Why You Should Remove McAfee from Your New Laptop Immediately

As an IT technician with over 14 years of experience, I’ve seen my fair share of common issues faced by users with newly purchased laptops. One frequent complaint I encounter is when customers express frustration that their brand-new devices are “slow” or “not working.” More often than not, the underlying culprit is the third-party antivirus installed on their system—most frequently McAfee or Avast. In my professional opinion, McAfee reigns as far the most problematic antivirus Software available today.

Understanding the Issue

In my experience, I cannot stress enough how detrimental McAfee can be to a laptop’s performance. As default Software on many new laptops, often due to paid promotions by manufacturers such as Dell, Lenovo, and HP, it creates significant slowdowns and endless frustration for users. Despite its widespread presence, McAfee has consistently proven to be an inefficient Software solution that complicates rather than simplifies device protection.

The Bottom Line: Ditch McAfee, Embrace Windows Defender

If you have McAfee installed on your system, I strongly recommend you remove it as soon as possible. It is not only a poor performing program but also difficult to uninstall. Most users already have Windows Defender installed, which is more than sufficient for day-to-day protection. Contrary to the persuasive marketing strategies employed by some antivirus companies, including the possible influence on tech news outlets, you generally don’t need a third-party antivirus unless you handle sensitive data that makes you a specific target.

The Uninstallation Struggles

From a technician’s standpoint, removing McAfee can be a cumbersome task. While the uninstall process itself is straightforward, the hurdles are numerous. You’ll likely discover that as a user, you’re often restricted from uninstalling it yourself. Instead of a simple “uninstall” click, you may be forced to download a specialized uninstaller from McAfee, which is nothing short of problematic.

Upon using their uninstaller, you’ll find yourself greeted by a confusing interface that fails to display any products to actually remove, leaving you to click “Cancel” repeatedly until luck is on your side. Even when you finally reach a point where you can uninstall, you might find yourself agreeing to unwanted terms of service that allow McAfee to track your data usage and potentially install additional software without your explicit consent.

malware or Antivirus?

Considering all these challenges, it’s worth reflecting on the nature of malware—software designed to disrupt or damage systems. In many