CRaccoon: what it is and how to remove it
CRaccoon is advertised as a useful tool that will delete tracking cookies, temporary data, and other junk files. It looks like legitimate software, but it was flagged by some anti-malware engines as a potentially unwanted program (PUP), making it suspicious.
Facts checked October 6, 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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CRaccoon: summary
| Distribution | Official website, software bundles |
|---|---|
| Damage | Installation of other PUPs, monetary losses |
| name | CRaccoon |
| Type | PUP, rogue system tool |
| Detection name | PUP.Optional.CRaccoon; no Microsoft detection name is known for this name |
| Facts | Gets of then bundled with AdwCleaner and other shady tools installs adware-type programs itself with users' knowledge |
| 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 6 more facts
| Name | CRaccoon |
|---|---|
| Symptoms | An unknown program in Installed apps |
| Evidence | 4 write-ups by security sites; details still limited |
| Program | CRaccoon |
| First seen | 14 April 2021 |
| Facts checked | 6 October 2026 |
Is CRaccoon a real security program?
From our report of Apr 2021 · not reviewed since
CRaccoon – software that raises potentially unwanted program flags and often comes with other intruders
CRaccoon is advertised as a useful tool that will delete tracking cookies, temporary data, and other junk files.
It looks like legitimate software, but it was flagged by some anti-malware engines as a potentially unwanted program (PUP), making it suspicious. Thus it would be best if you think twice before downloading and installing this software.
Rogue system tools, such as fake anti-malware software, optimizers, driver boosters, etc., usually use various scaring and persuasion techniques to convince users into buying licensed product versions. They also promote other PUPs, so your device gets infected further.
You should only install software that's time-proven and trustworthy because shady software can run questionable processes in the background and act maliciously. If you fell for the advertising campaign and installed the article's culprit, we'll explain how to remove it and get your device back on track safely.
Users that have encountered the unwanted application on their PCs out of nowhere, claiming that various programs also can be found installed when issues with the questionable tool occur.
It is difficult to remove and the main country where this PUP gets distributed - Germany. The best option for the infection - anti-malware tools and a full check of the machine that shows all possible threats and places where intruder-related files can be hidden.
A lot of rogue system tools are circulating the internet, such as OnrymSpeedup, K9-PCFixer, PC HelpSoft Driver Updater, and so on. Their main goal is to persuade their users into buying paid product version. They can do that by:
Users shouldn't fall for the false advertisement campaigns, and the scare tactics used to convince them into spending money. If you purchase a paid version of a rogue system tool, you'll be stuck with a worthless application that does nothing at all apart from slowing down your device and still showing fake notifications, pop-ups, etc.
Furthermore, potentially unwanted program developers usually advertise one another. Thus if you've installed one rogue tool, others might be knocking on your door soon enough. Before installing any software, you should always conduct research online or check if we haven't already written about it.
Although CRaccoon can be downloaded from its official website, some users have reported that they've installed it through software bundles. If an application is spread this way, it might be best if you stayed away from it.
If you decide to remove it, you can do it either manually or automatically. If you choose the former option, please refer to our instructions at the bottom of the article. If you want to eliminate it automatically and ensure no other PUPs or any suspicious files on your device, scan it with free anti-malware software like or .
Either of those security tools will be a great companion and protect your system from installing PUPs, like CRaccoon in the future. According to security experts, threat removal isn't finished until you perform system diagnostics to eliminate any of its traces from the Registry and other core system files and settings. The recommended app for this procedure is the system diagnostics tool.
- showing predetermined virus scan results, suggesting that malware infects your system and only their licensed software version can remove it,
- displaying false-positive results for system errors,
- suggesting that drivers are out of date, etc.
From our report of Apr 2021 · not reviewed since
More from our earlier report on CRaccoon
- You can remove this app manually with guides listed at the bottom of the article or automatically by scanning your device with a reliable anti-malware tool.
- The latter is highly recommended for safety reasons
- Rogue system tools can leave residual files and other traces on your system (Registry entries, start-up items, etc.).
How CRaccoon got on your PC
From our report of Apr 2021 · not reviewed since
There's a myriad of potentially unwanted programs, and new ones are created very often.
According to research, one of the most known third-party software vendors had PUPs in 31 of 50 of its most popular downloads. That suggests two things. First, you should download legit software directly from its developers.
Second, users have to stay cautious when installing new software. The secret behind stealthy PUP installation is simple - all apps within the bundle are automatically preselected for installation. Thus when Recommended, Quick or installation methods alike are chosen, all software gets installed.
You can evade PUPs from bundles by choosing the Advanced or Custom installation modes. Then you'll be able to deselect all untrustworthy, suspicious, or unwanted apps from installing on your device. If you're on the fence about any app, please do a web search or check it with us.
How to remove CRaccoon
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
CRaccoon 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 CRaccoon
Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps in Windows 11, or Settings > Apps > Apps & features in Windows 10. Sort the list by install date and find CRaccoon, then choose Uninstall from the three-dot menu next to it (in Windows 10, click the entry and then Uninstall).
Remove anything else installed on the same day that you do not recognise, because such programs usually arrive together in one installer. If the uninstaller opens a browser page with an offer or a survey, close it: the program is removed either way.
Full procedure with screenshots: Uninstall a program or app in Windows On uGetFix
Step 3: Remove it from startup
Whatever CRaccoon 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
Instructions for each browser and system
The detailed steps for every browser and system this guide covers. Open the one you use.
Uninstall from Windows
Uninstall from Windows 10/8:
- Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.
Remove the unwanted program:
- In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
- If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.
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
Directions for a swift CRaccoon removal from Windows devices
No matter how alluring an app might seem or how great its advertisement campaign might be, you should only install time-tested software.
To accomplish that, open your AV tool, update its virus database, and perform a full system scan. Proper anti-malware software will automatically detect and remove the PUP.
CRaccoon and other rogue system tools, edit Windows Registry, start-up items, and other key system preferences. Once the removal is done, these changes could cause BSoDs, freezing, and other system failures. Luckily, all these alterations can be restored by using a compatible system diagnostics tool.
Questions about CRaccoon
Can I safely uninstall CRaccoon?
If you did not install CRaccoon yourself and it is not part of your hardware or a program you rely on, yes. Uninstalling an unwanted program does not harm Windows. Before you do, search the exact name and publisher to be sure it is not a driver tool, a printer utility or a game launcher with an odd name.
Then remove it from Settings, Apps, Installed apps. Ignore any offers or warnings in its uninstaller about losing protection or performance. Afterwards check Startup apps and your browsers for leftovers, and restart once to confirm that it does not reinstall itself.
CRaccoon came back after I uninstalled it. Why?
Something else is reinstalling it. Common causes are a second program from the same publisher, a scheduled task that downloads it again, or a browser extension that keeps prompting for it. Sort Installed apps by install date and uninstall each entry from the same day that you did not choose.
Then open Task Scheduler and look in the Task Scheduler Library for tasks with updater-style names that you do not recognise. Check Startup apps in Task Manager too. If CRaccoon still returns, start Windows in Safe Mode, uninstall it there and run a Microsoft Defender offline scan, which looks for loaders that ordinary scans can miss.
Do I need to buy antivirus after removing CRaccoon?
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 CRaccoon is that security offers which arrive unasked are the ones to avoid.
I entered my card number in CRaccoon. What should I do?
Call your card issuer using the number on the back of the card, report the purchase as fraud and ask for a new card. Ask them to block further charges from the same merchant. Watch your statements for small test charges, which often come before larger ones.
If you used a password on the order page or the same e-mail for the purchase, change that password and expect phishing e-mails that mention the purchase. Your bank can also tell you whether the merchant is linked to other fraud reports.
CRaccoon has no uninstaller. How do I get rid of it?
Some scareware does not register an uninstaller, or its uninstaller only opens another sales page. In that case, end the program in Task Manager, then go to Task Manager > Startup apps, right-click its entry and choose Open file location to find its folder. Disable the startup entry, restart in Safe Mode and delete the folder.
Check Task Scheduler for tasks with the same name. Finally, run the Microsoft Defender offline scan, which removes remaining files that Microsoft knows about. Restart afterwards and check that nothing named after CRaccoon starts again.
Should I reset my PC because of CRaccoon?
Only if the signs point to deeper access. Reset when you see CRaccoon in the list of installed apps 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.
Will the seller of CRaccoon refund me if I ask?
Sometimes, but do not depend on it and do not let them steer the process. If you contact the seller, do it in writing and keep the replies. Never install software, share your screen or give banking details to get a refund.
The more reliable route is your card issuer or PayPal: a chargeback or dispute for a product sold with false claims. If the seller or anyone claiming to represent them calls you first about a refund, treat it as a scam and hang up.
I called the number from CRaccoon. What now?
End the call and do not let them reconnect. If they installed a remote-access tool, disconnect the PC from the internet and uninstall that tool from Installed apps. Change passwords for e-mail, banking and anything you typed during the call, using another device.
If you paid, contact the bank today for a chargeback. Report the number to the authorities in your country. The program behind CRaccoon in the list of installed apps still needs removing: follow the plan in this guide, then run a full scan in Windows Security.
I let a technician connect to my PC because of CRaccoon. 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.
Will Fortect remove CRaccoon?
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 CRaccoon, 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
- Wikipedia: Blue screen of death (read October 6, 2026)
- FTC: How to recognize, remove and avoid malware (read October 6, 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Defender Offline (read October 6, 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: How Microsoft names malware (read October 6, 2026)