FAQs

At its core, McAfee Total Protection provides our award-winning antivirus to defend against viruses, online threats and ransomware with both cloud-based online and offline protection. Beyond your Windows PCs, McAfee Total Protection provides cross-device protection that extends your peace of mind to your Macs and iOS/Android mobile devices, so you can enjoy security at home and on-the-go across all your compatible devices.

Available when you’re enrolled in auto-renewal**, our secure VPN uses bank-grade AES 256-bit encryption to keep your browsing information and online habits protected at home and on-the-go.

 McAfee® WebAdvisor web protection enables you to sidestep attacks before they happen with clear warnings of risky websites, links and files, so you can browse, shop and bank with confidence.

 PC Optimization features help your PC go faster while ensuring you still have top-notch security. Web Boost helps rescue both your battery and bandwidth from distracting auto-play videos by automatically pausing them. And with App Boost, apps that you’re actively working on will automatically receive a boost in resources, so you can get the job done faster.

 Available with McAfee Total Protection for 10 devices, McAfee® Safe Family provides robust parental controls for your kids’ Windows PCs and Android/iOS devices. Packed with useful features, Safe Family gives you an extra set of hands to juggle your kids’ digital lives, from helping them build good habits to managing their app usage and online time. You can even keep track of their location when they’re getting some much-needed outdoor time.

 Because much of your digital life exists in files on your computer, you can use McAfee® QuickClean™ and Shredder™ to manage your privacy. Use McAfee QuickClean to remove temporary files and cookies to reclaim storage space and minimize exposure. And, when you’re looking to dispose of sensitive files, McAfee Shredder securely deletes files so that would-be thieves can’t put the pieces back together.

 Our passwords are the keys to our digital kingdom. Take the guesswork out of creating and remembering complex passwords with our password manager, which can store, auto-fill and even generate unique complex passwords. For added convenience, you can access your shared passwords on your PC and mobile devices with a single account.

 Many vulnerabilities on your PC are due to out-of-date apps. With Vulnerability Scanner, you can update Windows and your apps from one place, streamlining Windows and application updates with a single tool that scans and installs critical updates.

 Identity Monitoring Service provides a guided identity monitoring experience including dark web monitoring for your email. Get expanded monitoring with auto-renewal turned on.

 For any questions, free customer support is there when you need it, whether by phone, chat or online.

When you open McAfee Total Protection for the first time after installing, you’ll be greeted by a guided tour that will help you run scans and discover capabilities

Once McAfee Total Protection is installed, you’ll be able to scan for viruses and quarantine/remove them.

McAfee Total Protection is available in three packages: for the individual, which covers one device; the multi-device package, which covers five devices; and the household package, which covers ten devices. McAfee software is compatible with Windows, Mac OS, iOS, and Android devices.

When you are enrolled in auto-renew, 30 days before your subscription is scheduled to expire, the credit card on file for your account is automatically billed, and your subscription is extended for another year. If your auto-renewal has been disabled, you will receive a message 30 days before expiry to inform you that your license is about to expire. You can then choose to renew your license for another year or purchase an upgrade.

McAfee Total Protection is compatible with laptops, desktops, tablets and mobile devices. You can find operating system compatibility on our System Requirements page.

If the McAfee Total Protection subscription expires, your software and security will deactivate. Once your antivirus software’s subscription has reached its expiration date, you’ll need to decide whether to resubscribe, purchase another solution or install a free solution. Otherwise, your computer will become susceptible to numerous virus threats.

How is my Protection Score calculated?

Your score is based on a few things, including setting up your McAfee protection, strengthening your security with our safety recommendations, and ensuring your personal info is safely monitored with Identity Protection. For example, if your information is exposed in a data breach your score may drop, but you can improve it by following our easy-to-follow remediation steps. A perfect score does not mean you’re perfectly safe, but it does mean that you’re doing an excellent job of preventing and managing risks.

Identity theft refers to the unauthorized use of an individual’s personally identifiable information (PII), such as name, social security number, bank information, and other sensitive information that can compromise a person’s privacy, security, and financial assets.

You can protect yourself against identity theft by securing your personal information — online and offline. Make sure to engage in best practices such as using strong passwords, protecting your devices with updated security software, monitoring your bank transactions, securing your personal documents, and minimizing the amount of information you share online. ​

For proactive protection, McAfee® can actively monitor your sensitive information and give step-by-step guidance when you need it the most.

Begin by analyzing the situation and reviewing the compromised information. Then, notify the relevant authorities, such as your bank, coverage agency, a local police station, or a national cybercrime complaint center. While the relevant authorities are helping you with the case, check and secure your financial accounts, devices, and proof of identity. ​

The most common form of identity theft is financial identity theft, which refers to any type of theft when someone uses another individual’s information for financial gain. Some examples are New Account Fraud, Account Takeover Fraud, Business Identity Theft, and Tax-Related Identity Theft.

Much like a firewall protects the data on your computer, a VPN (Virtual Private Network) protects your activity by encrypting (or scrambling) your data when you connect to the internet from a remote or public location so you can hide your IP address and online activity.

While convenient, connecting to public Wi-Fi can expose your sensitive data such as your physical location, banking account credentials and credit card information to prying eyes. McAfee Secure VPN uses AES 256-bit encryption to keep your browsing information private – encryption strong enough to even safeguard banks. Keep your online habits protected at home and on-the-go and minimize exposure of your personal data no matter how you connect online.

We recommend using a VPN when you’re connecting to untrusted, public Wi-Fi networks such as at airports, cafés, and hotels. Using a VPN to protect your personal data is especially important if you plan on making any purchases or financial transactions while connected. With McAfee Secure VPN, we can help turn on VPN automatically on these unsecure networks so you can browse in confidence.

Our Secure VPN works on most devices and operating systems. See system requirements for detailed information about VPN availability and whether it’s right for you.

You can connect to almost 50 different countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States.

Free VPN products often still come at a price, ranging from bandwidth limits or ads to even malware.

Yes, McAfee VPN is compatible with Android and iOS devices. For more information, visit our system requirements.

It’s legal to use a VPN in most countries, including the U.S., however, anything that’s illegal without a VPN remains illegal when using one (e.g. torrenting copyrighted material). VPNs are banned by a few countries including China, Russia, Iraq and North Korea.

No, an excellent score does not guarantee total safety. No connected life can be totally secure, but an excellent score does show you’re doing a good job of preventing and handling risks. There are many ways hackers can get their hands on your personal info so you’ll still need to practice good digital hygiene to make sure you stay protected from threats.

Setting up your McAfee Protection, following safety recommendations, and addressing your alerts are all factors that impact your score. If your personal info was exposed in a data breach, your score may drop, but you can improve it by taking steps to regain control of your identity. We’ll show you how to protect yourself after a breach and help you get your score back up.

The score ranges from 0 – 1000. A score over 700 is considered very good, while any score above 850 is considered excellent.

0-399 Low

400-599 Fair

600-699 Good

700-849 Very good

850-1000 Excellent