How to Uninstall McAfee Total Protection

Written by Jack Lloyd

Last Updated: May 4, 2023 Tested

This wikiHow teaches you how to remove the McAfee Total Protection app from your Windows or Mac computer.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

On Windows

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Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
Click the gear-shaped icon in the lower-left side of the Start window.

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3
Click Apps. It's in the Settings window. Doing so opens a list of your currently installed apps.
- If you don't see a list of your currently installed apps, make sure that you're on the right tab by clicking Apps & features in the upper-left side of the window.
You'll find the "McAfee® Total Protection" heading in the "M" section of the menu.
Doing so expands the heading.
It's below the "McAfee® Total Protection" heading.
You'll see this option above the first Uninstall option.
This will take you to the McAfee uninstall wizard.
9
Complete the uninstallation form. Once McAfee's uninstall wizard opens, complete it by doing the following:
- Check the "McAfee® Total Protection" box.
- Check the "Remove all files for this program" box.
- Click the blue Uninstall button.
- Click Uninstall again when prompted.
10
Click Restart now. Once McAfee finishes uninstalling, you'll be prompted to restart your computer. This will complete the uninstallation process and remove McAfee from your computer.
- You can click Restart later to restart your computer manually at a different time, but keep in mind that the uninstallation process won't be complete until you restart the computer.
11
Re-enable Windows Defender if necessary. If you haven't restarted your computer, Windows Defender (the default Windows antivirus protection) may still be turned off. While it will eventually turn itself back on, you can speed up the process by doing the following:
- Open Start
- Type in windows defender
- Click Windows Defender Security Center
- Click Turn on if possible. If you instead see green checkmarks (not red Xs) next to the different security icons on the dashboard, Windows Defender is enabled.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

On Mac

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Click the magnifying glass-shaped icon in the top-right corner of the screen to do so. A search bar will open in the middle of the screen.
Type terminal into the search bar in the middle of the screen.
Once it appears, double-click the Terminal result. This will open the Terminal window.
Type in sudo /Library/McAfee/cma/scripts/uninstall.sh and press ⏎ Return.
If you see a "Password" line appear, type in the password that you use to log into your Mac's administrator account, then press ⏎ Return.
While the uninstall command should prompt McAfee to begin uninstalling automatically, you may have to confirm the uninstallation by navigating through a pop-up window.
7
Restart your computer. Once McAfee indicates that is has been uninstalled successfully, you'll want to restart your computer to complete the process:
- Click the Apple menu
- Click Shut Down...
- Click Shut Down when prompted.

Community Q&A

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Question

McAfee doesn't show up on my uninstall program page, but I can see that I have it installed because the icon is on my task bar. What do I do now if I want to uninstall it?

Community Answer

If you go to the directory where the program is installed, there should be something labeled, "uninstall.exe," or likewise. Running that should do the trick.

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Question

How do I get McAfee off my Samsung Galaxy S8 mobile phone?

Community Answer

Go into your apps, hold on the app and drag it to the trash can. It will un-install and be gone. You can also go to your folders and manualy delete it from there.

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Question

On my MacBook I went into Finder, Applications, and McAfee (which I am trying to uninstall) is not there, yet the icon is still there in the upper-right corner of my screen and it keeps complaining! What should I do?

Community Answer

You deleted the application, but other installed files are still present. To uninstall completely, follow the instructions in this listing by entering the following commands at the command prompt: sudo /Library/McAfee/cma/scripts/uninstall.sh .

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Tips

Upon completing your uninstallation, McAfee will almost immediately be replaced by Windows Defender on Windows computers.

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Warnings

Macs don't have built-in antivirus protection. If you remove McAfee from a Mac, be sure to install a different antivirus program as soon as possible.

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