How to Reinstall AVG Without Losing Your Settings

AVG is a trusted antivirus tool that keeps your devices safe from malware, viruses, and other threats. But sometimes, you may need to reinstall it—maybe it’s not working right, or it became corrupted. The good news is that you can reinstall AVG without losing your settings if you follow the correct steps.

This guide will walk you through the process so you can stay protected without redoing all your preferences.

Why Reinstall AVG?

Here are a few common reasons why people reinstall AVG:

• The program crashes or doesn’t open

• Real-time protection isn’t working

• Updates fail to install

• You’re upgrading or switching computers

Whatever your reason, you can keep your settings if you prepare correctly.

Step 1: Backup Your AVG Settings

Before you uninstall AVG, you need to export your settings so you can restore them later.

Here’s how:

1. Open AVG Antivirus.

2. Click the Menu (top right corner).

3. Select Settings.

4. Click General > Troubleshooting.

5. Scroll down and click Export Settings.

6. Save the file somewhere safe (like your desktop or a USB drive).

This file contains your custom settings like scans, exceptions, and preferences.

Step 2: Uninstall AVG

Now that you’ve saved your settings, it’s time to uninstall the program.

To do this:

1. Go to your Control Panel (Windows) or Applications folder (Mac).

2. Find AVG Antivirus in the list.

3. Click Uninstall and follow the on-screen steps.

4. Restart your computer after the uninstall finishes.

This clears the current AVG version from your system.

Step 3: Download the Latest AVG Installer

Go to the official AVG website and download the latest version of the installer that matches your device.

Make sure you download it from the official site to avoid fake versions or malware.

Step 4: Reinstall AVG Antivirus

Once the installer is downloaded:

1. Open the downloaded file.

2. Click Install and follow the steps.

3. Wait for the process to complete—it usually takes a few minutes.

4. Once done, open AVG.

You’ll now have a fresh installation of AVG running on your device.

Step 5: Import Your Old Settings

This is the final and most important step. Now that AVG is installed again, you can bring back your old preferences.

Here’s how:

1. Open AVG and click Menu > Settings.

2. Go to General > Troubleshooting.

3. Click Import Settings.

4. Choose the file you saved earlier and click Open.

AVG will now apply your previous settings. You don’t need to reconfigure anything manually.

Bonus Tip: Keep a Backup of Your Settings

Every time you make big changes in AVG (like adding scan schedules or new exceptions), it’s smart to back up your settings again. This will save you time in the future if you ever need to reinstall it again.

Final Thoughts

Reinstalling AVG doesn’t mean you have to start from scratch. By exporting and importing your settings, you can keep everything just the way you like it. This way, you stay protected and save time. If anything goes wrong during installation, AVG’s support page is always there to help you.