Windows Accelerator Pro: what it is and how to remove it
Windows Accelerator Pro is a dangerous program that mimics real antivirus software. It intends to deliberately mislead victims into believing that their systems are infected with various malware and are in exceptionally bad shape, regardless of the real situation.
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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Windows Accelerator Pro: summary
| Distribution | Software bundling Fake updates Insecure websites |
|---|---|
| Name | Windows Accelerator Pro |
| Type | Rogue antivirus, malware |
| Alleged functionality | It attempts to mimic real anti-malware software by showing fake scan results – users can often find hundreds of entries after each of the scans |
| Dangers | Monetary loss due to non-existent program's functionality, further malware infection due to inadequate system protection |
| 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
| Damage | Not recorded in the old report |
|---|---|
| Symptoms | An unknown program in Installed apps |
| Evidence | One write-up by a security site; details still limited |
| Program | Windows Accelerator Pro |
| First seen | 9 March 2021 |
| Facts checked | 6 October 2026 |
Is Windows Accelerator Pro a real security program?
From our report of Mar 2021 · not reviewed since
Windows Accelerator Pro - a malicious program designed to trick users into spending money on it
Windows Accelerator Pro is a dangerous program that mimics real antivirus software.
It intends to deliberately mislead victims into believing that their systems are infected with various malware and are in exceptionally bad shape, regardless of the real situation.
This is all done to manipulate users and make them buy a licensed version of Windows Accelerator Pro. However, you should never do it. Not only will you be giving your money away to scammers, but you will also remain unprotected from real threats that could seriously harm your computer and compromise your personal safety.
As soon as it infiltrates computers, it displays fake alerts that all announce different problems. Of course, these problems are invented and seek to steal people's money. Beware that Windows Accelerator Pro can show up on your computer out of nowhere because it, just like any other rogue anti-spyware, is distributed with the help of Trojans.
In other words, it is rogue application that should never used as means for your system to be protected from threats such as:
To make it look like the app is legitimate, Windows Accelerator Pro tries hard to imitate legitimate Windows UI components, such as links on the side panel, as well as fonts and other attributes. This is a known social engineering technique designed to invoke users and make them believe that the app is genuine. It is not - it is a simple scam.
To make matters worse, the virus makes various changes to the Windows operating system - not in a good way. Even after removal, these changes might cause severe performance and stability issues.
According to experts who researched this threat:
As a result, the victim begins noticing fake alerts that promote the program's full version. If you don't want to support scammers and lose your money, stay away from this rogue!
To remove the virus, you should perform a full system scan with anti-malware software, such as . While manual elimination is possible, it is important to delete all malware-related components from the system.
- Ransomware
- Trojans
- Rootkits
- Adware
- Backdoors, etc.
From our report of Mar 2021 · not reviewed since
More from our earlier report on Windows Accelerator Pro
- While you can attempt to uninstall the app manually, it is likely not going to work.
- Instead, perform a full system scan with a real antivirus program
- Windows Accelerator Pro can damage Windows system functions.
- This Trojan modifies the system and helps Windows Accelerator Pro start its work every time users reboot their computers.
- Error System data security is at risk!
- To prevent potential PC errors, run a full system scan.
How Windows Accelerator Pro got on your PC
From our report of Mar 2021 · not reviewed since
Windows Accelerator Pro can infect your computer with a help of Trojans.
These Trojans hide inside insecure websites, spam or fake alerts that offer downloading useless updates.
So, in order to avoid them, you should stay away from these things and also make sure that your PC is protected by the latest versions of anti-virus and anti-spyware. As soon as trojan infiltrates computer, it starts imitating the work of legitimate antivirus program: it shows how it scans computer and then 'detects' tens of different viruses. For example:
Be sure that these problems are invented and the only real virus is Windows Accelerator Pro. If your PC is infected, follow a guide below and remove this virus from the system.
How to remove Windows Accelerator Pro
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
Nothing that Windows Accelerator Pro says it found needs fixing by Windows Accelerator Pro. Close its windows and do not enter card details.
If you bought it, contact your bank or card issuer about a dispute and cancel any renewal, keeping the receipt e-mail as evidence. Uninstalling it from Windows 11 or Windows 10 removes the program but leaves the subscription running.
Full procedure with screenshots: What to do after paying a scammer
Step 2: Uninstall Windows Accelerator Pro
Windows Accelerator Pro is removed like any other program, from the list of installed apps. In Windows 11 that is Settings > Apps > Installed apps, in Windows 10 Settings > Apps > Apps & features, and in both you can also use Control Panel > Programs and Features.
Select Windows Accelerator Pro, click Uninstall and follow the uninstaller to the end. Then look at the entries just above and below it when the list is sorted by date: bundled programs install at the same minute.
Full procedure with screenshots: Uninstall a program or app in Windows On uGetFix
Step 3: Remove it from startup
Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager and select Startup apps (Windows 11) or the Startup tab (Windows 10). Disable entries you do not recognise, especially ones with no publisher or with a name that copies a Windows component.
Right-click an entry and choose Open file location to see where it runs from: programs in
%AppData%or%Temp%deserve a closer look. Some entries are not listed there but in the registry Run keys, which the procedure below shows how to check.Full procedure with screenshots: Stop apps from opening at startup On uGetFix
Step 4: Delete the folders left behind
Uninstalling often leaves the program's folders, and some threats reinstall themselves from them.
Press Windows + R, type
%LocalAppData%and press Enter, then do the same for%AppData%and %ProgramData%, and look for folders named after Windows Accelerator Pro, its publisher or created on the day the problem started.Delete those folders, and check
C:\Program FilesandC:\Program Files (x86)too.If Windows says a file is in use, end it in Task Manager or delete the folder after a restart in Safe Mode. The folders are the same in Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Full procedure with screenshots: Remove what malware leaves behind in Windows
Step 5: Scan the PC, then run the offline scan
A scan finds the parts of Windows Accelerator Pro that the manual steps cannot see. In Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options, start a Full scan and quarantine what it reports.
Follow it with Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan) > Scan now, which restarts the PC and checks the disk while Windows and the malware are not running.
It takes about 15 minutes and works the same in Windows 11 and Windows 10. If either scan finds something, run the full scan again after removal until it comes back clean.
Windows 11: Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options. Full procedure with screenshots: Run a Microsoft Defender Offline scan
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When you work on the domain, site, blog, or different project that requires constant management, content creation, or coding, you may need to connect to the server and content management service more often. The best solution for creating a tighter network could be a dedicated/fixed IP address.
If you make your IP address static and set to your device, you can connect to the CMS from any location and do not create any additional issues for the server or network manager that needs to monitor connections and activities. VPN software providers like can help you with such settings and offer the option to control the online reputation and manage projects easily from any part of the world.
Recover files after data-affecting malware attacks
While much of the data can be accidentally deleted due to various reasons, malware is one of the main culprits that can cause loss of pictures, documents, videos, and other important files.
More serious malware infections lead to significant data loss when your documents, system files, and images get encrypted. In particular, ransomware is is a type of malware that focuses on such functions, so your files become useless without an ability to access them.
Even though there is little to no possibility to recover after file-locking threats, some applications have features for data recovery in the system. In some cases, can also help to recover at least some portion of your data after data-locking virus infection or general cyber infection.
From our report of Mar 2021 · not reviewed since
Remove Windows Accelerator Pro using a robust anti-malware tool
If you can't launch any of them, use these instructions:
Finally, to fix virus damage and ensure that the Windows system is not damaged, scan it with .
- Reboot your computer to Safe Mode with Networking. Just reboot your PC and, as soon as it starts booting up, start pressing F8 repeatedly.
- Login as the same user as you were in normal Windows mode.
- Now click on IE or other browser and select 'Run As' or 'Run As administrator', enter your Administrator account password (if needed).
- Download or another anti-malware on your desktop. Launch it to kill the malicious processes and remove its files.
Questions about Windows Accelerator Pro
Is Windows Accelerator Pro a virus?
Most programs that appear the way Windows Accelerator Pro did are not viruses in the strict sense. They are potentially unwanted programs:
- real software that arrives bundled with other downloads and then shows offers
- changes browser settings
- starts with Windows
Some are harmless, some are annoying and a few carry adware. What makes it worth removing is that you did not choose it.
Uninstall it from Installed apps and check the startup list and the browsers for anything added the same day. If it refuses to uninstall or returns after a restart, treat it as more serious and run a Microsoft Defender offline scan.
Windows Accelerator Pro 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 Windows Accelerator Pro 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.
Windows Accelerator Pro will not uninstall. What can I do?
Close it in Task Manager first, then uninstall it from Settings > Apps > Installed apps (in Windows 10, Apps & features). If it blocks this or restarts itself, start Windows in Safe Mode, where third-party programs do not start automatically, and uninstall from there.
Afterwards run a Microsoft Defender offline scan and delete any leftover folder named after Windows Accelerator Pro in C:\Program Files or %AppData%. If nothing works, Windows can be reset while keeping your personal files, which removes the program together with any settings it changed.
Is Windows Security enough to protect me from programs like Windows Accelerator Pro?
For most home users, yes, especially with Potentially unwanted app blocking turned on in Windows Security > App & browser control > Reputation-based protection settings. That setting blocks many scareware installers before they run.
No security tool stops every scam, though, because programs like Windows Accelerator Pro are usually installed by the user after a frightening message. The habit that helps most is simple: ignore any website or pop-up that claims to have scanned your PC, and never call a number shown in a warning.
Someone called offering a refund for Windows Accelerator Pro. Is it genuine?
Almost certainly not. Refund calls are a well-known second stage of scareware and tech support scams. The caller says you are owed money, asks you to install a remote access program to "process" it, then opens your online banking, makes it look as if too much was refunded and asks you to send the difference back.
Hang up. Real refunds go back to the card or PayPal account you paid with, through your bank or the payment provider, and never need remote access or a gift card.
What could the caller do while connected to my PC?
Anything you could do. Callers working with fake alerts like Windows Accelerator Pro typically show you Windows logs as "proof", install their own remote tool for later, and steer you to online banking or a gift card purchase. Some add a password to Windows or lock the PC if you refuse to pay.
Remove every remote access program you did not install yourself, check Settings > Accounts > Other users for new accounts, and change important passwords from a clean device. If you cannot be sure what was changed, a reset of Windows is the safe choice.
Is my card safe after buying Windows Accelerator Pro?
Treat it as exposed. The order page belongs to the seller of Windows Accelerator Pro, and you cannot know how the number is stored or shared. Ask your bank for a replacement card, which is usually free, and dispute the original charge as a misrepresented product.
Until the new card arrives, check your account daily for small or foreign transactions. If the bank offers alerts for every card payment, turn them on. Keep the receipt and screenshots, because they support the dispute.
Why does Windows Accelerator Pro look so official?
Because copying the design costs nothing and makes people trust it. The program behind windows Accelerator Pro 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.
Do I need to reinstall Windows to get rid of Windows Accelerator Pro?
Usually not. A thorough clean-up is enough when the offline scan finds nothing afterwards and you do not see windows Accelerator Pro in the list of installed apps again. A reset is the safer choice if an attacker had remote control, if security tools were switched off, or if detections come back after every clean-up.
Windows 11 can reset itself without a USB stick under Settings > System > Recovery > Reset this PC. Copy documents and photos out first and scan the copies. A reset does not change passwords or undo stolen data, so the account steps still apply.
Will Fortect remove Windows Accelerator Pro?
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 Accelerator Pro, 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)