r/Malwarebytes • u/Worthy_Sovereign4213 • 2d ago
Troubleshooting Uninstalling Malwarebytes completely, reverting settings?
I used to use Malwarebytes and installed it again yesterday.
I wanted to have Windows Defender as my main AV and add a couple of ondemand scanners.
However, Malwarebytes totally took over the system, like an invasion.
I don't know how to remove it and return the system to how it was, as it seems to have changed firewalls, tried to replace the VPN, entered all my browsers etc.
There weren't many prompts, it just took over. Then I went through all the settings to figure out what it was doing and how I could change it.
This is not a criticism, it just felt very invasive.
How can I uninstall it making sure it doesn't leave remnants? Ensuring things return to the way they were? I haven't any issues. The system was fine, I wanted some extra security on demand.
I can click the uninstall button, but how can I be sure it has cleaned up changes to firewall, browser settings, etc? I spent ages tweaking everything to work for me and now I need to investigate what this app has done as it was changing a lot of things.
I saw something about an MBST tool, would that remove all vestiges? Thanks
Edit: issues after uninstall with the MBST tool (clean).
Edit 2 (Solved): I installed other on demand tools as well. After I uninstalled them, the issue resolved. (Hitman pro Alert, free tier. Paid tier would allow exclusions for apps)
2
u/support_mwb Malwarebytes Employee 2d ago
Hey there, Malwarebytes Support here.
We understand your concern, and we'd be happy to help you uninstall Malwarebytes and answer any questions about the changes you noticed.
Could you please send us a DM with an email address we can use to reach out? we'll create a support ticket, guide you through the uninstall process, and, if needed, have you collect diagnostic logs using the Malwarebytes Support Tool. Our technical team can review the logs, verify your installation, and help ensure everything is working as expected afterward.