How to Disable Avast Antivirus

Ever since its release in 1995, Avast antivirus has been serving the purpose of a great security software in computers. Not only does it come with a free-to-use version, but it also provides excellent protection against malware and viruses. However, there are situations where you will need to manually turn off this protection.

Why will you need to disable Avast antivirus?

Due to its highly vigilante protection, Avast automatically detects potential threats in a program or application that it does not recognize. It may also sometimes block your favorite websites due to security reasons.

In a situation like this, if you choose to delete the antivirus from its core, you will be exposed to many threats and your computer will be vulnerable to viruses. So, to carry on with the installation of a program or to go to a certain website of your choice, you may have to temporarily disable the antivirus for a while.

You can either choose to disable all the shields and turn off the whole software completely or disable a select few options temporarily. Here’s how you do it:

How to Turn Off Avast Antivirus Completely and Disable All Shields?

It is important to remember that completely turning off Avast will bring down the whole antivirus protection on your computer and you will be vulnerable to threats in this state.

1. Open the Windows taskbar on the bottom right corner and search for the Avast icon which will be orange in color.
2. Right-click on the icon and choose ‘Avast shield control’. This will open a drop-down menu.
3. Here, you will be given four options to choose from:

• Disable for 10 minutes
• Disable for 1 hour
• Disable until computer is restarted
• Disable permanently

4. Select your desired period of time.
5. To confirm your choice, tap ‘Yes’ when Avast asks for your permission to confirm.
6. Avast antivirus will no longer be functional for the period of time you have chosen.
7. To confirm if the antivirus has really been disabled, open the main window. If the icon is red and you hover above it, it will say ‘All antivirus shields are off’. You can then resume your installation or website without any blockage.
8. To enable the antivirus again, click on the ‘Resolve’ button and wait for a while. The message ‘You’re protected’ will be displayed, showing that the antivirus is back on.

How to Disable Some Selected Avast Shields?

There are certain situations where turning off the whole antivirus won’t be required. If you disable certain selected shields, you can resume your tasks without exposing yourself to security threats and remain protected. Here’s how you can achieve that:

1. Open the Avast user interface.
2. Go to the ‘Protection’ tab on the left-hand side.
3. Select the option ‘Core Shields’. Here you will see a list of shields with an on/off toggle for each.
4. In order to disable a certain shield, click the toggle and bring it to ‘off’.
5. Avast will then ask you the duration for which you want to turn the shield off.
6. Choose the desired option and press ‘OK’.
7. To turn a shield back on, simply toggle it to ‘on’ and a message ‘You’re protected’ will be displayed.

It is wiser to reactivate all the shields after you have performed your task in order to achieve the maximum level of security.

How to Disable Avast on Mac?

Turning the Avast antivirus on or off is slightly different for Mac users. If you use a Mac, you should perform the following steps to disable Avast:

1. Open ‘Avast Security’ on your MacBook.
2. Go to ‘Preferences’. Here you will find the three points of Avast Shield.
3. Click ‘Disable’ on all the shields that you want to turn off.

How to Turn off Avast Email Signature?

In some computers where Avast is installed by default, the email signature setting is automatically turned on. If you send an email from such a computer, certain automatic messages such as ‘This email has been sent from a virus-free computer protected by Avast’ will be displayed. Such messages can sometimes be annoying for the receiver.

If you want to turn off this option, here’s all you have to do:

1. Go to the Avast icon and click on ‘Open Avast user interface’.
2. On the top right corner, you will find a menu where you can find the ‘Settings’ tab.
3. Find the setting ‘Enable Avast Email Signature’ and disable it.
4. Click ‘OK’ and close the settings.
5. To find out if the setting worked, restart your web browser. No email signatures will be added to your outgoing mails.

How to Disable Avast Popups?

Almost every application comes with its own notifications that update the user about certain activities related to the software. Avast also comes with a notification feature that shows all the Avast activity, updates, alerts, warnings, and settings. Such popups can sometimes disrupt your work and you might wish to turn them off. To do so, here’s the process:

1. Open ‘Avast user interface’ and go to ‘Menu’.
2. Click open the ‘Settings’ and go to ‘General’.
3. Here you will find a ‘Notifications’ option. Uncheck the box next to ‘Silent Mode’.
4. You will no longer receive any popups on your computer from Avast.

It is wiser to not turn off the whole Avast software as it protects your computer from many harmful viruses. Only in worst-case scenarios should you choose to do it and make sure to turn it back on so as not to put your computer at risk.