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Quick and easy tricks for stopping all types of McAfee pop-ups
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This article was reviewed by Stan Kats and by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA. Stan Kats is a Professional Technologist and the COO and Chief Technologist for The STG IT Consulting Group in West Hollywood, California. Stan provides comprehensive technology solutions to businesses through managed IT services, and for individuals through his consumer service business, Stan's Tech Garage. Stan holds a BA in International Relations from The University of Southern California. He began his career working in the Fortune 500 IT world. Stan founded his companies to offer an enterprise-level of expertise for small businesses and individuals.
This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources.
This article has been viewed 10,962 times.
Are you being bombarded with McAfee pop-ups and you want to get rid of them? Some sites, once you allow the web browser permission to send you notifications, send you pop-ups that look like they are from McAfee, but are instead a malicious advertisement. Alternatively, legit McAfee notifications appear in the notifications center and you can easily turn these off in Settings on Windows. Read on to learn how to get rid of McAfee pop-ups on your PC or Mac computer.
Steps
Section 1 of 5:
Stopping Web Browser Pop-ups
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![Step 1 Navigate to your browser's notification settings.]()
Navigate to your browser's notification settings. There are a few different ways to do this according to your browser:- Chrome - ⋮ > Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings > Notifications.
- Safari - Settings > Websites > Notifications.
- Edge - ••• > Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Notifications.
- Firefox - ☰ > Settings > Privacy & Security > Settings (next to "Notifications).
- Use this method to stop websites from sending you notifications that look like McAfee pop-ups. For Windows computers with the notification center, these pop-ups can appear in the notification center, which makes them look more official. Turning off notifications and revoking access to sites that already have this permission is the best first step you can take to get rid of those pop-ups.
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![Step 2 Turn off notification permission for new sites.]()
Turn off notification permission for new sites. The wording varies slightly depending on the browser, so check or toggle the option next to "Don't allow sites to send notifications" (Chrome), or "Block new requests asking to allow notifications" (Firefox).- If you're using Edge instead, make sure the toggle next to "Ask before sending" is off so that all requests are blocked.
- For Safari, make sure "Allow websites to ask for permission to send notifications" is not checked. Any requests are blocked and you won't see them.[1]
- Make sure you click Save changes for any web browser that has that button, like Firefox.
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![Step 3 Revoke notification permission for any site that already has it (if needed).]()
Revoke notification permission for any site that already has it (if needed). If there's a site that you no longer trust or recognize that already has permission to send notifications, you can remove it.- Chrome - Under the "Allowed to send notifications" section, click ⋮ > Block/Remove.
- Safari - Select Deny from the drop-down list next to the website's name.[2]
- Edge - Under "Allow," click ••• > Remove/Block.
- Firefox - Click a site to select it, then click Remove Website. You can also double-click it to select Block.
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Section 2 of 5:
Stopping McAfee Notifications on Windows 10/11
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![Step 1 Open Settings.]()
Open Settings. Do this quickly by pressing Win + I simultaneously. You can also click the gear icon in the Start menu.- Do this if you're getting legitimate McAfee pop-ups in your notification center that you don't want to see.
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![Step 2 Click System.]()
Click System. This gives you more options, like Display, Sound, and Focus. -
![Step 3 Click Notifications.]()
Click Notifications. It's next to an icon of a bell.- For Windows 10, this says "Notifications & actions" instead.
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![Step 4 Click the toggle next to "McAfee" to turn it off.]()
Click the toggle next to "McAfee" to turn it off. You shouldn't get McAfee alerts in your notification center anymore.[3]
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Section 3 of 5:
Uninstalling PC App Store (Windows)
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![Step 1 Make sure PC App Store and associated software isn't running.]()
Make sure PC App Store and associated software isn't running. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager and click the speedometer icon on the left (it's the icon for Startup Apps). Now you'll see a list of all the apps that start whenever your computer starts.- Find and right-click on PC App Store as well as Auto App Updater to "Disable" them.[4]
- The malicious software might be in disguise as a different name that you don't recognise, like "nwjs"[5] or "Tool" [6] .
- Close Task Manager and restart your PC.
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![Step 2 Open Apps.]()
Open Apps. Press the Win key and enter Uninstall. Click on the first app that appears in the list to open Apps in Settings. Alternatively, press Win + I and click Apps.- While the PC App Store is a legitimate software, it is often misused to install malicious software and ads on your computer. You can download it unknowingly if it's included in a bundle along with other software, so look for it even if you don't remember downloading it.
- Auto App Updater is commonly installed along with PC App Store and you might run into issues by uninstalling one and not the other. To avoid complications, uninstall both Auto App Updater and PC App Store.
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![Step 3 Click ⋮ (Windows 11) or click to select the app (Windows 10).]()
Click ⋮ (Windows 11) or click to select the app (Windows 10). The three-dot menu is to the right of the app's name and will open a drop-down menu.- If you click to select the app, you'll see more options appear.
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![Step 4 Select Uninstall.]()
Select Uninstall. The software will be uninstalled from your computer. Remember to repeat this process to uninstall both Auto App Updater and PC App Store if they are both installed.- If you are getting an error that's preventing you from uninstalling, did you make sure to remove the apps from the startup list and restart? You can also search your computer for the folder called "fa_rss", and make sure you have administrative privileges so you can uninstall the folder and everything inside it.
- Run Windows Security or other antimalware tools to clean up any traces from PC App Store or Auto App Updates.
- If your browser is hijacked as well, use this wikiHow article to clean it up.
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Section 4 of 5:
Uninstalling PC App Store (macOS)
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![Step 1 Open Applications in Finder.]()
Open Applications in Finder. The Finder icon is usually in the Dock. Click Applications to see a list of everything installed on your Mac. -
![Step 2 Drag the malicious app to the Trash.]()
Drag the malicious app to the Trash. The main offender is PC App Store, but you also want to delete Auto App Updater if you find it. Simply click and drag the app icon to the trash can in the Dock. -
![Step 3 Empty the trash.]()
Empty the trash. Right-click the trash icon (Ctrl + Click) and select Empty Trash.- Restart your Mac to run the built-in antivirus features or other antimalware tools to clean up any traces from PC App Store or Auto App Updates.
- If your browser is hijacked as well, use this wikiHow article to clean it up.
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References
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/safari/customize-website-notifications-sfri40734/mac
- ↑ https://www.mcafee.com/support/?locale=en-US&articleId=TS102999&page=shell&shell=article-view
- ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/change-notification-and-quick-settings-in-windows-ddcbbcd4-0a02-f6e4-fe14-6766d850f294
- ↑ https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/how-to-delete-pc-app-store-from-my-windows-11-dell/17dc3adb-b9f1-47b7-b12c-c3832553b43a?page=2
- ↑ https://www.pcrisk.com/removal-guides/8957-pc-app-store-adware#!prettyPhoto
- ↑ https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/how-to-delete-pc-app-store-from-my-windows-11-dell/17dc3adb-b9f1-47b7-b12c-c3832553b43a?page=2
- ↑ https://www.mcafee.com/learn/how-to-stop-the-popups/
- ↑ https://www.mcafee.com/support/?locale=en-US&articleId=TS102999&page=shell&shell=article-view
About This Article
Professional Technologist
This article was reviewed by Stan Kats and by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA. Stan Kats is a Professional Technologist and the COO and Chief Technologist for The STG IT Consulting Group in West Hollywood, California. Stan provides comprehensive technology solutions to businesses through managed IT services, and for individuals through his consumer service business, Stan's Tech Garage. Stan holds a BA in International Relations from The University of Southern California. He began his career working in the Fortune 500 IT world. Stan founded his companies to offer an enterprise-level of expertise for small businesses and individuals. This article has been viewed 10,962 times.
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Co-authors: 5
Updated: July 31, 2024
Views: 10,962
Categories: Internet Security
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