To accomplish this, you can either type “Avast” into the Windows Start menu or click on Avast’s notification area icon. If you just want to open a blocked website or email attachment, you’re better off disabling those specific shields instead of turning the entire program off. Turning off every Avast shield is usually overkill. If you chose to disable Avast for a set amount of time, it will automatically enable itself again after that time is up.

Whether it’s opening a program or visiting a website, Avast won’t get in your way anymore. Now that you’ve completely disabled your Avast protection, retry the action that Avast originally prevented. Avast wants to verify that you actually meant it to prevent this type of attack. Sometimes, malware will automatically disable antivirus to more deeply infiltrate your system. Once you’ve right-clicked on the Avast icon, navigate to “Avast shields control” and choose how long you want to disable Avast.Īfter attempting to disable all of Avast Shields, Avast will make sure that you intentionally performed this action. It might be hidden in the overflow menu, so check there if you can’t find it elsewhere. Look for the Avast logo in the bottom right corner of your screen (called the taskbar notification area). Step 1: Right-click the Windows Taskbar icon That’s great if you’re having trouble opening a certain file (that you’re sure isn’t malware), but it should be used temporarily and sparingly.

How to temporarily disable Avast: 3 stepsĭeactivating Avast entirely means you’ll be left with no protection it’s like having no antivirus at all. In this article, we’ll cover both methods so that you can choose the right one for your situation. You can retain some protection if you disable individual Avast shields instead. Luckily, you can easily deactivate antivirus software, including Avast, if it incorrectly marks a file as malicious.ĭisabling Avast entirely is a fairly aggressive measure. Even with modern heuristics and advanced antivirus tech, false positives are possible, resulting in Avast blocking websites or executables. Every antivirus solution makes occasional errors and Avast is no exception.

How to shut down avast free antivirus