How to stop McAfee pop-ups and notifications everywhere

McAfee antivirus software is considered the best in the game. The company ensures that its virus databases have up-to-date information on all the latest computer viruses lurking by meticulously scanning the Internet.

However, McAfee can also be strict about deploying pop-up notifications. It can be boring. If you prefer McAfee to discreetly protect your computer, we'll show you how to reduce pop-ups. We say reduced because McAfee does not allow all pop-ups to be disabled. It will still have to warn you when you need to install something vital.

In addition to showing how to minimize pop-ups, we'll explain how McAfee works to protect your device and share helpful information about different types of computer viruses.

How to stop McAfee pop-ups

To minimize your McAfee pop-up notifications:

1. Access the McAfee Dashboard.
   
2. Select "Navigation" in the upper right corner.
   
3. In the "Next" tab, select "General settings and alerts".
   
4. To manually disable pop-ups, select the 'Information Alerts' and 'Protection Alerts' option.
   
5. Uncheck the boxes to stop receiving pop-up alerts.
   
6. Click "OK" to save your changes.
   

Active shield prompts

To disable Active Shield notifications, disable security warnings through McAfee Security Center:

1. Launch McAfee Security Center, then under "Common Tasks", click "Home".
2. Under "Security Center Information", select "Configure".
3. Under "Alerts", select "Advanced".
4. Choose "Informational Alerts", then "Do not show informational alerts".
5. Click "OK" to save your changes.

Get rid of the McAfee WebAdvisor extension

To temporarily disable the McAfee WebAdvisor extension in Chrome:

1. Launch Chromium.
   
2. Towards the top right, click the three-dot menu icon.
   
3. Select "More Tools", then "Extensions".
   
4. Uncheck the box next to "McAfee WebAdvisor".
   

In Internet Explorer:

1. Launch Internet Explorer.
   
2. Select the "Tools" menu.
   
3. Choose "Manage add-ons".
   
4. Select "Disable" next to "McAfee WebAdvisor".
   

In Firefox:

1. Launch Firefox.
2. Towards the top right, click the three-dot menu icon.
3. Click on "Add-ons".
4. Select "Disable" next to "McAfee WebAdvisor".

Uninstall McAfee

To uninstall McAfee software on Windows 10:

1. In the Windows search box, type "Settings".
   
2. Select "Settings" from the results.
   
3. Under "Windows Settings", click on "Applications".
   
4. Enter "McAfee" in the search field, then choose the product you want to remove.
   
5. Click "Uninstall".
   
6. Click "Uninstall" again to confirm.
   
7. When done, close the “Settings” window.

Once your computer restarts, you will see that the program has been uninstalled.

To uninstall McAfee using the McAfee Removal Tool on Windows:

1. Navigate to the McAfee website to download the MCPR tool.
2. Once downloaded, double-click the MCPR.exe file.
   
3. Click "Yes, continue".
4. If you receive a security warning, click "Run". The McAfee Removal Tool will launch.
5. Click Next. »
   
6. Go through the license agreement and click "Accept" to continue.
   
7. Type the characters displayed on the “Security Validation” screen, then “Next”.
   
8. Wait for the software to be removed. This may take a few minutes.
   
9. Once the "Removal complete" message appears, click "Restart".
   

To uninstall McAfee on your Mac:

1. Launch the Terminal app.
2. Enter one of the following commands:
   • For versions 4.8 and earlier:
     sudo/Library/McAfee/sma/scripts/uninstall.ch
   • For versions 5.0 and later
     sudo/Library/McAfee/cma/scripts/uninstall.ch
3. On your keyboard, press the "return" or "enter" key.

McAfee noise reduction

McAfee's rigorous Internet scanning technology keeps you on top of all computer viruses, making your computer system malware proof. It is designed to inform you of viruses detected, actions taken, etc., but can become disturbing when you continuously receive notifications while working. Luckily, McAfee lets you turn off notifications you don't need to know about.

Now that we've shown you how to minimize your McAfee pop-ups, has it made a significant difference? Have you ever been the victim of a computer virus and, if so, what happened? Let us know in the comments section below.