AVG AntiVirus Free has extensive and customizable protection, can block malicious websites and has a file shredder and a trial performance scanner. Beyond Windows, both programs work with Mac. Avg Free For Macbook; Free Mac Virus Cleaner; AVG Antivirus Free Crack is a free antivirus program that is non-commercial for the lifetime of the product—designed from start to finish to provide superior security for all Windows users while sharing information with others using social network browsing and portable USB storage.
I thought I knew everything about Mac antiviruses, including which free one is the absolute best after testing more than a dozen products. I have to admit that I was surprised (pleasantly) when I installed AVG.
Everything felt right: installation, ease of use, performance, absence of annoying pop-ups begging me to pay for premium. Is such a thing possible? Is free AVG my new favorite and go-to suggestion for Mac users?
I think so.
Free AVG Antivirus for Mac has one of the best malware detection rates among free antiviruses. AVG is safe and easy to install and easy to use and protects against various types of malware such as viruses, spyware, adware. Ransomware protection is not included in the free version, however.
How to Install AVG on Mac
But let me walk you through my experience.
To install AVG, google “avg antivirus for mac free” and go to the company’s official website.
Click on the Free Download button.
Go to the Downloads folder in the Finder and double click on the DMG file, and then double-click on the “AVG Antivirus” icon to start the installer app.
Follow installer instructions (click Continue and Agree buttons when appropriate).
You will need to enter the Admin password a couple of times. This is ok and safe (as long as you downloaded the install media from the AVG official site). Since AVG works on the system level, it needs permissions to change some system settings on your Mac.
Once the installation is complete, there will be two additional manual things to do.
First, open System Preferences and go to Security and Privacy. Click on the padlock icon in the bottom left corner, next to “Click the lock to make changes,” and enter your password. Click on Allow button next to ‘System software from application “AVG Security” was blocked from loading’ text.
Next, switch back to AVG and click Continue and Open Confirmation Dialog buttons. This will pop up a ‘AVG Security would like to add proxy configurations’ window. Click the “Allow” button.
That’s it. You are ready to scan your computer.
You can also restart your Mac to make sure that everything was installed ok, but it’s not necessary.
AVG Antivirus for Mac Review
By default, you will have Basic Protection enabled with AVG. After installation, click on Mac Scan to run the first scan.
CPU Usage
I found that almost all antivirus programs use a lot of CPU during the first scan.
The only exception probably is Malwarebytes. The difference is how long this high CPU usage process lasts. In the case of AVG, the high processor work wasn’t too long.
After 20-30 minutes, the fan in my MacBook Pro stopped spinning, and since then, AVG behaved properly, even when I was running the full scan.
AVG Virus Scans
Speaking of antimalware scans, AVG has four options to chose from: Mac, Deep, Targeted, and USB/DVD
Mac Scan
There are certain folders, called system, in each operating system. macOS is no exception. That’s why each antivirus app has an option to check only those system folders. Normally, this process is pretty quick (if you don’t have malware).
On my MacBook, the Mac Scan took less than five minutes. On your Mac, it may be faster or slower depending on how many files you have in on Desktop, Downloads, and other common folders.
Deep Scan
Another scan you have to run as soon as you install any antimalware solution is the one that checks every file on the disk.
In the case of AVG, it’s called Deep Scan. When testing, I usually try to run it overnight because some programs take more than a day to finish. Surprisingly, free AVG was pretty quick – it finished in 45 minutes. This was good.
Custom and USB/DVD Scans
Sometimes you get a file or a program from your friend or downloaded from the internet. Some security apps don’t let you pick a folder, e.g., Downloads, to perform a quick check. Others do not have the option to check external devices. I usually refrain from recommending such products.
Fortunately, AVG has both options. You can either select a folder with Targeted Scan or select a removable device with USB/DVD scans.
Scheduled Scans
And finally, the cool feature in AVG is Custom Scans. With custom scans, you can schedule multiple jobs to run. For instance, you may want to set up a Deep Scan once a month at night and Mac Scan to run every morning.
This feature is rarely available in free apps.
For instance, if you want to schedule something like this in Malwarebytes, you have to have the Premium version.
Real-time protection
While scheduled jobs are good, you may not even need them because AVG protects your Mac in real-time.
For example, when I tried to copy viruses from my flash drive to my MacBook (for testing purposes), AVG immediately kicked in and quarantined infected files.
How Good is Free AVG for Mac?
There is a saying that we get what we pay for. For example, there is a huge difference in malware detection between the free Bitdefender scanner and paid version. So, I didn’t expect much from a free version of AVG. And again, I was pleasantly surprised.
The software detected 99% of malware from the sample I use for testing. The performance was similar to the same as Avast. In fact, the only malware AVG did not detect the same one: OSX.Dummy.
After some research, I found that AVG is a subsidiary of Avast. I think the test results mean that both Avast and AVG are using the same malware detection engine.
So, if you were looking for an alternative to Avast, then AVG is a potential substitute.
User Interface
One of the best features of AVG is its user interface.
Very clean, easy to use.
There is a bunch of options you can configure if you need to. Click on the Menu option in the top right corner, scroll down and click on Preferences.
In the General Section, you can turn on/off automatic updates. I recommend having it always On. You can also hide the app icon in the menu bar.
If you are ready to upgrade, you can do it in the Subscription section (or go to Menu -> Activate Paid Features). The free AVG version never expires, however.
In the Privacy section, I recommend unchecking all boxes to avoid AVG from collecting data from your Mac. In the past, AVG and Avast were accused of selling customer data. As far as I know, they do not do this anymore, but I would uncheck the privacy options anyway.
Core Shields reminds me of Avast.
Avast also has file, web, and email shields.
Here you can also add exceptions. For example, if the antivirus keeps complaining about a file that you know is not a threat (this is called false positive), you can exclude it from here. The Web Shield will try to block pages with malicious content. Again, you can exclude certain URLs when needed. Email shield protects your email, as the name suggests.
I already covered multiple scan options. However, you can fine tune options in the app Preferences dialog.
Is It Worth Paying for AVG?
Obviously, no company can survive if all they have is free products.
While free AVG antivirus never expires, it also has some features that are well worth paying for. Compared to the free version, the premium AVG comes with Wi-Fi Inspector and Ransomware Shield. They protect against hacker attacks, such as phishing and stealing your payment data on the internet.
I explained how hackers could get into your Mac in another post. If you suspect that something like this happened or might happen with you, then it makes sense to upgrade.
After the upgrade, you will get access to the Wi-FI inspector feature, which can be used to scan the network devices and routers. For instance, it can scan your Wi-Fi router for malware. You can also see who’s connected to your Wi-Fi network and kick them out if needed.
If you want to save about 40% of the paid AVG, you can use my affiliate link.
AVG Free Alternatives
AVG is not the only free antivirus. There are other alternatives, such as:
I reviewed them all in my best free antivirus for Mac post.
How to uninstall AVG on Mac
There are two easy ways to uninstall AVG on Mac.
Method 1
- Activate AVG
- Click on AVG Antivirus menu
- Scroll down and click on Uninstall AVG Antivirus
- Follow instructions in AVG Uninstaller
- Enter system password when required
- Click Finish
Method 2
Another way to uninstall any app, including antivirus, is to use either App Cleaner or CleanMyMac apps. Check the instructions here.
Takeaway
Several times I mentioned that I was pleasantly surprised when testing AVG.
The things I liked the most:
- You can install it without creating an account.
- The malware detection rate is very good.
- The user interface is simple and easy to use.
- Real-time protection works.
- You get antivirus updates automatically.
- And it’s free.
Read Next: Best Antivirus for Mac
/Mac Cleaner /How to Uninstall AVG AntiVirus Free on Mac Completely
There are different types of software that you can put in on your device, these applications are easy to manage on your device. You can have these applications from the Mac’s Applications Store, on the discs, or on any other website. But so many applications might lead to your system running out of application memory.
So, if you don’t want to save this application on your Mac, you can just remove it from Mac in many different or in any methods you want like this AVG. In this article, we will show you the different ways on how to uninstall AVG on Mac completely and easily. Other applications are not easy to discard. Like in some applications that are significant to the device’s daily activities, or in more large cases applications that are added by your carrier or your device manufacturer.
Article GuidePart 1. What Is AVG AntiVirus for Mac?Part 2. How Do I Remove AVG from My Mac Manually?Part 3. Use AVG Removal Tool to Completely Uninstall AVG on MacPart 4. Conclusion
Part 1. What Is AVG AntiVirus for Mac?
AVG AntiVirus is an antimalware safety that contains a functional feature as a scanner, and a web searching security. This program is a good feat in several unrelated labs, it is sufficient to benefit your device. But, it can have a conflict with the older versions. If you have an AVG already on your device, you need to uninstall the previous one for you to install the updated AVG program.
This delivers an AVG AntiVirus for Free to Windows, for Mac and AntiVirus for your Android devices. These are all premium products free to download and install, update, and to use. For technical usage, a premium version must be purchased. But, Google browser and Firefox browser delete the AVG’s extension from their marts, it is because of the scandal that broke out, in which Avast (owns the AVG) had reported spying on the users’ browsing information then trading to the businesses for millions of dollars.
Because of these they now no longer authorize them on the site. This is one of the reasons why users uninstall AVG on their devices. So how to uninstall AVG on Mac? Let's go to the next part.
Part 2. How Do I Remove AVG from My Mac Manually?
It is very common to uninstall an application on your device, you must deactivate first all the currently running programs on your device there are many ways that you can take out to exit on an application. How to uninstall AVG on Mac? Here’s how to do it.
Remove AVG App from Mac
How to uninstall AVG on Mac in Activity Monitor:
- Right-click the apple icon on your Dock, and select the Quit option.
- Then launch the Application, Quit on the Apple menu in the left top
- Launch the Activity Monitor, type the application name at the search box.
- Choose the process in the Disk tab menu, 5. Click the x control located on the left corner of your display,
- Click Quit/Force Quit button in the pop-up box.
Avg Free Mac Os
How to uninstall AVG on Mac using the launchpad:
- Go to your Mac Launchpad and open it, type AVG antivirus on the search tab at the top.
- Hold down the AVG AntiVirus icon until it appears and start to twitch.
- Click on the x icon on the left corner of the AVG AntiVirus icon, and click on Delete in the confirmation box to perform the uninstallation.
When you click the Delete button, it will uninstall instantly, and you don’t need to empty the Trash. If you have installed the AVG AntiVirus using an Application Store and you are using an OS X Lion, you can do this method. But, if you install AVG AntiVirus using a .pkg or a .dmg file, then do this method.
How to uninstall AVG on Mac by moving the AVG to the trash:
- Go to the finder application and Open your Finder, click Applications use the sidebar to open the folder.
- Find the AVG AntiVirus, and choose it. Move the icon to the Trash bin in the Dock.
- Right-click the Trash bin icon then Empty the Trash to conduct the uninstalling process.
Avg Free Mac Review
There are also many other ways on how to uninstall AVG on Mac:
- Right-click the application and select Move to Trash option
- Choose the application, then go to the File menu
- Then Move it to the Trash option.
The drag and drop delete way is applicable in all the versions of Mac OS X. Some applications can be uninstalled in that way, but it is not usable to the built-in application on Mac. Can't move AVG Antivirus to Trash? You can determine it using the Applications folder. Hold down the Option key, then select to Empty Trash then from the Finder menu.
Using the built-in uninstaller of the AVG application:
- Open the AVG AntiVirus, then click on to Uninstall the AVG AntiVirus from the Menu Bar.
- Click in to Continue and begin now the uninstallation process.
- After the Uninstallation is completely done, Click on to Restart or reboot your device.
If you can't put AVG AntiVirus for Mac to the trash, you can try to uninstall the application in the Safe Mode.
Delete AVG Related File
It is important to remove the AVG AntiVirus in the Applications folder even in the Launchpad, you need to proceed and remove all the related factors left behind on your device. It is suggested to remove the applications leftovers if they are no longer needed or just occupying the large disk space on your device. If you’re a new Mac user, it is not advisable to do it yourself or to do the method of deletion, because it can cause misoperation and it might trigger the problem on the application or even the device itself.
To clean out the AVG Antivirus leftovers, you need to do the following steps:
Avg Antivirus Free For Mac
- Go to the Finder, click on the Go in the Menu option, then choose the access to Go to Folder.
- Type /Library in the Go to the Folder box, then Click to Enter key to completely launch it up.
- Locate all the files with the name of AVG AntiVirus in these following locations:/Library, /Library/Caches,/Library/Preferences,/Library/ApplicationSupport,/Library/LaunchAgents,/Library/LaunchDaemons,/Library/PreferencePanes,/Library/StartupItems
- Then type it on the location of the recent Library Folder.
- Type on the target name application or the dealer in the Search Bar, then click on the Library.
- Specify the right file using the search results, then remove it to the Trash.
- Empty the Trash to completely remove the AVG AntiVirus leftover files permanently.
Part 3. Use AVG Removal Tool to Completely Uninstall AVG on Mac
To completely remove the AVG AntiVirus on your device without a hassle and without wasting time and effort you need to use an all in one product with the ability to do all the job in just a few steps. You can simply use the amazing tool like the iMyMac PowerMyMac tool it has all the things you need in just one application it will do all the job for you from uninstalling to cleaning and to protecting your device privacy. All the things you need us in this amazing tool how this tool works with your Mac? Let me give you all the simple ways to guide you on how to uninstall AVG on Mac using the PowerMyMac.
- Download and install PowerMyMac on your device.
- Choose the uninstaller and click it to scan your device.
- After Scanning the files you can view them and sort the files you want, in this case, we will scan the AVG AntiVirus to find all the AVG files in the scanning result of the PowerMyMac.
- After marking all the files you can simply click the Clean button and that’s it you're all done in just a few clicks.
Part 4. Conclusion
Now that you are all done on how to completely remove the AVG files and the application itself on your device. You can have more ways to do anything again on your Mac device. But just be careful in uninstalling or purchasing any product or application on your device to avoid the risk that can cause your Mac to get infected.
As you can see that using the manual method can be more difficult than just using an application tool like PowerMyMac. It is not that easy to remove an application, so better keep in mind that you need to have a review first, from all the related issues on the application you want to install on your device or you want to avail. And most install a reliable tool to protect your Mac from abusive applications that can put your device at risk use only the fastest, easiest, and a computer-friendly tool like PowerMyMac.
ExcellentThanks for your rating.
Rating: 4.7 / 5 (based on 79 ratings)
People Also Read:
PowerMyMac
Avg Free Macbook
A powerful all-in-one App for Mac
Free Download
Clean up and speed up your Mac with ease