Windows Antivirus Patrol: what it is and how to remove it
Windows Antivirus Patrol is a malicious program, which can easily be categorized as rogue anti-spyware. Just like any other rogue, ransomware and similar virus, it was created for making the money for its creators.
Facts checked October 7, 2026. Removal steps tested on Windows 11 (26H2) and checked against Microsoft's and the browser makers' current documentation. Sections marked as our earlier report are the original text: they describe the threat as it was then and have not been reviewed since. The 2026 status, the removal steps and the questions are current.
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Start the stepsWindows Antivirus Patrol: summary
| Detection names | No Microsoft detection name is known |
|---|---|
| Distribution | Not recorded in the old report |
| Damage | Not recorded in the old report |
| Name | Windows Antivirus Patrol |
| Type | Rogue antivirus |
| Symptoms | An unknown process in Task Manager |
| Removal | Scan the PC with security software to find and remove the malware and anything installed with it. Fortect scans Windows for malware and repairs the system files and settings it damaged. Remove it nowTo use the full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Fortect. The scan is free. |
Show 4 more facts
| Files and processes | taskmanger.exe |
|---|---|
| Evidence | One write-up by a security site; details still limited |
| First seen | 26 April 2021 |
| Facts checked | 7 October 2026 |
From our report of Apr 2021 · not reviewed since
What Windows Antivirus Patrol is
Windows Antivirus Patrol is a malicious program, which can easily be categorized as rogue anti-spyware.
Just like any other rogue, ransomware and similar virus, it was created for making the money for its creators. That's why Windows Antivirus Patrol displays continuous pop-up ads that offer purchasing its fake license.
Of course, before it does that, virus creates a need of it by reporting about tens of different trojans and similar issues that are allegedly related to computer. If you noticed Windows Antivirus Patrol alerts and system scanners, be sure that they are fake. You should ignore them and also remove this rogue from the system.
Beware that leaving Windows Antivirus Patrol on your computer may initiate additional problems related to your computer. For example, you may lose your credit card details, notice browser's redirects (it's a sign that Windows Antivirus Patrol infected your PC with the browser hijacker), system slow downs and similar issues.
Is Windows Antivirus Patrol a real security program?
- File:
taskmanger.exe
From our report of Apr 2021 · not reviewed since
How can Windows Antivirus Patrol infiltrate my computer?
In order to avoid problems with Windows Antivirus Patrol removal, you should take some minutes to know how this virus spreads around.
In most of the cases, it relies on trojans that infiltrate computers unnoticed. Of course, installing updated anti-spyware could help you to prevent infiltration of such viruses but you should also try to avoid illegal sites, stop using illegal programs and follow similar safe browsing practices.
As soon as Windows Antivirus Patrol infiltrates the system, it modifies it by adding several registry entries and dropping its own files. As soon as it's done, it starts displaying such pop-up notifications:
We highly suggest you to ignore such messages because they are clearly fake and seek only to mislead you into spending your money on useless program! In order to stop seeing them, reality, you should follow a guide below that clearly explains how you can remove Windows Antivirus Patrol from the system.
From our report of Apr 2021 · not reviewed since
More from our earlier report on Windows Antivirus Patrol
- Firewall has blocked a program from accessing the Internet c:\windows\system32\taskmanger.exe is suspected to have infected your PC.
- This type of virus intercepts entered data and transmits them to a remote server.
- Full system scan is highly recommended.
- Error System data security is at risk!
- To prevent potential PC errors, run a full system scan.
- Identity theft attempt detected Hidden connection IP: xx.xxx.xxx.xxx Target: Microsoft Corporation keys Your IP: XXXXXXXXXXX
How to remove Windows Antivirus Patrol
Nothing it reports is real.
These steps remove it and undo a payment if you made one.
Step 1: Do not pay, and undo a payment if you made one
Windows Antivirus Patrol reports problems to sell a licence: the "threats" or "errors" it lists are invented or harmless leftovers. If you already paid, ask your card issuer to dispute the charge and cancel the subscription both in the seller's account and through your bank.
If you called a phone number it showed and let someone connect, treat the PC as remotely accessed and remove the remote tool. Uninstalling it from Windows 11 or Windows 10 does not cancel a subscription by itself.
Full procedure with screenshots: What to do after paying a scammer
Step 2: Uninstall programs you did not mean to install
Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps in Windows 11, or Settings > Apps > Apps & features in Windows 10, and sort the list by install date. Look at what appeared around the day the problem started and uninstall every program you do not recognise or did not choose.
Free converters, PDF and video tools, "system optimizers" and unknown browsers are the usual carriers of Windows Antivirus Patrol. If a name is unclear, search for it before you remove it, so you do not uninstall a driver or a Windows component.
Full procedure with screenshots: Uninstall a program or app in Windows On uGetFix
Step 3: Remove it from startup
Whatever Windows Antivirus Patrol installed usually starts with Windows.
Open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc, go to Startup apps in Windows 11 or the Startup tab in Windows 10, and disable what you do not know, starting with entries that have an empty Publisher column.
Open file location on the right-click menu shows the file, which helps you decide and tells you what to delete later. Disabling is safe: if something you need stops working, switch it back on.
Full procedure with screenshots: Stop apps from opening at startup On uGetFix
Step 4: Delete the folders left behind
What the uninstaller leaves behind is usually in the user folders. Open File Explorer, switch on View > Show > Hidden items (in Windows 10 View > Hidden items), and go through
%LocalAppData%,%AppData%, %ProgramData% and the two Program Files folders.Sort by Date modified and delete folders that appeared together with the problem and belong to no program you use. Folders with random names that hold
.exe,.dll, .js or .ps1 files are the strongest sign.Full procedure with screenshots: Remove what malware leaves behind in Windows
Step 5: Scan the PC, then run the offline scan
Open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options, run a Full scan and remove everything it finds. Then select Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan) and click Scan now: the PC restarts and scans before Windows loads, which finds files that hide while Windows runs.
Save your work first, because the offline scan takes about 15 minutes. Both scans are built into Windows 11 and Windows 10, and a second scanner from another vendor is a useful extra opinion.
Windows 11: Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options. Full procedure with screenshots: Run a Microsoft Defender Offline scan
Choose a proper web browser and improve your safety with a VPN tool
Online spying has got momentum in recent years and people are getting more and more interested in how to protect their privacy online.
One of the basic means to add a layer of security - choose the most private and secure web browser. Although web browsers can't grant full privacy protection and security, some of them are much better at sandboxing, HTTPS upgrading, active content blocking, tracking blocking, phishing protection, and similar privacy-oriented features.
However, if you want true anonymity, we suggest you employ a powerful VPN - it can encrypt all the traffic that comes and goes out of your computer, preventing tracking completely.
Lost your files? Use data recovery software
While some files located on any computer are replaceable or useless, others can be extremely valuable.
Family photos, work documents, school projects - these are types of files that we don't want to lose. Unfortunately, there are many ways how unexpected data loss can occur:
- power cuts
- Blue Screen of Death errors
- hardware failures
- crypto-malware attack
- even accidental deletion
To ensure that all the files remain intact, you should prepare regular data backups. You can choose cloud-based or physical copies you could restore from later in case of a disaster. If your backups were lost as well or you never bothered to prepare any, can be your only hope to retrieve your invaluable files.
From our report of Apr 2021 · not reviewed since
How to remove Windows Antivirus Patrol?
If you noticed that your computer was infected by Windows Antivirus Patrol, you should run a full system scan with one of anti-spywares.
If you can't launch any of them, use these instructions:
1. Reboot your computer to Safe Mode with Networking. Just reboot your PC and, as soon as it starts booting up, start pressing F8 repeatedly. 2.
Loggin as the same user as you were in normal Windows mode. 3. Now click on IE or other browser and select 'Run As' or 'Run As administrator', enter your Administrator account password (if needed).
4. Enter this link to your address bar: https://www.2-spyware.com/download/hunter.exe and download a program on your desktop. Launch it to kill the malicious processes and remove its files.
The latest parasite names used by FakeVimes:
Questions about Windows Antivirus Patrol
Is taskmanger.exe a virus?
The name taskmanger.exe is not enough to say. Malware often uses technical-sounding names, and harmless updaters often use odd ones. Check three things:
- the folder the file runs from
- the Digital Signatures tab in its properties
- the program that starts it (Startup apps, Task Scheduler or services)
A signed file from a company whose product you use is almost certainly fine. An unsigned file in a user folder that no installed program explains should be removed, and the PC scanned with Microsoft Defender in offline mode.
taskmanger.exe keeps coming back. What should I do?
A process that returns after you end it has a restart mechanism, and that is a reason to treat taskmanger.exe as unwanted. Check Settings > Apps > Startup, Task Scheduler and the Services list for entries pointing to its folder, and disable them.
Look in Installed apps for anything added the same day and uninstall it. Then delete the folder and run a Microsoft Defender Offline scan, which works before Windows starts and can remove files that are locked or hidden while the system is running.
Do I need to buy antivirus after removing Windows Antivirus Patrol?
No. Windows 11 and Windows 10 include Microsoft Defender in Windows Security, which provides real-time protection, scheduled scans, the offline scan and protection against unwanted apps at no cost. Keep it switched on and updated, and turn on Reputation-based protection under App & browser control.
If you prefer a third-party product, buy it from the vendor's own site after reading independent test results, never from a pop-up or a phone call. The lesson of Windows Antivirus Patrol is that security offers which arrive unasked are the ones to avoid.
Is Windows Antivirus Patrol a real Windows warning?
No. Real Windows Security notifications appear in the notification area and in the Windows Security app, use Microsoft's design and never ask you to call a phone number or pay to fix anything. What people report is an unfamiliar process called taskmanger.exe in Task Manager, drawn by a program that copies the look of a system message.
Open Windows Security from the Start menu to see the real status of your PC. If it shows no threats while the window keeps appearing, the window itself is the problem, and the plan in this guide removes the program that shows it.
I let a technician connect to my PC because of Windows Antivirus Patrol. Is it safe now?
Not until you check. While connected, the caller could install other programs, create a user account or look at saved passwords. Disconnect from the internet, uninstall the remote access program and anything else installed during the call, and run a full scan and the Microsoft Defender offline scan.
From another device, change your e-mail and banking passwords and turn on two-step verification. If the caller opened your online banking, call the bank today. A reset of Windows is the safest option if you cannot tell what was done.
Did Windows Antivirus Patrol steal my information?
Not by itself, as far as reports show. Programs that display an unfamiliar process called taskmanger.exe in Task Manager are built to scare people into paying or calling; they rarely take data on their own.
The risk comes from what you did in response: typing card details into the program, or letting a caller connect to your PC. If you did neither, uninstalling the program is enough. If you did either, treat that information as exposed:
- block the card
- change passwords from another device
- remove any remote-access tool that was installed
Should I reset my PC because of Windows Antivirus Patrol?
Only if the signs point to deeper access. Reset when you see an unfamiliar process called taskmanger.exe in Task Manager again after removal, when Windows Security cannot start or update, when remote access tools you did not install keep appearing, or when you simply cannot trust the PC any more.
Otherwise, the plan in this guide plus an offline scan is enough. If you do reset, choose Remove everything and Cloud download for a fresh copy of Windows, restore only documents and photos, and reinstall programs from their official sites. Change important passwords from the clean system afterwards.
What should I do if I already clicked or replied to Windows Antivirus Patrol?
Stop all contact, do not click anything else and secure your accounts right away. If you typed a password, change it at once from a clean device, then turn on two-factor authentication.
If you gave card or bank details, call the bank on the number printed on your card and ask to block or replace it. If you installed something or allowed remote access, disconnect from the internet and follow the removal plan. Keep screenshots and the message, because they help when you report it.
Will Fortect remove Windows Antivirus Patrol?
Fortect scans Windows for malware and unwanted programs and repairs the system files and settings they change, and its free scan shows what it finds on your PC before you decide anything.
For Windows Antivirus Patrol, follow the plan above as well: the browser steps take back permissions and settings that no scanner treats as a threat, and uninstalling the program that brought it removes the source.
Run Microsoft Defender's full scan and, if anything was found, its offline scan as a second opinion. If the symptoms are gone after the plan and both scans are clean, there is nothing more to do.
Sources
- FTC: How to recognize, remove and avoid malware (read October 7, 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Defender Offline (read October 7, 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: How Microsoft names malware (read October 7, 2026)