Can I Disable McAfee Endpoint Encryption on Laptop?

McAfee Endpoint Encryption provides IT Administrators with the tools to manage and secure their data on laptops, desktops, and removable storage media such as USB drives and smartphones. It is part of McAfee Total Protection that comes bundled with McAfee Antivirus or Internet Security suite. However, some users may face issues related to McAfee Endpoint Encryption i.e., uninstalling or disabling drive encryption in laptops. Thus, they will want to know how you can disable McAfee endpoint encryption on laptop. 

If you are one of those people who want to know how they can do this, we are here to help. This article will help you understand how to disable McAfee drive encryption from your laptop or desktop in no time. It is a simple process, and if you follow, the steps given below, you will be able to do it efficiently without any professional help. But, before that, it is important that you know what McAfee is and why we have its software on our laptops. 

If you are familiar with the security company, I am sure you might have come across the McAfee company. It is a company that takes care of the security of your systems like laptops and desktops. The McAfee Endpoint Encryption software allows you to encrypt all the data on your laptop with just one click. 

This software comes in handy if you want to protect your laptop and the on it from any kind of malicious attack or from data theft. This comes in handy for most people; however, sometimes, this software can also cause problems in your system. There is an easy way to disable McAfee Endpoint Encryption on laptop, so if you want to know about it, continue reading below. 

Understanding McAfee Endpoint Encryption software

There are many reasons why you would have McAfee endpoint encryption in your system. The most common reason is to install a new operating system. When a user is trying to replace the current operating system with another one, there is a McAfee drive encryption removal service that will help them do this. 

One can also use this service if one wants to reset the PC back to its original factory settings. You might also need it if you’re selling your computer and want to make sure all of your personal information stays safe. 

You will require the Endpoint Security Services for daily operations on an enterprise-level business. So disabling these services will affect your productivity and stop employees from being able to access information stored on the company’s network servers. Some features such as Safe Boot Mode and Remote Control by Administrator may be disabled as well when you remove the endpoint security. 

Read: How to hack a laptop’s webcam using the IP address?

How do I disable McAfee drive encryption?

McAfee drive encryption is designed to prevent data loss and data theft by securing your most important files with bank-level security. It requires you to enter a password when you start your computer, but it’s worth the extra step to keep sensitive data protected. 

For some users, however, it may be beneficial or necessary to bypass the McAfee drive encryption feature on their computers. If you’re currently experiencing issues with your CPU usage or locking up while using your laptop or tablet and believe that they are due to the software application, then consider following these steps.

McAfee drive encryption removal (Step by Step guide)

1. The first thing you need to do is open your control panel. It’s pretty simple to do, just go to the start menu of your laptop and search for it. 
2. Open it and then go to the Programs option, where you will find the Program and features option. Select it, and there you will find the McAfee security option. 
3. Click on the McAfee security option and uninstall the software from your device. 
4. Once done, we will recommend you reboot your system, and you will be free from the MaCfree endpoint encryption software. 

How to Disable McAfee Device-Based Encryption?

McAfee endpoint security is to keep your data safe. This application takes the place of traditional antivirus and includes two different options for encrypting files that you store on a device, such as an external hard drive or USB flash drive. 

One option locks all files on the device with 256-bit AES encryption and renders the device unusable without a password. The other option requires you to enter a password each time you want to access your encrypted data from that particular device. 

If you desire to fully remove McAfee endpoint security from your computer, there are two ways to do so. You can go through system settings, or you can use the Device-Based Encryption Removal Tool provided by McAfee. When going through system settings, you will need to first uninstall McAfee’s endpoint security program and then reboot your computer. Once done, Windows will automatically revert to how it was before you installed McAfee. 

You can also just boot into Safe Mode if desired. For those who do not wish to uninstall the software but simply want to turn off encryption services temporarily. They can launch their Command Prompt window as Administrator (press Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and type this command: BCD edit /set safeboot minimal.

Read How to make a stolen laptop untraceable?

How do I remove McAfee Safe Boot?

Some people might come across some issues that might be occurring due to the McAfee safeboot on your system. Thus, if you are one of those people, you might want to know how you can get rid of it or disable it. 

The first thing that you should know is that there is no way of disabling it. Thus, you are only left with the option to uninstall it. Follow the steps below, to safely remove the McAfee safeboot from your system. 

1. Restart your system in the windows safe mode by pressing the F8 button while your system was rebooting. 
2. Once your system is on, go to the start menu and search for a run. Open it, and type cmd in it. 
3. Now on the terminal that opens, write the following command cd C:\Program Files\Safe Boot and press enter.
4. Now type in SbSetup.exe–uninstall, which will uninstall the McAfee safeboot from your system. 
5. Restart your device, and you are good to go. 

Features of McAfee Encryption Software

If you want to protect your system from any kind of cyberattack, scams, or data theft, McAfee endpoint encryption software comes in really handy to protect your data. Some of the features that the McAfee encryption software offers include:

• Encrypts the data present in the database of your system. 
• Encrypt data and files that you have on your laptop. 
• Protects any of the guest operating systems in your device like Linux from any kind of malware attacks. 

How to Turn Off Automatic Updates of Software?

If you want to know how you can turn off all the automatic updates of software, the method is simple. Here’s how to turn off Automatic Updates for all your software on a Windows PC: 

Open the Control Panel on your PC and go to Windows Update, under Update settings. Uncheck the Give me updates for other Microsoft products when I update the Windows option. This will turn off all automatic updates. You can also turn it off for specific programs by following these steps: 

1. Open the Control Point – Programs and Features window from the control panel; then select Turn auto-update back on. 
2. Under Auto-update is turned off for these programs, check any of the boxes that you want to have automatically updated or uncheck any that you don’t want to be updated automatically. 
3. Click OK. 
4. Repeat this process with any other program that you want to change how it updates on your computer.

Conclusion

McAfee is one of the most popular endpoint protection companies. It offers many different products and services. But they are more known for their endpoint security, primarily PC and mobile device antivirus protection. It’s best if you want a reliable way to defend your company against viruses, malware, spyware, rootkits, ransomware, botnets, and other cyber threats.

However, at times you may be running into an issue or just want to turn it off because there is some critical work that you need to finish up and can’t be interrupted due to your system not being able to run your program properly or giving an error message. This can happen from time to time, so don’t fret! Follow the guide above to disable McAfee endpoint encryption on laptop without any problem. Hope it will help.