REMOVAL GUIDE · AVG ANTIVIRUS

AVG won't uninstall? Use the AVG Uninstall Tool in Safe Mode

Uninstall AVG AntiVirus from the Windows apps list first and restart when its uninstaller asks. If that does not work, or you see the setup is already running message, AVG's own fallback is the AVG Uninstall Tool (avg_av_clear.exe): it restarts Windows in Safe Mode, deletes all AVG AntiVirus files there and restarts again. AVG's article covers AVG Internet Security and AVG Secure Browser with the same tool, each on its own tab. AVG warns that after the uninstall your device is no longer protected by AVG AntiVirus, so check that Microsoft Defender Antivirus or another antivirus is on.

Updated 12 November 2026.

AT A GLANCE

Check	What it means	Reversible?
AVG AntiVirus is gone from the apps list after the restart	The standard uninstall finished	Yes: install it again from AVG
The uninstall does not work, or says the setup is already running	The two cases AVG names for its Uninstall Tool	Nothing has changed yet
The AVG Uninstall Tool finished in Safe Mode and Windows restarted	AVG's fallback removed the files	Yes: the tool's Remove & Reinstall option, or a fresh install
Windows Security, Virus & threat protection, Manage providers shows an antivirus that is on	Something still protects the PC after AVG is removed	Read-only check

The official way: uninstall from Windows, then the AVG Uninstall Tool if needed

AVG documents the standard uninstall and, in a separate article, the AVG Uninstall Tool. Before either, its uninstall article suggests updating or repairing AVG AntiVirus if the reason is a problem with the app rather than a wish to remove it.

Start from the Windows apps list
AVG's steps begin with a right-click on the Windows Start icon to open the apps list. Select AVG AntiVirus FREE and click Uninstall, and click Yes if User Account Control asks.
Go through AVG's own setup window
When the AVG AntiVirus Setup window appears, select Uninstall. The customer survey is optional: Skip and uninstall moves on. Select Uninstall again to confirm, and wait while the uninstaller works.
Restart
When the confirmation message appears, click Restart now. AVG says the restart completes the uninstallation.
If that fails: run the AVG Uninstall Tool as administrator
Download the tool from AVG's article, right-click the downloaded file avg_av_clear.exe and select Run as administrator. Click Yes if User Account Control asks.
Let it restart into Safe Mode
On the Reboot to safe mode tile click Reboot, then Restart now on the pop-up window.
Remove, then restart again
When the tool opens in Safe Mode, click Remove on the Remove only tile; Reinstall on the other tile removes the app and then installs it again. Click Uninstall on the confirmation screen, wait, and click Restart now.

What can stay behind, and what to check

The AVG articles this guide is based on do not list leftover folders, services or scheduled tasks, so this guide does not name any. These read-only PowerShell commands show whether any program, service or scheduled task with AVG in its name is still registered, and whether Microsoft Defender Antivirus is running: Microsoft documents that AMRunningMode shows Normal, Passive or EDR Block Mode when it is enabled. A name match is a lead, not proof.

Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*',
  'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*' |
  Where-Object DisplayName -match 'AVG' | Format-Table DisplayName, DisplayVersion
Get-Service -DisplayName '*AVG*' | Format-Table Name, DisplayName, Status
Get-ScheduledTask |
  Where-Object { $_.TaskName -match 'AVG' -or $_.TaskPath -match 'AVG' } |
  Format-Table TaskPath, TaskName, State
Get-MpComputerStatus | Select-Object AMRunningMode

Usually safe to act on

AVG still in the apps list after the standard uninstall: run the AVG Uninstall Tool rather than deleting files by hand.
No antivirus shown as on under Manage providers: turn Microsoft Defender Antivirus on in Windows Security, or install the antivirus you chose instead.

Your data and settings: keep

Microsoft Defender Antivirus, its WinDefend service and MsMpEng.exe: they are what protects the PC once AVG is gone.
A paid AVG plan: the two articles this guide is based on do not mention it, so if you pay for one, check your AVG account rather than assuming the uninstall cancelled it.

What a restore point does and does not cover

Microsoft describes restore points as snapshots of system files, installed applications, the Windows registry and system settings, taken without affecting personal data. That also means a restore point is not a backup of your files. System Protection is not enabled by default, so on a PC where nobody switched it on, a request for a restore point fails; you turn it on under Create a restore point, Configure. And when an app asks for a restore point while one made in the previous 24 hours already exists, Windows skips the new one and still reports success. For AVG, a restore point is no substitute for the AVG Uninstall Tool when the standard uninstall fails: AVG's documented fallback is the tool, run in Safe Mode and followed by a restart.

How PC Tweaker Uninstaller helps

It lists each AVG app that Windows registers as its own entry and says how many other programs from the same publisher are installed, which is how a second AVG app shows up. Before anything runs, the brief shows the exact command each entry registered and whether it needs administrator rights, and the Removal Ledger records the method and the result. Its leftover scan matches folders, shortcuts and registry keys only when they are named exactly after the program, and pre-selects only items inside the install folder Windows recorded; anything matched by name alone is shown but never pre-selected. It does not list services or scheduled tasks, and it does not replace the AVG Uninstall Tool when the registered uninstaller fails. Cleaning leftover files and folders is free; cleaning registry keys and startup entries is Pro. Before an elevated removal it asks Windows for a restore point and records the outcome in the Removal Ledger. Because of the 24-hour rule above, Windows sometimes keeps an earlier point instead of making a new one. From version 0.13.8 the receipt says created only when it has verified a new point, and otherwise says that Windows reused the one from a given date; earlier versions could report created in that case.

Keep reading

uninstalling Malwarebytes with its Support Tool — Another security product whose vendor documents a cleanup tool for a failed uninstall.
uninstalling Avast completely — Another antivirus with its own removal tool, run in Safe Mode.
MsMpEng.exe, the Microsoft Defender Antivirus engine — The process that should be running again once the other antivirus is gone.
WinDefend, the Microsoft Defender Antivirus service — The service behind it, and why it is left alone.
how to completely uninstall any Windows program — The general order, and what to do when an uninstaller fails.
what PC Tweaker Uninstaller shows before a removal runs — The rating, the command and the permissions, before anything changes.

Common questions

What is the AVG Uninstall Tool?

AVG's own removal utility for Windows, downloaded as avg_av_clear.exe. AVG recommends it when uninstalling from the Start menu did not work or you see the setup is already running message. It restarts Windows in Safe Mode, deletes all AVG AntiVirus files there and restarts again.

Why won't AVG uninstall?

AVG's article names two cases for its Uninstall Tool: the uninstall from the Start menu did not work, or a message says the setup is already running. In both, right-click avg_av_clear.exe, choose Run as administrator and let the tool restart the PC into Safe Mode.

Does the AVG Uninstall Tool remove AVG Secure Browser too?

AVG's article covers three products with the same tool, each on its own tab: AVG AntiVirus FREE, AVG Internet Security and AVG Secure Browser. Open the tab for the product you want to remove and follow its steps.

Is my PC protected after I uninstall AVG?

Not by AVG: its article says the device is no longer protected by AVG AntiVirus once the steps are done. After the restart, open Windows Security, Virus & threat protection, and under Who's protecting me? select Manage providers to check that an antivirus is on.

Try PC Tweaker Uninstaller

Single uninstalls are free, for Windows 10 and Windows 11.

What it shows before a removal Download PC Tweaker Uninstaller