Does McAfee actually do anything?

JeffB772 wrote:

I have this annoying popup.

It appears I need to uninstall my anti-virus software and reinstall to get rid of a problem that they are suppose to detect and prevent.

to add—

Uninstall all third party apps that are Cleaners/Optimizers/Anti-Virus/VPN

all known to cause issues on the macOS

Third party AntiVirus is not recommended— it typically does nothing but add issues to the macOS and competes directly with Apple’s own built in security:

macOS - Security - Apple macOS - Security - Apple

Apple Platform Security - Apple Apple Platform Security - Apple Support

I see now that you have the McAfee logo in your menu indicating it is actually installed. Go to their website and follow their instructions on how to remove the app. Or if they have an uninstaller app use that. As all the other users here have indicated, it is not necessary to run anti-virus or any other optimizer or cleaners in macOS.

Do not install third party apps that claim to protect, clean, manage, boost performance, etc. These apps use system resources while providing no benefit. And such apps may cause problems.

macOS - Security - Apple

Protect your Mac from malware - Apple Support

Security features for MacBook Pro - Apple Support

Set up your Mac to be secure - Apple Support

Effective defenses against malware and ot… - Apple Community

Antivirus and cleanup apps create problems with macOS, macOS has built in protection and third party apps are not required. Uninstall McAfee using the developers instructions.

Try going into Safari > Settings > Websites > Notifications. Remove anything listed there.