In this tutorial, we will show you how to fix if Avast is not opening on your Windows PC. Avast is among the most well known and reputed antivirus software. It deals with adware, malware, trojans, and other kinds of harmful viruses. Likewise, its anti-phishing, antispyware, and firewall functionalities are quite helpful. However, not everyone seems to be able to make full use of this software.

Some users seem to be having trouble in launching this antivirus. The issue escalates even further considering the fact that there is no code or message accompanying this error. The app simply refuses to open in the first place. But fret not. In this guide, we will list out all the possible reasons for this error and the steps to fix them, which in turn would fix the Avast not opening issues on your Windows PC. Follow along for the complete instructions.

How to Fix If Avast not opening on Windows?

There could be quite a few reasons for the aforementioned error. To begin with, it could be due to corrupted Avast files or it might be the damaged setup itself. The latter in turn wouldn’t be able to install all the required files onto your PC. Likewise, if there are some issues with the application’s background running services, then also you might face an error or two. With that said, here are the steps to rectify these issues which should fix the Avast not opening issues on your Windows PC as well.

Fix 1: Repair Avast Antivirus

To begin with, you could try repairing this antivirus app. Fortunately, Avast comes with a baked-in repair feature that would do all its work on your behalf. it will find out for all the corrupted or missing files and install them if needed. Likewise, it could also reset the software back to its default settings. On that note, here are the steps to make use of this functionality:

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How to Disable Avast Antivirus Temporarily?

  • Search for Control Panel from the Start menu. Within that, change the View by to Category. This option would be situated at the top right
  • After this, you should see the Uninstall a Program option. Go there and scroll to the Avast app.
  • Click on Uninstall/Repair. The Avast Installation Configuration dialog box will now appear, select the Repair option.
  • Wait for the process to finish. Once done, restart your PC and launch the app. See if the Avast not opening issues on your Windows PC has been fixed or not.

Fix 2: Using Avast Shield Control

In some cases, your Windows Section Centre might fail to recognize Avast. You might also get a popup message that “Windows did not find an antivirus program“. If that happens, then are two different methods of fixing it.

  • The first method involves clicking on the Avast icon situated at the taskbar (extreme right).
  • Then select Avast Shields Control and select the Disable for 10 minutes option.
  • Wait for the said time period and then re-enable it from the Shields Control section itself If it fixes the issue, well and good, otherwise, here’s the next method.
  • Launch the Command prompt window as an admin from the Start menu:
  • Execute the below command:
  • winmgmt /verifyrepository
  • If you get the result as WMI repository is consistent -no problems detected, then type in the below command and hit Enter:
  • winmgmt /resetrepository
  • On the other hand, if you get WMI repository is inconsistent -problems detected, then execute the following command:
  • winmgmt /salvagerepository
  • After this, reboot your PC and see whether the Avast not opening issues on your Windows PC has been fixed or not.

Fix 3: Restart Background Services

In some cases, some background services and processes might not be working as expected. This will in turn adversely affect the antivirus app running in the foreground. The best bet, in this case, is to restart the background services. Here is how it could be done, keeping in focus the Avast antivirus app.

winmgmt /verifyrepository

winmgmt /resetrepository

winmgmt /salvagerepository

  • Head over to Control Panel and this time, change the View by to Category. Then click on Administrative Tools and scroll to the services section.
  • You could also use the Windows+R shortcut key combination to launch the Run dialog box and type in services.msc command.
  • Now scroll to the Avast Antivirus app, right-click on it and select Properties.
  • Under the General tab, click on the Stop button. This will stop all the background processes of Avast.
  • Likewise, make sure that the Startup type is set to Automatic. Once done, click on Start.
  • Then go to the Log On section and click on the Browse button next to This Account.
  • Type your username in the ‘Enter the object name to select’ dialog box and click on Check Name.
  • Wait for the verification to complete, once that is done, type in your password and click OK.
  • Now restart your PC. Launch the antivirus and see if Avast not opening issues on your Windows PC has been rectified or not.

Fix 4: Temporary Disable Windows Defender

In some instances, users are reportedly getting the Process Trust Error when trying to install Avast. The accompanying error message reads out “Avast doesn’t trust Avast Installer”. The reason for this issue is mostly attributed to the Windows Defender conflicting with the installation process. So for the time being, you could disable Windows Defender, install Avast and then re-enable Defender. Follow the below steps for that:

  • Search for Windows Security from the Start menu.
  • Go to the Virus & threat protection from the left menu bar.
  • Then under the “Virus & threat protection settings” section, click on Manage settings.
  • Finally, disable the Real-time protection toggle. Once done, install Avast and launch it. This time there shouldn’t be any issues such as Avast as not opening issues on your Windows PC.
  • If it is still there, then head over to the next fix. But before that, enable Windows Defender by enabling the Real-time protection toggle.

Fix 5: Reinstall Avast

If none of the above methods gave out desirable results, then you might have to uninstall the app from your device and then reinstall it. However, just a simple uninstall might leave behind a few cache files and registry entries. Hence, we would be making use of the Avast Uninstall Utility tool. Here are the concerned steps for that:

  • Download the Avast Uninstall Utility on your PC. Launch the app and proceed with the on-screen instructions to install it.
  • Once done, open the app and then select the Installation program directory and the installation data directory. If you aren’t sure of the location, then check the default installation directory:
  • The default program directory is:
  • C:\Program Files\Avast Software\Avast
  • On the other hand, the default data directory is:
  • C:\ProgramData\Avast Software\Avast
  • Once you have set these directories, hit the Uninstall button situated at the bottom.
  • Wait for the uninstallation to complete. After this, click on the Restart-Computer button.
  • Finally, download and install the latest version of Avast. Launch it and your issue should now be fixed.

With this, we conclude the guide on how to fix Avast is not opening issues on your Windows PC. We have shared five different methods for the same, any one of which should work out for you. Do let us know in the comments which method managed to rectify the issue. Rounding off, here are some iPhone Tips and Tricks, PC tips and tricks, and Android Tips and Trick that you should check out as well.

C:\Program Files\Avast Software\Avast

C:\ProgramData\Avast Software\Avast