window asking you if you really want to delete Avast. Select Yes.

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. Choose Restart computer to finish.

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 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 Avast is interfering with other things you’re trying to do with your computer, make sure to download the latest version of Avast Free Antivirus and reinstall it on your system so that you’re fully protected.