Similar to most antivirus, McAfee has also quit sending CD’s for its software installation.When you buy McAfee you now receive a 25 digit alphanumeric key which is used to install McAfee on your device.In order to install it you are required to go to a link provided by McAfee for e.g. McAfee.com/activate
Then you have to follow step by step instructions so that you can install McAfee on your device.
Sounds Easy ? Well for tech savvy users like us its easy , However for a non tech savvy people its another story. That is why we have decided to create this complete guide to help our fellow users and tackle any issues while installing and activating McAfee on their device.
Now, without wasting any more time, Lets jump right into it.
Step 1 : Find Your McAfee Product Key.
McAfee product key is in a format of 25 alphanumeric keys (XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX). Now Depending on from where you purchased your McAfee antivirus the location of your product key would be different.
For e.g If you bought it from a retail store like Walmart you will receive a retail card as shown above. If you bought it online from a eCommerce website such as amazon you have two options, email delivery or home delivery.
If you choose email delivery the product key will be delivered on your email. If you choose home delivery you will receive a McAfee retail card similar to the image shown above.
On your retail card you need to scratch the back of the card to reveal the 25 digit product key.
Now assuming you have got your product key handy let’s go to the next step.
Step 2 : Go to mcafee.com/activate
The next thing that we have to do is go to mcafee.com/activate , Note : This link may be different if you have received McAfee through partner channel such as dell. However the process will be exactly the same.
Make sure you don’t type it in the google search box which will lead you to the search results. You can also use the link mentioned above. It will lead you directly to the McAfee activation page.
Assuming that you have clicked the link above the page must have opened in the another tab. The page would look something as shown above ( at the time of writing this blog in Sep 2018). Once you are sure you are on the right page, come back to this article to follow next steps.
Step 3 : Enter your McAfee Product Key.
You need to enter your 25 digit product key in the box shown above.
After entering your 25 digit McAfee product key click on submit.
Step 3 : Login Or Create a McAfee Account
When you click on the submit button you will get a page ( as shown above ) where you need to enter your email address. As you enter your email address the system will automatically check if you have an existing account with McAfee or not.
If you already have an account associated with McAfee you need to enter your McAfee account password. If you have forgotten the password you can also click on ( Forgot your Password ? ) link to recover it.
Well, If your email is not associated with a McAfee account you will be presented with a page where you need to create one.
Type in password and then re-enter your password. Once you are done Click on I AGREE .
Step 4 : Activate McAfee Auto Renewal
After you click on I Agree you will get an auto renewal prompt
Auto renewal prompt may appear if you are a new customer to mcafee or auto renewal is disabled ( if you do not get this prompt skip to the next step )
Assuming you are a new customer to mcafee let’s click on Agree & Continue. Note : This step is not a necessary step is you wish you can skip this step by clicking on the X on the top right hand corner.
Enter Your Billing Infomation to Activate Mcafee Auto Renewal
Enter your billing information and then click on Save.
Step 5 : Download Mcafee Installer
Now that you have entered all the information required to setup your mcafee account its time to download the mcafee installer.
Next you have to click on Install On This PC to download the mcafee installer
Agree Mcafee Terms & Conditions
You have to agree to terms and conditions before you could download the mcafee installer.
Check the box that says ” I have read and accept the McAfee License Agreement.” and scroll down.
Click On Download to download the Mcafee installer file.
Step 6 : Install Mcafee
When you click on the download button a .exe usually named as Mcafee_Installer.exe file will be downloaded on your computer . Now depending on the browser you can access that file through the downloads folder. If your computer is running slow, It might take some time to download on your computer.
In google chrome the you can find the file at the bottom left corner of the screen as in the image above.
Now click on the exe file to run it.
Step 7 : Follow On Screen Instuctions
After Clicking on exe file you will get a windows user account control prompt. Select option yes.
Now you should be on mcafee installer welcome screen now all you have to do is click on Install and follow on screen instructions.
Let’s go through all the screens step by step.
Here the setup is downloading files necessary for the installation.
Mcafee files download is now complete.
Click on Done
Now Click on Get Started.
Mcafee installation is almost complete. Click on Let’s Go.
Follow the prompts on the screen. Click on next couple of times.
Step 8 : Mcafee Installed and Activated
If you are on the the page as shown above that means you have followed all the steps correctly and your mcafee is successfully installed and activated.
Congratulations, Your Mcafee is now installed and activated.
Tip : A Full System Scan is recommended after the installation.
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