McAfee Real-Time Scanning Won’t Turn On: Easy And Effective Fixes

A number of McAfee users have lately reported that the McAfee real-time scanning won’t turn on while trying to turn on the McAfee real-time settings on their device. On encountering this problem, you’ll be unable to use the McAfee antivirus’ real-time protection. 

This problem mainly appears if the McAfee antivirus application has not been updated. Apart from that, corrupted McAfee antivirus application, some other third-party security software or Windows firewall, missing system files, or virus or malware infection can also lead to this error. 

How to Fix McAfee Real-time Scanning won’t Turn On 

Below we have listed all the useful fixes that will help you fix the situation when McAfee real-time scanning won’t turn on on your Windows device. 

Fix 1 # Disable the Windows Firewall

Sometimes, if the Windows firewall is turned on then you may face this problem on your PC. Therefore, you need to disable it by following these steps:

1. Press the Start button and then select Control Panel.
2. When the Control Panel window opens, navigate to the Windows Firewall section.
3. Click on the Turn Windows Firewall On and Off option on the left panel.
4. On the right, tick the box next to the Turn Off Windows Firewall option from both Private Network Settings and Public Network Settings sections.
5. After that, click on the Save Changes option to save the changes made. 
6. Once done with these steps, restart your system and then try to turn on the McAfee real-time scanning feature.

Fix 2 # Uninstall the Other Third-Party Security Software

If any third-party security software is installed other than McAfee antivirus application then you can find that McAfee real-time scanning won’t turn on on your Windows 10 system. So, you need to uninstall that first.

1. Hit the Start button and then click on the Settings icon.
2. From the Settings window, go to the Apps section and then select the Apps & Features tab. 
3. From that tab, scroll down the page and find the third-party security software, select it and then click on the Uninstall option.
4. Once the uninstallation process is completed, restart the device and then check if you can uninstall McAfee now. 

Fix 3 # Enable Real-Time Scanning from the Security Center

One of the easy ways in which you can get rid of this problem on the device is to enable Real-Time Scanning from the security center. The following steps will help you do that.

1. From the McAfee window, go to the Verizon Internet Security window.
2. In that window, click on Navigation and then click on Real-Time Scanning from the menu list.
3. After that, click on the Turn On option to enable it.
4. Then close the Security Center window and restart the computer. 

Fix 4 # Install the Latest Version of the McAfee Antivirus Application

An older version of the McAfee antivirus application can cause the McAfee real-time scanning to not turn on. So, you must keep the application up to date. 

1. Visit the McAfee official website and look for the latest version of the McAfee antivirus application.
2. After finding it, download it by clicking on the Download button.
3. Once the file is downloaded, install it properly.
4. After performing this, check if the problem is gone or not. 

Fix 5 # Download and Run the oas-disabled-fix.cmd Utility

Another solution is to download and run the oas-disabled-fix.cmd utility on the system. Below are certain steps that you can follow:

1. Go to the official website of McAfee and download and save the oas-disabled-fix.cmd utility.
2. After completing the download, double-click on the oas-disabled-fix.cmd and run it on the computer. 

Fix 6 # Uninstall the McAfee Antivirus Application and Install it Again

A corrupted McAfee antivirus application can result in this issue on your PC. Therefore, you need to remove the antivirus application and then reinstall it. Here’s how to do that:

1. Press the Windows Home button and X key together to launch the WinX menu list.
2. Choose Control Panel from the menu list.
3. In the Control Panel window, go to the Programs & Features section and then look for the McAfee antivirus application.
4. Select it and then click on the Uninstall option to start the removal process.
5. Once uninstalled, restart the computer and then try to install McAfee.
6. To install it, go to the McAfee official website and download the latest version of the McAfee antivirus application.
7. After downloading the file, install it.
8. Once the installation process is complete, reboot your PC and then check if the issue still shows or not. 

Fix 7 # Update the Operating System

If you are using an older version of the Operating System then you can come across the situation when McAfee real-time scanning won’t turn on on your computer. So, you must update the system by following the steps cited below:

1. Press the Win + I keys to launch the Settings window.
2. When you are in the Settings window, double-click on the Update & Security section.
3. In that window, go to the Update tab and then click on the Check for updates option to check whether any updates are available or not.
4. If yes, then you will get to see an option Update, click on it. 
5. Once Windows completes updating itself, the device will automatically restart. 

Fix 8 # Perform a System Restore

Performing a System Restore can resolve this problem on your computer. Go through these directions:

1. Press the Start button and then click on the Search icon.
2. Type System Restore in the Search box and then hit the Enter button.
3. When the System Restore window opens, click on the Next option.
4. Select the restore point from the Next window and then click on the Next option.
5. In the Next window, check all the details and then click on the Finish button to begin the process.
6. After the process completes, reboot your Windows PC and then check if the McAfee real-time scanning feature works properly without any problem. 

These are the fixes following which you should able to resolve the situation when McAfee real-time scanning won’t turn on on your computer.