The technician friendly tool to detect and completely remove antivirus software.
Antivirus Removal Tool (freeware) is a portable program to detect and completely remove antivirus software. It will help you to identify current and past installations, and it will provide you with the official specialized uninstallers. These are designed by the manufacturers of the antivirus programs to completely delete all files, drivers, services, and registry records left behind by the programs they produce.
Here are some scenarios where this tool will be useful:
– You want to install a new antivirus, but in order to avoid possible conflicts, you want to remove as thoroughly as possible the one that is currently installed, as well as the leftovers of any others that had been installed in the past.
– The regular uninstall failed, and you are left with a broken system.
– The regular uninstall completed, but you are now having problems related to the antivirus you have just removed.
– Your computer is having problems because it has two or more antivirus programs installed and active, and you are unable to completely remove them.
Features:
– Identifies the currently installed antivirus program(s).
– Helps in identifying past installations of antivirus programs, by searching the system for leftover folders of several common solutions. The results are conveniently presented in tree views, grouped by the name of the antivirus / manufacturer found. You can right-click the paths and open them in file explorer to check its contents.
– Ability to generate a report containing the computer serial number, operating system, current and past installations of antivirus products.
– Provides 1-click access to Windows “Add / Remove Programs”. From there you can uninstall the antivirus using the regular uninstaller. When available, the regular uninstaller should always be used in the first place.
– Provides the official specialized uninstallers for 28 antivirus programs. These are handily presented in a combobox and can be executed with the click of a button.
– Multi-language support: Chinese (simplified), French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, English.
– Frequently updated: as a rule of thumb this program will be updated once every month, but it can also be updated more frequently whenever necessary. It will automatically check for the existence of an updated version when it starts.
Requirements: Windows 7 through Windows 11.
Click to download the latest version of Antivirus Removal Tool
-The program doesn’t require installation, just extract it to a folder-
Program version: 2024.04
Updated the following uninstallers: Avast, AVG, BigFix, Emsisoft.
Changelog
Downloads:
If you like this tool, also check out my other free program: Windows Repair Toolbox
Antivirus Removal Tool is free to use but if you would like to donate you can click below:
Action Against Hunger is a global humanitarian organization committed to ending world hunger. The organization helps malnourished children and provides communities with access to safe water and sustainable solutions to hunger.
Thank you!
Support / Suggestions / Bugs
OAQ’s
Even after running the specialized uninstaller, Antivirus Removal Tool is still detecting the antivirus as currently being installed. Why is that?
Some uninstallers (even the specialized ones) leave behind the entry created by the antivirus in the WMI’s database that reports to the OS that the antivirus is installed.
Even after running the specialized uninstaller, Antivirus Removal Tool is still finding leftover folders for the antivirus. Why is that?
The most common reason is that some uninstallers, in the process of doing their job, will themselves create and leave folders on the system. Others will still leave some harmless folders belonging to the antivirus behind. Anyway, it’s generally a good practice to run the uninstaller in Windows safe mode and to restart the computer after it finishes, to assure the best results.
Why there is no right-click option to delete the detected folders?
Because the purpose of the functionality is to inform about what products were installed in the past, so that the user can run the specialized uninstaller. The specialized uninstaller will do a proper job removing all leftovers (files, drivers, services, registry entries) and not only folders.
Can the search for previously installed antivirus produce false positive results?
Rarely, but yes, it’s possible. Always expand the nodes to verify and confirm the results. Note that the program will simply present the detected folders, it will not delete or perform any other operation on them.
The uninstaller will not run, is giving errors, cannot remove the antivirus, broke Windows installation, etc.
The specialized uninstallers are taken from the official sites without modifications and are provided “as is”. Always make sure to follow the tools instructions. If you find problems, please contact the utility manufacturer.
What antivirus are supported?
All the ones listed in the combobox of the program (28 in total). Among those are the most common antivirus programs. Here’s a list: Adaware, Avast, AVG, Avira, BigFix, Bitdefender, Comodo, Dr.Web, Emsisoft, eScan, ESET, F-Secure, G DATA, K7 Computing, Kaspersky, Malwarebytes, McAfee, Microsoft Security Essentials, Norton, Panda, Symantec Endpoint Protection, TrendMicro, Total Defense, TrustPort, Vipre, Webroot, WinPatrol, ZoneAlarm.