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NEW!  You can still get an extra $10 off on McAfee+ Advanced protection plan during tax season!

Award-winning antivirus software protects your data and devices

Our award-winning antivirus software in McAfee+ ProtectionMcAfee® Total Protection frees you to live your connected life safe from threats like ransomware, malware, phishing, and more.

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Introductory pricing for new customers. *First year price. See offer details



Windows® | macOS® | Android™ | iOS® | ChromeOS™

mcafee plus Why choose a Family Plan

How does McAfee antivirus secure your devices?

Fast solution
Real-time threat protection

24/7 protection for everyone’s devices from ever-evolving malware and online threats.

Easy to use
Easy to use

Connect all your computers and smartphones and easily manage them from a single dashboard.

Leaders
Leader in consumer security

Trusted protection for over 600 million devices. Keeping you safer online is what we do best.

Virus Protection Pledge

100% guarantee we’ll remove viruses on your devices, or we’ll give you your money back.**

Live your life online freely and confidently
with award-winning online protection

Live your life online freely and confidently with award-winning online protection

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Individual plans
Family plans
Individual plans cover
 
1 adult
 
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Advanced
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Premium
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info Identity features
 
 
 
Transaction monitoring
 
 
 
Credit monitoring 1 bureau
 
 
Credit score & report Monthly
 
 
Security freeze
 
 
 
$1M identity theft coverage
 
 
 
Lost wallet protection
 
 
 
Identity restoration experts
 
 
 
Identity monitoring
 
 
 
Password manager
 
 
 
infoPrivacy features
 
 
 
Personal Data Cleanup Full-service Scans
 
VPN - virtual private network
 
 
 
infoSecurity features Unlimited devices* Unlimited devices* 5 devices
View all included
Antivirus
 
 
 
File shredder
 
 
 
Web protection
 
 
 
Firewall
 
 
 
Expert online support
 
 
 
Individual Protection Score
 
 
 
 
Family plans cover up to
2 adults and 4 children info
 
= adult
 
= 2 adults, 4 children
 
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Advanced
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Premium
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infoIdentity features
 
 
Transaction monitoring
x2
 
Credit monitoring 1 bureau (2 adults)
 
Credit score & report Monthly (2 adults)
 
Security freeze
x2
 
$1M identity theft coverage
x2
 
Lost wallet protection
 
 
Identity restoration experts
 
 
Identity monitoring
 
 
Password manager
 
 
infoPrivacy features
 
 
Personal Data Cleanup Full-service (2 adults) Scans (2 adults)
VPN - virtual private network
 
 
infoSecurity features Unlimited devices* Unlimited devices*
Parental control
 
 
View all included
Antivirus
 
 
File shredder
 
 
Web protection
 
 
Firewall
 
 
Expert online support
 
 
Individual Protection Score
 
 
 
Windows® | macOS® | Android™ | iOS® | ChromeOS™
*First year price. Introductory Pricing for New Customers. See offer details.
Windows® | macOS® | Android™ | iOS® | ChromeOS™
*First year price. Introductory Pricing for New Customers. See offer details.

We’ve got your back

Guided, personalized online protection that makes being safe simple, wherever you are.

Committed to excellence

All the confidence you need

You do you and we’ll protect the rest with our purchase and protection guarantees.
And if you have any questions, our security experts are available 24/7 to help.

100%-guarantee
Our virus protection
pledge

We pledge to remove viruses on your devices or give you your money back, 100% guaranteed.**

30-day money back guarantee

If you’re not completely satisfied, we’ll be more than happy to give you a prompt and courteous refund.

24/7 online security
experts

Get friendly, around-the-clock assistance from an expert on our dedicated security team.

VPN necessary

What is antivirus?

An antivirus is a software program used to prevent, detect, and eliminate malware and viruses. It works for all types of devices, such as desktop computers, laptops, smartphones, and tablets. An antivirus usually runs in the background to provide real-time protection without interfering with your browsing experience.  

 

Many antivirus programs include additional features to keep your computer optimized and resource consumption at a minimum. Here are the main features of an antivirus: 

Test
Malware detection, quarantine, and removal 
Test
Real-time, on-demand, and scheduled scanning of files and applications  
Test
Advanced firewall for home network security
Free vs Paid Antivirus

What is the difference between paid and free antivirus?

Usually, free antivirus software offers baseline malware protection that may not be sufficient to combat the ever-evolving threat landscape. This is particularly true when it comes to the wide variety of zero-day threats and digital threats that go beyond just antivirus. Some features may be limited in use – even worse, some free programs can even gather your personal data in exchange for their services.

On the other hand, paid antivirus subscriptions give you up-to-date, advanced security protection against a wide variety of malware and digital threats. Paid solutions also tend to come with richer features and services. For example, McAfee® Total Protection includes identity protection and a VPN to protect your personal info.

Rest assured that with our free 30-day trial you’ll get all the features of our flagship product, including antivirus, web protection, password manager, and more. Take advantage of our free trial and gain greater peace of mind every time you use your devices.

Free vs Paid Antivirus

Knowing when a site is spoofed

Have you ever received a congratulatory text about a contest you never entered? Or maybe gotten a poorly drafted email from your bank about an overdue bill you know nothing about? These, and the infamous Nigerian Prince messages, are examples of phishing. Phishing is a tactic used by cybercriminals to mislead you into thinking you’re about to engage in a legitimate transaction. In reality, you may be about to enter your banking credentials or credit card into a fake site.

If you’re unsure about the legitimacy of some links or emails, you can type the address of a website directly into your browser instead of clicking the link you were sent. Checking the domain (or .com) that the email was sent from is another good practice. These simple steps can help you stay ahead of website spoofing or URL spoofing.

With McAfee® Web Protection, you can sidestep malicious sites with clear warnings of risky websites, links, and file downloads.

Spoofed Website

How does an antivirus detect emerging malware and threats?

Security tools of the past relied on manually gathering malware definitions (the different types of malicious software that had been found in the wild, like viruses, ransomware and spyware). As threats have advanced in nature and complexity, industry-leading antivirus software like McAfee Total Protection, also quickly developed to stay ahead of cybercriminals. At McAfee, we use strategies like behavioral detection and machine learning to ensure we can detect, isolate, and eliminate all recognized malware and even zero-day digital threats (brand new threats that haven't been seen before) to keep you safe online.

Protect your data

5 signs that your device may be infected

Depending on the type of malware, your device may exhibit varying behavior. For example:

  • Screen takeover – a screen filled with a matrix of numbers or skull-and-crossbones accompanied by ransom instructions are consistent with being infected by ransomware. 
  • Spikes in data usage - if your data usage is increasing but you're not sure why, malware may be to blame. It's possible that a program is running in the background and transmitting your sensitive information to cybercriminals.
  • Browser pop-ups - while in general pop-up ads are just annoying, if you’re seeing these ads when your browser is closed, you could be dealing with malware. 
  • Overheating - phones and computers are high-performance devices, but if your device unexpectedly gets hot while idle, it’s possible that malware could be stealing performance from that device and using those resources for cryptomining. 
  • Faster battery drain - similar to overheating, if your battery life becomes unexpectedly short, it could be because malware is running in the background and draining your power. 

With all the advances in phishing attacks and malware, bad actors no longer need physical access to your devices to wreak havoc. For example, an intruder could sign into your accounts as you, spam your contacts with phishing attacks, add new mobile lines, and even request new credit cards. The good news is that many of these attacks can be avoided with strong security software that can prevent these intrusions before they can cause any harm.

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FAQs

These answers might help.

Usually, free antivirus software offers baseline malware protection that may not be sufficient to combat the ever-evolving threat landscape. This is particularly true when it comes to the wide variety of zero-day threats and digital threats that go beyond just antivirus. Some features may be limited in use – even worse, some free programs can even gather your personal data in exchange for their services. On the other hand, paid antivirus subscriptions give you up-to-date, advanced security protection against a wide variety of malware and digital threats. Paid solutions also tend to come with richer features and services. For example, McAfee® Total Protection includes identity protection and a VPN to protect your personal info. Rest assured that with our free 30-day trial you’ll get all the features of our flagship product, including antivirus, web protection, password manager, and more. Take advantage of our free trial and gain greater peace of mind every time you use your devices.

Security tools of the past relied on manually gathering malware definitions (the different types of malicious software that had been found in the wild, like viruses, ransomware and spyware). As threats have advanced in nature and complexity, industry-leading antivirus software like McAfee Total Protection, also quickly developed to stay ahead of cybercriminals. At McAfee, we use strategies like behavioral detection and machine learning to ensure we can detect, isolate, and eliminate all recognized malware and even zero-day digital threats (brand new threats that haven't been seen before) to keep you safe online.

Malware is a term for any type of malicious software, regardless of how it works, its intent or how it’s distributed. A virus is a specific type of malware that self-replicates by inserting its code into other programs. There are many ways cybercriminals distribute malware and viruses, but the most common are malicious emails and websites.

Fake antivirus software is one of the most persistent threats on the internet today. Masquerading as legitimate antivirus software, these malicious programs extort money from you to “fix” your computer. This new “antivirus” program even disables legitimate security software that you already have, leaving you exposed to real threats. These rogue programs catch unsuspecting users by displaying a browser popup that warns you that your computer may be infected, and that you need to download a (fake) security software to fix the problem.\n\nThis type of malware is often referred to as “scareware” since the pop-ups use messages like “You have a virus,” as a way to get you to click. Most of us are eager to get rid of any potential problems as quickly as possible, which opens a huge window of opportunity for these bad actors. If successful, the cybercriminals get your credit card details and other personal information, and you get nothing but malware in return.

McAfee products offer real-time, on-demand, and scheduled scanning, allowing you to automatically or manually scan your device for malware and other threats while keeping your data private and protected. Our antivirus software also includes identity protection and VPN.

Setting up family protection is simple. Just enter an email address or mobile phone number for each person you want to invite.

Your family member will get a message to log in along with steps to set up protection for their computers, phones, web browsing, and passwords. They’ll also have their own identity monitoring to receive alerts when their personal data is found on the dark web. 

Two adults can also set up credit monitoring, find their personal info on data broker sites to remove it, and clean up personal info from old online accounts.  

Each family member will have their own notifications and log in where they can check their Protection Score along with recommended steps to improve their score and overall online safety.

Parental controls provides you with the ability to supervise and keep your kids safer online. When you sign up for a family plan, you’ll receive easy instructions to get set up with the parental controls app.

     
  • See what your kids are up to: View your kid’s device activity and location at a glance from your phone or desktop.
  • Set rules and time limits: Start off with age-based rules for apps and websites that you can customize based on your kid’s needs.
  • Know where your kids are: Locate them on a live map and receive automated notifications when they enter or leave familiar places like a school or the library.
  • Family requests: Collaborate with your kids by allowing them to request extra app time or access blocked apps or websites.

What's included in McAfee+ family plans?
Family plans come with identity theft protection, online privacy, and device security for up to 6 family members (up to 2 adults and 4 children) without having to share logins. Each family member can set up their own identity, privacy, and device protection features in the way that works best for them. 

Each family member gets their own, Individual Protection Score, which shows how safe they are, with guidance on how to improve their protection. Plus, parents can help keep their children safe online and limit their risk exposure with parental controls. 
How do I share the subscription with my family?
To share your subscription with your family, log in to My Account and click Manage users and devices. From there, you can send an invitation to each family member to join your plan. Each family member will be able to set up their McAfee account and complete the setup for their online protection.
Why does my spouse need online protection if I already have it?
Every one of us has valuable personal data and our online privacy to protect. When you add your spouse as an adult family member on your family account, they will be able to set up and manage their own identity and credit monitoring, Personal Data Cleanup to remove their info from data broker sites, and more. They’re also covered with up to $1 million in case of stolen identity and up to $25K for ransomware.
How many people can I add to my family plan?
You can add up to 5 additional people to your family plan for a total of 2 adults and 4 children (minors). 
Why should my children have online protection?
Kids need protection in many of the same ways adults do. They have Social Security Numbers, which if used for identity theft, could affect their credit standings. They also have usernames and email addresses that could be part of a data breach, finding their way to the dark web where criminals can access them. 

When online, children (and adults) need to be notified when a website or link is risky and could lead to a phishing site or a malware download. And of course, device protection on their computers and phones can save them from online threats like viruses and hackers. 
How will minors be able to manage their online protection?
The account owner can invite members as either an adult or a minor. Minors (and adults) will have access to their own accounts on the McAfee Protection Center. However, minors have access to fewer identity and privacy features than adults. 

As a parent, you can choose to set up and manage your child’s account yourself and access the account in the McAfee Protection Center in order to stay on top of your child’s online protection settings, notifications, Protection Score, and recommended steps to improve your child’s online safety.
As the purchaser (admin), can I see all other family member McAfee+ accounts?
As the account owner, you can see all users and their devices. However, you will not be able to access family members’ Protection Score, settings, and alerts.
What comes with parental controls?
The internet is a wide-open world and parents can’t always be there to supervise what their children are accessing or who their communicating with online. McAfee+ Family plans include the tools you need to:
  • view device activity easily from your phone or desktop
  • set app and website rules and time limits
  • locate your kids on a live map and receive automated notifications when they enter or leave familiar places
  • collaborate with your kids by allowing them to request extra app time or access blocked apps or websites.
Can I add someone like my parent or child who doesn’t live in my home as a member on my family plan?
Yes, family is what you make it. Add one adult and up to four minors to your plan no matter where they live. It’s simple to get them set up. Just enter their email address and they’ll get a message with instructions.
If family members leave my plan does my price change?
No, the price of your plan will not change if family members leave your plan. You can still make the most of your plan by adding someone else to take their spot!
How does payment for the family plan work?
The purchaser (account owner) of the family plan is the only person who can manage payment and payment settings.
Can I change the primary account owner?
The purchaser of the plan will always be the primary account owner.
What devices and OS are compatible with McAfee+?
McAfee+ is compatible with laptops, desktops, tablets, Chromebooks, and mobile devices. You can find operating system compatibility on our System Requirements page.

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