SaveKeep: what it is and how to remove it
SaveKeep is a misleading security application from the same family as WiniGuard, WiniShield, WiniBlueSoft, and WiniFighter. The rogue application displays false scan results and fake security alerts to make you think your computer is infected with malware.
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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SaveKeep: summary
| Distribution | Trojans, fake online virus scanners, software bundles, deceptive ads, file-sharing platforms, fake Flash Player updates |
|---|---|
| Damage | Money loss, infections with dangerous malware, privacy issues |
| name | SaveKeep |
| Type | PUP, rogue antispyware |
| Purpose | Show fake virus scan results to persuade users into buying the licensed software version |
| Detection names | No Microsoft detection name is known |
| 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 | SaveKeep |
|---|---|
| Symptoms | An unknown program in Installed apps |
| Evidence | One write-up by a security site; details still limited |
| Program | SaveKeep |
| First seen | 28 April 2021 |
| Facts checked | 6 October 2026 |
Is SaveKeep a real security program?
From our report of Apr 2021 · not reviewed since
SaveKeep – a phony security tool that creates files and later identifies them as malicious
SaveKeep is a misleading security application from the same family as WiniGuard, WiniShield, WiniBlueSoft, and WiniFighter.
The rogue application displays false scan results and fake security alerts to make you think your computer is infected with malware. The main goal of this parasite is to trick you into purchasing the program. Please don't get tricked by threat actors, and don't purchase this fake antispyware tool.
SaveKeep is promoted mainly through the use of Trojan viruses and fake online anti-malware scanners. But other infection techniques are plausible. Trojans display fake security alerts and fabricated Windows Security center windows to convince you that your PC is in great danger. Please don't believe anything that this fake antispyware tool shows you and remove it.
Fake antispyware tools weren't created to find or remove any threats from your device. They show predetermine, fake virus scan results to seem legitimate, useful and convince you into buying them. Apart from falsified scan results, such software also shows notifications with fake claims, such as:
Fake Windows Security center notification reads:
Please note that all alerts, messages, notifications, virus scans are fake. Then report the created files as infections that cannot be removed unless you first purchase the program.
The scan results are obviously false, and you may safely ignore them. Furthermore, Save Keep will impersonate Security Center and display fake security warnings that antivirus protection is turned off or that your computer is seriously infected. To make things worse, this bogus program will block antivirus applications and security-related websites.
The fake security tool will also slow dramatically slow down your computer. SaveKeep is a scam, do not purchase it. Please use legitimate AV software to remove SaveKeep from your computer.
If the article's culprit prevents you from launching your anti-malware tool (or downloading it), please reboot your device in Safe Mode with Networking and perform the removal. Afterward, run system diagnostics to resolve system-related irregularities.
From our report of Apr 2021 · not reviewed since
More from our earlier report on SaveKeep
- You can easily remove such fake security software with legitimate anti-malware tools by performing a full threat scan
- Your computer is being attacked by an Internet virus.
- It could be a password-stealing attack, a trojan-dropper or similar.
- Windows Security Center Your computer is infected by spyware - threat have been found while scanning your files and registry.
- It is strongly recommended that you disinfect your PC and active Realtime protection against future intrusions.
How to remove SaveKeep
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
SaveKeep 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 SaveKeep
Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps in Windows 11, or Settings > Apps > Apps & features in Windows 10. Sort the list by install date and find SaveKeep, 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 SaveKeep 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.
Stream videos without limitations, no matter where you are
There are multiple parties that could find out almost anything about you by checking your online activity.
While this is highly unlikely, advertisers and tech companies are constantly tracking you online. The first step to privacy should be a secure browser that focuses on tracker reduction to a minimum.
Even if you employ a secure browser, you will not be able to access websites that are restricted due to local government laws or other reasons. In other words, you may not be able to stream Disney+ or US-based Netflix in some countries. To bypass these restrictions, you can employ a powerful VPN, which provides dedicated servers for torrenting and streaming, not slowing you down in the process.
Data backups are important - recover your lost files
Ransomware is one of the biggest threats to personal data.
Once it is executed on a machine, it launches a sophisticated encryption algorithm that locks all your files, although it does not destroy them. The most common misconception is that anti-malware software can return files to their previous states. This is not true, however, and data remains locked after the malicious payload is deleted.
While regular data backups are the only secure method to recover your files after a ransomware attack, tools such as can also be effective and restore at least some of your lost data.
Questions about SaveKeep
Can I safely uninstall SaveKeep?
If you did not install SaveKeep 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.
How do I stop programs like SaveKeep from being installed again?
Most unwanted programs arrive through installers, so the fix is in how you install software. Download programs from their official sites or the Microsoft Store, not from download portals or ads above search results. During setup, choose Custom or Advanced installation and untick every extra offer, including browsers, toolbars and optimizers.
Decline update prompts that appear inside other programs unless you know them. In Windows Security, turn on reputation-based protection and potentially unwanted app blocking. These steps would most likely have stopped SaveKeep before it reached the app list.
Why does SaveKeep look so official?
Because copying the design costs nothing and makes people trust it. The program behind saveKeep in the list of installed apps borrows Windows colours, icons and wording, sometimes even the name of a well-known security brand. None of that gives it access to real security information.
A real alert can be checked in seconds: open Windows Security from the Start menu and look at Protection history. If nothing is listed there, the official-looking window is fake, and the program that draws it is what needs to be removed.
What is SaveKeep?
SaveKeep is fake security software, sometimes called a rogue antivirus or scareware. The program, SaveKeep, 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.
Will the seller of SaveKeep 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 let a technician connect to my PC because of SaveKeep. 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.
Should I reset my PC because of SaveKeep?
Only if the signs point to deeper access. Reset when you see saveKeep 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.
SaveKeep 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 SaveKeep starts again.
I entered my card number in SaveKeep. 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.
Will Fortect remove SaveKeep?
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 SaveKeep, 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 6, 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Defender Offline (read October 6, 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: How Microsoft names malware (read October 6, 2026)