Uninstall avast but still have blocked websites

Hello, I'm new to the forum and I hope someone can help me out.


So I had installed Avast free antivirus (2015) on my macbook (2014, with OS X Yosemite), and it's messed up my computer. It made it so that a number of my websites that I commonly browse were blocked, so I removed the application with the help of AppCleaner and manually removed a load of documents and packages connected to avast from my computer. In retrospect I probably should have made use of the uninstaller, but I only discovered there was an uninstaller after I deleted the app. Now even more sites in my browser are blocked and can't be accessed in any way. I've been looking in my system to figure out if there were still avast documents, but I can't find any, and I'm at a loss. Thankfully I have an ipad, so I can compensate with it, but it's a nuisance.


I 've tried a lot of things to get my browsers to work properly again: reinstalling the app so I can properly uninstall it (doesn't allow me to install because it cannot make a connection with the server), searching through my folders (library/launchdaemon, library/applications etc) for remaining avast folders to delete, turning my firewall on and off, and turning my computer on and off.


FOr reference, this problem applies to all my browsers: chrome, firefox, and safari. I also can't access the appstore anymore. Also for context as to why I even installed avast in the first place: some adware had managed to infect my computer (perfetnight) and made it play ads very loudly on my speakers. I've gotten rid of the initial malware (I hope), but now Avast is haunting my computer with a vengeance! does anybody know how to fix this?

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Yosemite (10.10.5)

Posted on Jun 6, 2016 12:50 PM

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6 replies

Jun 6, 2016 1:13 PM in response to Fish-soap

Assuming you can load the page, follow all the instructions in this Apple Support document: If Safari doesn't load a page or webpage items are missing - Apple Support.


If you cannot load that webpage, please boot Safe Mode by following these instructions: OS X El Capitan: Start up in safe mode. While in that mode, load the page referenced above, follow its instructions, and then reboot normally.


If you still cannot load the page or if following the above instructions doesn't fix the problem, reinstall OS X: How to reinstall OS X on your Mac - Apple Support.

Jun 6, 2016 1:19 PM in response to Fish-soap

To properly uninstall "Avast" you should use its uninstaller, which will completely remove all its components. Using "cleaning" apps is not recommended, under any circumstances.


The most recent version of "Avast" installs what can only be described as adware, and as such, is indistinguishable from malware itself. Don't use such things, since they can only increase your system's exposure to malicious interference. Excerpted from Effective defenses against malware and other threats:


Never install any product that claims to "clean up", "speed up", "optimize", "boost" or "accelerate" your Mac; to "wash" it, "tune" it, or to make it "shiny". Those claims are absurd.

  • Such products are very aggressively marketed. They are all scams.
  • They generally operate on the flawed premise that a Mac accumulates "junk" that needs to be routinely "cleaned out" for optimum performance.
  • Trial versions of those programs are successful because they provide the instant gratification of greater free disk space.
  • That increased space is the result of irreversible destruction of files, programs, or operating system components normally protected from inadvertent alteration or deletion. The eventual result will be unreliable operation, poor performance and random crashes that may not become evident for months or even years after their use, when updates to programs or OS X are eventually released.
  • Memory "cleaners" that circumvent OS X's memory management algorithms work by purging inactive memory contents to mass storage, which can only result in degraded performance and accelerated hardware failure.


The only reliable defense against adware is its recognition and avoidance. To learn how to recognize adware so that you don't install it, please read How to install adware.

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Uninstall avast but still have blocked websites

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