Fix: Avast Won’t Open On Windows

In the digital age, your antivirus software failing to open has a similar effect to your car failing to start. You can’t go to work without it.

If your daily computer activities include surfing the internet or, more significantly, downloading files, doing so without antivirus software means exposing your device to numerous potential risks.

A few users face a perplexing and annoying issue when Avast cannot open on Windows because of compatibility problems. Users have talked about this in various forum discussions, but they still haven’t received an official fix for it.

This guide contains everything you need to know to overcome this frustrating issue.

The Problem Explained

Unlike some other errors people have encountered while using Avast, this one doesn’t display a message or any other type of notification about the problem.

Instead, what happens is the following:

1. The user tries to open Avast normally.
2. The program fails to start.
3. No error message is shown, and the process is not visible in Task Manager.

As you can see, there isn’t much that can be done from the user’s perspective unless they do a lot of tinkering to try and find a solution. The majority of users won’t have the time or expertise to do this.  

Fortunately, the problem can be solved with ease by using nothing more than Avast’s built-in tools, including the repair system and a few other easy-to-follow methods. Let’s take a closer look.

Fix 1: Temporarily Disable Windows’s Real-Time Protection

Antivirus programs often consider each other to be threats.

You might expect this to be less common with Microsoft’s Defender Antivirus. However, some users reported that disabling real-time protection in the Windows Security Panel helped solve the problem.

To do this, follow the steps below:

1. Click on the Windows search icon in your taskbar and open the Windows Security Panel.
   
2. In the window that appears on your screen, left-click on “Virus & threat protection.”
   
3. Select “Manage settings” in the Virus & threat protection settings section.
   
4. Disable Real-time protection by switching off the setting, as shown in the image below.
   

You can now try opening Avast again to see if the program will run properly. Microsoft Defender will no longer be blocking it. If it still won’t start, something else is causing the problem.

Fix 2: Repair Avast Using The Built-In Tool

Fixing Avast can solve many issues, including the one causing the software to fail to open on Windows 10.

This method is simple and doesn’t require a lot of time. If you’re not certain about fixing Avast, just follow the instructions below:

1. Open Avast on your PC.
2. Click Menu, then Settings. From here, open the Settings tab and choose General.
3. To begin the app-repair process, click Troubleshooting and then Repair App.

When the process is complete, reboot your PC and try rerunning Avast. It should now start without any further complications.

Fix 3: Perform A Full Avast Reinstall

Reinstalling Avast can resolve the issue with the software not starting. This is also the best way to ensure you have a clean install of the latest version if you previously updated the software.

Here’s the method to do it:

1. Click the Windows search icon on your taskbar and open “Add or remove programs.”
   
2. Find Avast in the list of installed programs and uninstall it.
3. Download and install the latest version from the official Avast website.

Reboot your PC and try running Avast again. It should now work as intended. Don’t forget to activate your license if you have paid for the premium version.

Conclusion

Now you know how to fix the Avast not opening on Windows 10 problem, so remember to apply these methods whenever you encounter any issues with the software.

If none of these solutions helped you, don’t hesitate to contact Avast’s support team for further guidance.