Components
Manage these settings from: ☰ Menu ▸ Settings ▸ Components
The Components screen allows you to manage all features included in your version of Avast Antivirus. These features are divided into three sections labeled as Security, Privacy, and Performance.
Some components may be inactive in your version of Avast. This may be because the components were not installed during installation of Avast Antivirus, or because they are not included in your program version by default.
Note: All security components are available in Avast Ultimate and Avast Premier, however some privacy and performance components such as the paid version of Passwords or SecureLine VPN, are only available in Avast Ultimate or as an optional upgrade. Read more...
Manage components
Depending on each component, you can perform the following actions:
- Customize a component:
- Click Customize next to a component to adjust its settings.
- Enable/disable a component:
- To enable a component, click the red slider so that it changes to green.
- To disable a component, click the green slider so that it changes to red. For the crucial security components such as Core Shields and Firewall, select how long you want a component to be disabled.
- Install/uninstall a component:
- Click Install Component next to the component you want to use (some components are not installed by default). Some components may require you to restart your PC.
- Click the downward facing arrow to expand the panel of the component you want to uninstall, then click Uninstall and OK.
Note: We strongly recommend you keep all crucial security components, such as Core Shields and Firewall, installed and enabled to ensure your maximum protection. We do not recommend you turn off these components indefinitely by selecting the Stop permanently option.
Security components overview
The Security section contains components that have a direct impact on the protection of your PC, as well as other features that can help to increase your system's security level.
- File Shield: actively scans all programs and files on your hard drive as they are opened, run, modified, and saved. If malware is detected, File Shield prevents the program or file from infecting your PC. Read more...
- Behavior Shield: monitors programs installed on your PC for suspicious behavior that may indicate the presence of malicious code. Read more...
- Mail Shield: scans for threats in your incoming and outgoing email messages. Scanning applies only to messages sent or received using a mail management software, such as Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird. If you access your web based email account via an internet browser, your PC is protected by other antivirus shields. Read more...
- Web Shield: actively scans data that is transferred when you browse the internet to prevent malware from being downloaded and run on your PC. Read more...
- Ransomware Shield (Avast Ultimate, Avast Premier and Avast Internet Security only): secures your personal photos, documents, and other files from being modified, deleted, or encrypted by ransomware attacks. Read more...
- Real Site (paid Avast Antivirus only): protects you against DNS hijacking to ensure you get to the actual website you want to visit. Read more...
- Anti-spam (Avast Ultimate, Avast Premier and Avast Internet Security only): keeps your inbox clean from unwanted spam and junk emails when you use a mail management software, such as Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird. If you access your web based email account via an internet browser, you can keep this component uninstalled. Read more...
- Firewall (Avast Ultimate, Avast Premier and Avast Internet Security only): monitors all network traffic between your PC and the outside world to protect you from unauthorized communication and intrusions. Read more...
- Sandbox (paid Avast Antivirus only): allows you to run applications in a virtual, safe environment, completely isolated from the rest of your PC's system. This feature is useful when you want to run suspicious or untrusted applications without risk. Read more...
- Software Updater: helps keep commonly used third party software up to date to eliminate potential security risks. Read more...
- Browser Cleanup: identifies poorly rated add-ons from your browsers and allows you to remove or disable them. Read more...
- Rescue Disk: enables you to scan your PC when your system is not running. Rescue Disk is useful when you suspect your PC is infected with malware and standard antivirus scans (including the Boot-time scan) have issues with detecting or removing a threat. This method significantly increases your chances of detecting and removing malware because the malware is unable to counteract. Read more...
- Wi-Fi Inspector: scans your network for vulnerabilities and identifies potential security issues that open the door to threats. This feature checks the status of your network, devices connected to the network, and router settings. Read more...
- Security browser extension: is a web browser extension designed to improve your online security and overall experience when browsing the internet.
- SafePrice browser extension: is a browser extension from Avast that allows you to easily compare prices when shopping for products online. SafePrice selects the best prices from a database of trusted e-shops and displays them above your browser so that you don't have to leave your shopping site.
Privacy components overview
The Privacy section contains components that help to secure your privacy by protecting your connection, passwords, and other personal data.
- SecureLine VPN (Avast Ultimate or an optional upgrade): is a Virtual Private Network (VPN) which functions as a private tunnel through the Internet. It encrypts your data and secures your connection when using public Wi-Fi connections such as those in cafes or airports. Read more...
- Passwords (One Touch Login and Password Guardian in Avast Ultimate or an optional upgrade): is an easy to use password manager which securely stores your sensitive information and enables you to quickly log into your online accounts and complete web forms. Read more...
- Sensitive Data Shield (Avast Ultimate, Avast Premier and Avast Internet Security only): scans and protects your personal sensitive documents against unauthorized access and malware. Read more...
- Webcam Shield (Avast Ultimate and Avast Premier only): prevents applications and malware from accessing your PC's webcam without your consent. With Webcam Shield enabled, untrusted applications can not capture images or videos and send the content outside of your PC to compromise your privacy. Read more...
- Data Shredder (Avast Ultimate and Avast Premier only): allows you to irreversibly erase hard drive partitions or individual files with sensitive data such as user data or licensed software, so that there is no way to restore data. This is especially useful when selling/donating your computers or hard drives. Read more...
Performance components overview
The Performance section contains components that improve the speed and responsiveness of your system by disabling or removing unnecessary files and adjusting other settings.
- Cleanup (Avast Ultimate or an optional upgrade): is an optimization component that supplements your Avast Antivirus protection. Cleanup scans your system to identify unwanted files and programs that can be removed or disabled so that your computer runs in an optimal state. Read more...
- Game Mode: improves the performance of your PC while you game by disabling unnecessary apps from running in the background. Additionally, using Game Mode reduces the risk of false positive detections. Read more...