Short on time?
Heres how to remove the fake McAfee pop-ups:
If youre seeing fake McAfee pop-ups, dont panic.
These notifications are a form of scareware and dont come from McAfee.
The only way to reliably beat them is to use a quality antivirus.
I did lots of tests to find the best tools for getting rid of fake McAfee pop-ups.
Norton is my top pick thanks to its flawless malware scanner and wide range of extra features.
Visit Norton
Preliminary Step.
If the notifications appear to come from your desktop, you might skip tostep 1.
This will clear your data, remove any cookies you have, and revert your prefs.
Remove Malicious Extensions on Firefox
Checking extensions on Firefox is quite simple and similar to Chrome.
After checking your extensions, youll want to refresh your net online gate.
Fortunately, its easy to do this on Microsoft Edge.
After reviewing your extensions, youll want to reset your net surf tool completely.
This will clear any stored data cache (like passwords) that can be stolen by scammers.
This process is simple and similar for all browsers.
From here, key in notifications into the search bar.
An indicator will point you to theSite settingsmenu.
hit it and scroll down until you see thePermissionssubsection (it has a bell icon).
I like turning off notifications entirely.
It annoys me that so many websites ask for permission which I never grant.
Even if you select this option, you’re free to add exceptions.
Just scroll down and youll see a list of sites that are allowed to send you notifications.
you’re able to expand this by clickingAddand entering the name of the website.
I created exceptions for the rare websites that actually send useful notifications.
Click theAddbutton next to the list of sites that are not allowed to send you notifications.
If you know the URL of the site serving you McAfee pop-ups, add it here.
This should prevent most pop-ups, but it wont solve the underlying problem.
Step 1.
Identify the Fake McAfee Pop-Ups With Your Antivirus (And Dont Make the Problem Worse!)
If you do, you risk spreading the infection.
Once this is done, run a full disk scan on your system or other infected gear.
Its important to let the scan run until its finished.
Never cancel the scan when you see the first virus appear on the infected file list.
Dont interrupt the process before its complete.
Its vital that you wait until the antivirus has scanned your entire system.
Step 2.
Expert users can go through the flagged files and double-check there are no false positives before removing them.
After you remove every virus, its a good idea to cycle your rig.
You may have gotten rid of the fake McAfee pop-up, but that doesnt mean youll stay safe.
There are thousands of malware threats out there and some are much worse than McAfee pop-up scams.
To preserve your privacy and keep your devices running smoothly in the future, youll have to be careful.
Heres how to avoid malware in 2025.
This is the best way to minimize the risks of running into trouble online.
Check your web client for vulnerabilities andget an antivirusto scan your system.
Theoretically yes, but most of the time, no.
Free antiviruses arent usually powerful enough to get rid of the scareware causing fake McAfee pop-ups.
While there are some decent free antiviruses out there, Istrongly recommend a premium option like Norton.
That said, any antivirus on my list is more than capable of beating fake McAfee pop-ups.
Whats the best antivirus for removing fake McAfee pop-ups?
I thinkNorton is easily the best antivirus for removing fake McAfee pop-ups.
However, Id easily recommend any antivirus on my list.
What can happen if I choose the fake McAfee pop-up?
Clicking on a fake McAfee pop-up can be a huge mistake.
If you have already clicked on the pop-up, dont panic.
This will flush out the scareware causing the fake McAfee pop-ups.
Can I get fake McAfee pop-ups on my phone?
you could, yes.
Fortunately, If youre getting fake McAfee pop-ups on mobile, the solution is the same.
Simplyinstall a good antivirus and run a full scan of your gadget.
Search for any suspicious apps on your phone and uninstall them as well.