How to remove Fake Avg Antivirus extension adware (Virus removal guide)

What is Fake Avg Antivirus extension

Fake Avg Antivirus extension is a browser extension that claims to be the Avg antivirus and is supposedly capable of protecting the browser from various online threats. But according to security experts, this browser extension is adware and has nothing to do with AVG. Adware is a form of software created for the purpose of displaying constant pop-up windows and/or annoying ads on the infected device. Adware usually gets installed alongside free programs, codecs and shareware.

Unwanted ads

Fake Avg Antivirus can cause all kind of problems within web browsers. It can cause unwanted browser redirects, unclosable windows or inline text links with ads you do not want. These advertisements are used to promote sales or web-traffic to harmful web-sites or publisher in order to make revenue. Moreover, the fake Avg Antivirus extension can be used to gather personal data to get profit. It can analyze your surfing, and gain access to your user info and, afterwards, can transfer it third party companies. So, we recommend to remove Fake Avg Antivirus extension as soon as you found this problem, as it can redirect your web browser to web-resources which may load other unwanted apps on your computer.

How does Fake Avg Antivirus extension get on your computer

Usually, adware gets into your device as part of a bundle with free applications, sharing files and other unsafe applications which you downloaded from the Net. The creators of adware software pays software authors for distributing adware within their applications. So, additional software is often included as part of the installer. In order to avoid the install of any adware: select only Manual, Custom or Advanced install type and uncheck all optional apps in which you are unsure.

Threat Summary

How to remove Fake Avg Antivirus extension (removal instructions)

There are several steps to uninstalling the Fake Avg Antivirus extension adware, because it installs itself so deeply into Windows. You need to remove all suspicious and unknown software, then delete harmful extensions from the Edge, Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer and other web-browsers you have installed. Finally, you need to reset your internet browser settings to delete any changes the adware has made, and then check your PC system with Zemana Free, MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (MBAM) or HitmanPro to ensure the adware software is fully removed. It will take a while.

To remove Fake Avg Antivirus extension, use the steps below:

1. Manual Fake Avg Antivirus extension adware removal
   • Removing the Fake Avg Antivirus extension, check the list of installed software first
   • Remove Fake Avg Antivirus from Mozilla Firefox
   • Get rid of Fake Avg Antivirus extension from IE
   • Remove Fake Avg Antivirus extension from Google Chrome
2. Automatic Removal of Fake Avg Antivirus
3. How to stay safe online

Manual Fake Avg Antivirus extension adware removal

This part of the blog post is a step-by-step tutorial that will demonstrate you how to remove Fake Avg Antivirus extension manually. You just need to follow every step. In this case, you do not need to install any additional utilities.

Removing the Fake Avg Antivirus extension, check the list of installed software first

The process of adware software removal is generally the same across all versions of Windows OS from 10 to XP. To start with, it is necessary to check the list of installed programs on your PC and remove all unused, unknown and questionable programs.

Windows 8, 8.1, 10

First, click Windows button , then click Search . Type ‘Control panel’and press Enter as on the image below.

Once the ‘Control Panel’ opens, click the ‘Uninstall a program’ link under Programs category as on the image below.

You will see the ‘Uninstall a program’ panel as shown below.

Very carefully look around the entire list of programs installed on your PC. Most likely, one of them is an adware. If you’ve many programs installed, you can help simplify the search of malicious applications by sort the list by date of installation. Once you’ve found a dubious, unwanted or unused program, right click to it, after that click ‘Uninstall’.

Windows XP, Vista, 7

First, click ‘Start’ button and select ‘Control Panel’ at right panel as displayed in the figure below.

When the Windows ‘Control Panel’ opens, you need to click ‘Uninstall a program’ under ‘Programs’ as shown in the figure below.

You will see a list of software installed on your PC. We recommend to sort the list by date of installation to quickly find the apps that were installed last. Most likely, it is an adware program. If you are in doubt, you can always check the application by doing a search for her name in Google, Yahoo or Bing. Once the program which you need to uninstall is found, simply click on its name, and then click ‘Uninstall’ as shown in the figure below.

Remove Fake Avg Antivirus extension from Mozilla Firefox

If your Firefox web-browser is hijacked by Fake Avg Antivirus extension without your permission or an unknown search engine opens results for your search, then it may be time to perform the browser reset. However, your saved passwords and bookmarks will not be changed or cleared.

First, run the Mozilla Firefox and press button. It will display the drop-down menu on the right-part of the web browser. Further, click the Help button () as displayed in the figure below.

In the Help menu, select the “Troubleshooting Information” option. Another way to open the “Troubleshooting Information” screen – type “about:support” in the web browser adress bar and press Enter. It will show the “Troubleshooting Information” page as shown below. In the upper-right corner of this screen, click the “Refresh Firefox” button.

It will display the confirmation dialog box. Further, press the “Refresh Firefox” button. The Mozilla Firefox will start a process to fix your problems that caused by the Fake Avg Antivirus extension adware. When, it is finished, press the “Finish” button.

Get rid of Fake Avg Antivirus extension from IE

By resetting Internet Explorer web browser you restore your web browser settings to its default state. This is basic when troubleshooting problems that might have been caused by Fake Avg Antivirus extension adware software.

First, launch the Internet Explorer, then click ‘gear’ icon . It will show the Tools drop-down menu on the right part of the browser, then click the “Internet Options” as on the image below.

In the “Internet Options” screen, select the “Advanced” tab, then click the “Reset” button. The Internet Explorer will open the “Reset Internet Explorer settings” prompt. Further, click the “Delete personal settings” check box to select it. Next, click the “Reset” button as displayed below.

Once the process is finished, click “Close” button. Close the Internet Explorer and reboot your computer for the changes to take effect. This step will help you to restore your browser’s default search engine, start page and newtab to default state.

Remove Fake Avg Antivirus extension from Google Chrome

Reset Chrome settings to remove Fake Avg Antivirus extension. If you’re still experiencing issues with adware removal, then you need to reset Google Chrome browser to its original state. This step needs to be performed only if adware has not been removed by the previous steps.

1. First start the Chrome and click Menu button (small button in the form of three dots).
2. It will open the Chrome main menu. Choose More Tools, then click Extensions.
3. You’ll see the list of installed plugins. If the list has the extension labeled with “Installed by enterprise policy” or “Installed by your administrator”, then complete the following instructions: Remove Chrome extensions installed by enterprise policy.
4. Now open the Chrome menu once again, press the “Settings” menu.
5. You will see the Chrome’s settings page. Scroll down and click “Advanced” link.
6. Scroll down again and click the “Reset” button.
7. The Google Chrome will display the reset profile settings page as shown on the screen above.
8. Next click the “Reset” button.
9. Once this procedure is complete, your web-browser’s start page, new tab and search engine will be restored to their original defaults.
10. To learn more, read the article How to reset Google Chrome settings to default.

Automatic Removal of Fake Avg Antivirus extension adware software

We have compiled some of the best adware removing tools that can find and get rid of Fake Avg Antivirus extension, malicious web-browser extensions and potentially unwanted apps.

How to remove Fake Avg Antivirus extension with Zemana

Zemana Anti-Malware highly recommended, because it can detect security threats such adware and malware that most ‘classic’ antivirus programs fail to pick up on. Moreover, if you have anyadware removal problems which cannot be fixed by this utility automatically, then Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM) provides 24X7 online assistance from the highly experienced support staff.

1. Download Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM) from the following link. Save it on your Microsoft Windows desktop.
   
   

   Zemana AntiMalware
   164107 downloads
   Author: Zemana Ltd
   Category: Security tools
   Update: July 16, 2019
   
2. At the download page, click on the Download button. Your web browser will show the “Save as” dialog box. Please save it onto your Windows desktop.
3. Once downloading is finished, please close all apps and open windows on your computer. Next, launch a file named Zemana.AntiMalware.Setup.
4. This will launch the “Setup wizard” of Zemana Free onto your device. Follow the prompts and don’t make any changes to default settings.
5. When the Setup wizard has finished installing, the Zemana Free will start and open the main window.
6. Further, click the “Scan” button for scanning your computer for adware and other unwanted software. A scan can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the count of files on your computer and the speed of your PC. While the Zemana Anti Malware is scanning, you can see how many objects it has identified either as being malware.
7. As the scanning ends, Zemana Free will prepare a list of unwanted programs and adware.
8. You may remove items (move to Quarantine) by simply press the “Next” button. The utility will remove Fake Avg Antivirus extension and move the selected threats to the program’s quarantine. After that process is done, you may be prompted to reboot the PC.
9. Close the Zemana Anti Malware (ZAM) and continue with the next step.

How to stay safe online

We recommend to install an ad blocking program. The ad-blocker tool like AdGuard is a application that basically removes advertising from the Web and stops access to malicious web-sites. Moreover, security experts says that using ad-blocking software is necessary to stay safe when surfing the Internet.

1. AdGuard can be downloaded from the following link. Save it to your Desktop.
   
   

   Adguard download
   26656 downloads
   Version: 6.4
   Author: © Adguard
   Category: Security tools
   Update: November 15, 2018
   
2. When the download is complete, launch the downloaded file. You will see the “Setup Wizard” program window. Follow the prompts.
3. Once the install is done, click “Skip” to close the installation application and use the default settings, or click “Get Started” to see an quick tutorial which will help you get to know AdGuard better.
4. In most cases, the default settings are enough and you don’t need to change anything. Each time, when you start your PC, AdGuard will start automatically and stop unwanted ads, block malicious and misleading web sites. For an overview of all the features of the program, or to change its settings you can simply double-click on the icon called AdGuard, which may be found on your desktop.

Finish words

After completing the steps shown above, your device should be clean from this adware and other malicious software. The Firefox, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Edge and Chrome will no longer display any unwanted ads when you surf the Internet. Unfortunately, if the steps does not help you, then you have caught a new adware software, and then the best way – ask for help.

Please create a new question by using the “Ask Question” button in the Questions and Answers. Try to give us some details about your problems, so we can try to help you more accurately. Wait for one of our trained “Security Team” or Site Administrator to provide you with knowledgeable assistance tailored to your problem with the Fake Avg Antivirus removal.