Don't want McAfee. Can I just uninstall McAfee and use ONLY Windows defender?

bigmackk1

I just set up a new pc today and it is saying security is by McAfee as well as Windows Defender, can I just uninstall McAfee and use ONLY Windows defender or are the 2 meant to work together? Im a very newbie…Thanks

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[Edited the thread to add issue detail]

Puraw

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/727827/dont-want-mcafee-can-i-just-uninstall-mcafee-and-use-only-windows-defender

Hi bigmackk1,

You’re on the right track — Windows Defender works well on its own and doesn’t need McAfee alongside it. Just a heads-up: don’t uninstall McAfee through Windows first. That can leave behind registry remnants that interfere with Defender and other security features.

Instead, use the official McAfee Consumer Product Removal Tool (MCPR). It’s designed to fully clean out McAfee components, including hidden services and registry entries. You can download it directly — no registration required — from TechSpot:

https://www.techspot.com/downloads/6583-mcafee-consumer-product-removal-tool.html

Once removed, Windows Defender should automatically take over. You can confirm this by going to Windows Security > Virus & threat protection and checking that Defender is active.

Also, just so you’re aware — in rare cases, McAfee can leave behind deep system hooks that even the MCPR tool doesn’t fully remove. If Defender still won’t activate properly or you notice strange behavior (like missing settings or blocked updates), a clean install of Windows might be the only way to fully reset things.

It’s a last resort, but worth keeping in mind if nothing else works.