Help · Mac apps

How to uninstall antivirus software on a Mac.

By Grant and Brad, who make Pangalin's apps · Updated 10 October 2026

Security apps hook deeply into macOS: system extensions, network filters, background services. That's why every vendor says the same thing: don't just drag it to the Trash. Use their own uninstaller, which knows how to switch those parts off cleanly.

Keep the uninstaller's password prompts. They're from macOS, asking permission to remove system components. And check you're not removing protection your workplace or school requires: if the Mac is managed, ask them first.

Avast Security

1. Open Avast Security and choose Avast Security › Uninstall Avast Security from the menu bar. Or open Avast Security Uninstaller in Applications.
2. Click Continue, enter your Mac password, and click Install Helper if asked.
3. Enter your password again if asked, then click OK and Finish.

Norton

1. Quit Norton.
2. In Applications, open Norton Uninstaller and click Continue.
3. Enter your administrator password, click Install Helper, enter your password again, then OK and Finish. Restart if asked.

If Norton components remain, Norton offers a removal tool (RemoveNortonMacFiles) through its support site. Follow Norton's current instructions for it.

McAfee and others

Use the uninstaller the vendor provides, usually an app named “… Uninstaller” in Applications or a command in the app's own menu, and follow the steps on the vendor's support site. We couldn't confirm McAfee's current Mac steps from an official McAfee page, so we don't repeat other sites' instructions here.

Afterwards, check

• System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions: look under Endpoint Security Extensions and Network Extensions (click ⓘ) for anything still named after the vendor, and under Allow in the Background. On macOS 14 and earlier, extensions are under Privacy & Security.
• System Settings › VPN, if the product included a VPN.
• Privacy & Security › Full Disk Access: remove its entry.

If an extension is still there, run the vendor's uninstaller again (reinstall first if needed) or contact their support.

Based on the developer's own instructions, checked October 2026. Menu names can change between versions.