How to update McAfee protection? To ensure that your computer is protected from new viruses, malware, spyware and other forms of threats, it is important to always keep your McAfee protection software up to date. If you update McAfee protection software, you are keeping your virus signatures up to date and hence, any new viruses can be easily tackled by the updated protection software. The updates for McAfee protection software also fixes various bugs and known issues associated with the software. This allows the software to run smoother than before without affecting your system performance.
There are two components in the update process:
- Virus Signature Update: Your software updates this component to keep the virus signatures up to date.
- Software Update: This component is updated to fix bugs, glitches or other technical issues associated with the current version of the McAfee protection software.
Generally speaking, you need to update both the components for the McAfee protection to perform at its optimum level. If automatic updates are turned on (explained below), then McAfee protection software will automatically keep these components up to date on a regular basis.
Updating McAfee protection is a straightforward process. You can update McAfee protection by following either of the two different methods below.
Method 1: From the desktop icon of McAfee
- Double-click on the McAfee desktop icon to open it.
- Click on PC Security to open the window.
- Click on Update McAfee App and then click on the option Check for Updates.
- McAfee updater will update the application and the virus database. Please wait until the update process completes. After finishing the update, McAfee will display a popup with a message that the update was successful.
Method 2: From the M-Shield icon in the taskbar next to the clock widget
- Find the M-Shield icon in the taskbar. It should be located right next to the clock widget in the taskbar.
- If you cannot find the icon, it may be hidden. Click on the up-arrow on the left side to expand the taskbar. You should be able to find the icon in the expanded panel.
- To update McAfee protection, right-click on the M-Shield icon and click on Check for Updates.
- Please wait until the update process finishes. You will be presented with a message on completion of the update.
How to turn on Automatic Updates
McAfee protection has a feature that allows you to update your McAfee software automatically once a software update has been released. This removes the several hassles of manual updates and you will always stay up to date without worrying about your system getting compromised.
To turn on Automatic Updates for your McAfee software, please follow the steps below:
- Open the McAfee software and click on the Settings icon on the top-right corner of the screen. It looks like a cogwheel.
- From the new window, click on Automatic Updates.
- Click on Turn On button to turn on automatic updates for your McAfee protection software.
- Please note that if the button displays Turn Off, then it signifies that it is already turned on. Please do not click on the button again. Otherwise, the automatic updates for your McAfee protection software will turn off.
How to verify whether McAfee protection software is updated
To verify whether your McAfee protection software is updated, please follow the steps below:
- Click on M-Sheld icon in the taskbar to open the McAfee protection software control panel.
- Go to My Info and then click on
- This will open the information page of your McAfee protection software.
- From the given information, check the Engine creation date in the McAfee Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware If your McAfee protection software has been successfully updated, should display the current date in the panel.
- You may keep the other information as your reference for future updates.
How to install McAfee Total Protection in a few easy steps
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