Facebook Antivirus: what it is and how to remove it
Facebook Antivirus is a rogue program that has been spread thru Facebook social network and other sites. Just like many other rogue antivirus programs, F'acebook antivirus claims that it's the bet tool for checking computer for viruses.
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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Facebook Antivirus: summary
| Detection names | No Microsoft detection name is known |
|---|---|
| Distribution | Not recorded in the old report |
| Damage | Not recorded in the old report |
| Name | Facebook Antivirus |
| Type | Rogue antivirus |
| Symptoms | An unknown program in Installed apps |
| 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
| Evidence | One write-up by a security site; details still limited |
|---|---|
| Program | Facebook Antivirus |
| First seen | 3 September 2015 |
| Facts checked | 7 October 2026 |
Is Facebook Antivirus a real security program?
From our report of Sep 2015 · not reviewed since
What is Facebook Antiviurs?
Facebook Antivirus is a rogue program that has been spread thru Facebook social network and other sites.
Just like many other rogue antivirus programs, F'acebook antivirus claims that it's the bet tool for checking computer for viruses. It typically shows how it scans the system for suspicious files and then, as it can be expected, reports about tons of different threats. In addition, it asks to download its trial version and continue the scan.
If you have already been informed by Fb Antivirus that your computer is infected with malware or that it has many other security/privacy related problems, it might be that you have just been scammed. Keep in mind that you don't need to download anything to use Facebook Antivirus.
The real version of this programs offers only to protect users while they are using this social network. If Fb Antivirus has just informed you that you need to download something to your computer in order to fix it, you are dealing with malware. Make sure that you ignore such reports because they are fake and misleading. For that we highly recommend using .
From our report of Sep 2015 · not reviewed since
How can Facebook Antivirus infect my computer?
As we have already mentioned, Facebook Antivirus is spread thru Facebook.
However, you may also be tricked into downloading this rogue anti-spyware after clicking on malicious pop-up ad that showed up on your desktop while you were visiting Twitter, Amazon, ebay and other sites. Please, stay away from pop-up ads that are offering something for free.
We can almost assure you that this will lead you to the infiltration of malware. For preventing such issues, you should think about installing a reputable anti-spyware and updating it as soon as new updates show up. If you have already downloaded something that you were told by Facebook Antivirus, there is a huge chance that your computer was infected.
No matter that this program has lots of similarities with Panda Cloud Antivirus and other legitimate tools, it's just a trick used by scammers who like to rip the graphical user interface from well known and legitimate software in order to trick PC users.
How to remove Facebook Antivirus
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
Facebook Antivirus 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 Facebook Antivirus
Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps in Windows 11, or Settings > Apps > Apps & features in Windows 10. Sort the list by install date and find Facebook Antivirus, 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 Facebook Antivirus 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
Do not let government spy on you
The government has many issues in regards to tracking users' data and spying on citizens, so you should take this into consideration and learn more about shady information gathering practices.
Avoid any unwanted government tracking or spying by going totally anonymous on the internet.
You can choose a different location when you go online and access any material you want without particular content restrictions. You can easily enjoy internet connection without any risks of being hacked by using VPN.
Control the information that can be accessed by government any other unwanted party and surf online without being spied on. Even if you are not involved in illegal activities or trust your selection of services, platforms, be suspicious for your own security and take precautionary measures by using the VPN service.
Backup files for the later use, in case of the malware attack
Computer users can suffer from data losses due to cyber infections or their own faulty doings.
Ransomware can encrypt and hold files hostage, while unforeseen power cuts might cause a loss of important documents. If you have proper up-to-date backups, you can easily recover after such an incident and get back to work. It is also equally important to update backups on a regular basis so that the newest information remains intact - you can set this process to be performed automatically.
When you have the previous version of every important document or project you can avoid frustration and breakdowns. It comes in handy when malware strikes out of nowhere. Use for the data restoration process.
From our report of Sep 2015 · not reviewed since
How to remove Facebook Antivirus?
This rogue program comes as a Facebook application called Antivirus in Facebook.
Once your profile is infected, the rogue program tags your photos with 20 of your friends and then publishes the photo to your wall. Then your friends receive update notifications. If you have been tagged in the photo by the rogue automatically you can remove the tag. As simple as that.
How to remove a tag from a photo: 1. Open your photos 2. Click the tagged picture 3. Look for your name in the list of people tagged 4.
Questions about Facebook Antivirus
What is Facebook Antivirus and why is it on my PC?
Facebook Antivirus is a program that was installed on the PC, most likely together with something else you downloaded. Free software sites and many installers add extra programs on setup pages with pre-ticked boxes, so the extra install looks like your choice even though nobody read the page.
Check the install date in Settings, Apps, Installed apps: the program you installed that day is the probable carrier. If you do not need Facebook Antivirus, uninstall it. If it belongs to your hardware or to a program you use, search its exact name and publisher first, because drivers and their tools can have unfamiliar names.
Facebook Antivirus will not uninstall. What can I do?
First restart the PC and try again, because the program may have been running and locked its own files. If the uninstaller is missing or fails, start Windows in Safe Mode, where most third-party programs do not start, and remove Facebook Antivirus from Installed apps there.
If it still refuses, delete its startup entry and its scheduled task, restart, and try once more. A program that actively prevents removal is behaving like malware, so finish with a Microsoft Defender offline scan. Avoid third-party uninstallers offered on search ads; several of them are unwanted programs themselves.
Will the seller of Facebook Antivirus 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.
What is Facebook Antivirus?
Facebook Antivirus is fake security software, sometimes called a rogue antivirus or scareware. The program, Facebook Antivirus, shows invented or exaggerated problems to make you pay for a licence, and some versions send you to phone "support".
It does not protect the PC, and the threats it lists are not a reason to pay. Fake security programs usually arrive through fake virus warnings on websites, extra offers in free installers or ads for faster PCs. Uninstall it and use the free protection built into Windows instead.
I entered my card number in Facebook Antivirus. 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.
Do I need to buy antivirus after removing Facebook Antivirus?
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 Facebook Antivirus is that security offers which arrive unasked are the ones to avoid.
What if I paid Facebook Antivirus?
Contact your bank or card issuer the same day, explain that the payment went to a fake security program and ask for a chargeback. Keep screenshots of facebook Antivirus in the list of installed apps, the payment receipt and any e-mails.
If you gave card details in the program, ask the bank to block and replace the card. Then uninstall the program and run a full scan in Windows Security. If you also called a number and let someone connect to your PC, uninstall the remote-access tool they used and change your passwords from another device.
Should I reset my PC because of Facebook Antivirus?
Only if the signs point to deeper access. Reset when you see facebook Antivirus 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.
How do I know Facebook Antivirus is fake?
Three things give it away. It appears as facebook Antivirus in the list of installed apps, a window from a program rather than from Windows Security. It pushes you to act quickly by calling, paying or downloading.
And the threats it reports never show up when you run a scan in the real Windows Security app. Microsoft does not put phone numbers in warnings or charge for removing threats through pop-ups. Close the window, do not call, and follow the steps to find and uninstall the program behind it.
Will Fortect remove Facebook Antivirus?
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 Facebook Antivirus, 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)