Norton is an antivirus program designed to protect your computer from viruses and other malware. Norton can cause problems installing other programs and can cause your computer to slow down. In such cases, turning off Norton can be helpful. If Norton causes you continual problems, uninstalling it may be your best bet.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Disable Norton Antivirus (Windows)
Step 1. Find the Norton icon in the system tray
This is a collection of icons located in the lower right corner of the Windows desktop, next to the clock. These icons represent the programs currently running. If you don't see the Norton icon, click the "▴" button to show all hidden icons.
Step 2. Right click on the icon
A small menu of options will open. Select "Disable Antivirus Automatic Protection". This is the active part of Norton. By disabling it, you will no longer benefit from virus protection.
Step 3. Choose the duration
You can choose to disable virus protection for a specific period of time, until your computer restarts, or permanently. It is not recommended to browse the internet with the protection turned off.
Step 4. Re-enable the protection
If you have finished performing the task that prompted you to disable virus protection, you can right-click on the Norton icon again and select "Enable automatic virus protection".
Method 2 of 3: Uninstall Norton Antivirus (Windows)
Step 1. Open the Windows program manager
You can access this utility from the Control Panel, which you can find in the Start menu. Select "Programs and Features" or "Add or Remove Programs".
Windows 8 users can press ⊞ Win + X and select "Programs and Features"
Step 2. Find the "Norton Antivirus" entry
There may be a lot of Norton-branded rumors, but focus on Antivirus for now. Select it and then click Uninstall or Change / Remove.
Step 3. Choose whether to keep your settings
You will be asked whether to keep your personal configurations (if you want to reinstall the program) or remove all data. If you want to get rid of Norton completely, choose to delete all settings, preferences and files.
Step 4. Choose whether to uninstall Norton Identity Safe
This is a password manager, which Norton will recommend that you keep on your computer. If you don't want to, click "No, thanks".
Step 5. Wait for the uninstall to complete
This can take a few minutes.
Step 6. Restart your computer
You will need to restart your computer for the uninstall to take effect. After rebooting, Windows will notify you that you no longer have an antivirus installed.
Step 7. Download Norton Removal Tool
This is a program released by Symantec (the company that developed Norton) that will remove all traces of Norton products from your system. This is especially useful if you haven't uninstalled the program correctly.
- Download the Norton Removal Tool by searching for it on a search engine. You should find it as the first result.
- Run the removal tool. You will need to accept the license agreement and enter the Captcha to confirm that you are a human user.
- Restart your computer after removal.
Method 3 of 3: Uninstall Norton Internet Security (OS X)
Step 1. Open Norton Internet Security
You can find the program in the Applications folder.
Step 2. Run the uninstaller
Click on Norton Internet Security → Uninstall Norton Internet Security. Click Uninstall to confirm.
Step 3. Enter administrator information
You will need to provide this information to delete the program.
Step 4. Restart your computer
You will need to restart your Mac to complete the operation.
Step 5. Download the RemoveSymantecMacFiles program
This is a program released by Symantec (the company that developed Norton) that will remove all traces of Norton products from your system. Using this program is important, because Norton leaves many unwanted elements behind after uninstalling.
- Download the program by searching for "RemoveSymantecMacFiles" on your favorite search engine. You should find it as the first result.
- Extract the file you downloaded.
- Run the RemoveSymantecMacFiles.command file. Click Open to confirm.
- Enter your administrator password. No characters will appear when you type. You will need to have an administrator password; a blank password will not work and is still bad security practice.
- Press 1 and then Enter to remove all Symantec files. Press 2 to exit.
- Restart your computer by pressing Y and then Enter
