Cant uninstall McAffee Security scan plus from Windows 10. Inside the Uninstall App page, buttons greyed out

Anonymous
2022-09-17T15:10:45+00:00

I needed to install Adobe Viewer fast. Afterwards find it installed McAffee. popups, new network detected? no, it hasnt changed for years. McAfee is trash and is now locked on my PC like some parasite. its installed and will not be removed. There were 2, the other one "uninstalled", this one has grayed out keys.

Search online? they want you to run McAfees own removal tool? Sure, so that tool does what exactly? installs malware that stays silent. keyboard listener, etc

Search Microsoft only? volunteer moderators saying use McAfee tool, maybe they work for McAfee

Is there any real actual way to literally remove this malware? calling itself McAfee security scan?

Or then after saying all that I want to fully reinstall windows, because its unlikely anyone will know the answer, so in this modern Windows 10 world is there a fast way to remove windows, 0 the drive, new partition, new windows?

anyone know the answer to this?

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Install and upgrade

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Anonymous
2022-12-05T16:46:31+00:00

There's an executable uninstaller in the McAfee folder at (Programs(X86)/McAfee. That worked for me when the Windows Control panel wouldn't allow it. Use admin privileges. Where does it ever end with the marketers making it easy to get into trials and as difficult as possible to get out of them?

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-05-08T01:07:27+00:00

    Short answer: uninstall via Control Panel: Control Panel -> Uninstall a Program -> right click on McAfee Security Scan Plus and select uninstall. You may need Administrator Privileges to do this. IMPORTANT NOTE: Approaching this from a different direction leads me to a grayed-out icon dead end.

    Details: I had the same problem (and now I do not trust either McAfee or Adobe) but I did find an easy way to uninstall McAfee Security Scan Plus via Windows by approaching the uninstall from a different direction. Like you, uninstall was grayed out if I approached it by searching for remove on the Windows icon (lower left of your monitor, left click, start typing “remove” and select "Add or remove a program"). However, if I went to Control Panel (again by searching on the Windows icon) and selected Uninstall a Program, I was able to navigate to the McAfee product, right click, and uninstall.

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-04-28T06:51:15+00:00

    Finally, a solution that worked - thank you so much, @Tracers623!

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-04-12T11:53:04+00:00

    All you need to do was turn off the Windows service for Mcfee then uninstalled the rest of the mcfee you could have also booted into safe mode after turning off windows service for Mcfee and delete the folder and all its associated registry keys then reboot back into normal windows.

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-03-05T00:47:38+00:00

    I just used the tool and rebooted, and McAfee Security Scanner Scheduler is still in my startup and McAfee Security Scan Plus is still in the programs list AND has the uninstall button greyed out. Microsoft should block them from being installed as they are making it impossible to uninstall.

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