Least naggy antivirus for Win 11 [Solved]

[towwire]

Don't forget to mark this "Solved".

[uncle mark]

I'm late to this thread and it looks like the OP has made his decision, but I'll throw this out in case it helps someone else. There was a time not too long ago when I had a good side gig cleaning up infected Windows computers and was darn good at it (if I say so myself).

Yes, McAfee is bad. It, like all AV programs, requires low level system permissions to do its job. If/when it becomes outdated or corrupted itself (it happens a lot) a wily virus can exploit the AV itself to gain system access. To fully get rid of it you need to run the uninstaller, then download and run the cleanup tool they offer (Google McAfee Removal Tool), and then finally I would run a lightweight registry cleaner like what CCleaner offers.

As has been mentioned, I found the included Windows Defender did a good job of providing base level protection. Beyond that, I suggest locking down the biggest infection vector you have -- your browser -- with the uBlock Origin extension. It will change your life. (That includes running it in Linux -- it's a game changer.) Finally, the free version of Malwarebytes (also already mentioned) can be manually run on a regular basis for added peace of mind. If you want something running resident, I would recommend the payware version of Malwarebytes.

[FullScale4Me]

Thanks to all that responded. I took @CharlesV's advice and purchased Eset.

Setup a restore point post install in case you have to roll back from any Winblows issue. It will come, sooner or later.

Going back to a restore point is a minute or two. The alternative is 10s of minutes of re-installation and then restoring licenses/settings.

[j2mcgreg]

Thanks to all that responded. I took @CharlesV's advice and purchased Eset.

Setup a restore point post install in case you have to roll back from any Winblows issue. It will come, sooner or later.

Going back to a restore point is a minute or two. The alternative is 10s of minutes of re-installation and then restoring licenses/settings.

Already done.