How to download and install AVG without AVGZen or AVG Protection included. When you visit AVG homepage to download its free antivirus you’ll be taken to AVG Free Protection page instead, when you download and install it, AVG Protection (i.e 30-day trial of AVG Internet Security with AVG Zen) will be installed on your computer.
December 25, 2017 Update: Good news to AVG users who irritated and annoyed with Zen. Finally, Avast has removed Zen component from AVG and it will no longer be installed when you install AVG Free Antivirus other AVG antivirus products on your computer that Avast software offers.
Zen users can still able to manage subscription and install other AVG products from the My AVG menu available in the AVG main window.
For more information, read AVG Free Antivirus 17.9 : Avast Removes Zen
May 9, 2017 Update: It’s not possible to install AVG Free Antivirus 2017 without zen even though offline installer is available.
How to install AVG Free Antivirus without Zen
Even choosing ‘Custom installation’ and selecting ‘basic protection’ still installs AVG Zen on user’s computer along with AVG Antivirus Free 2016.
AVG 2016: How to remove AVG Shredder from the Context Menu?
What happened here is you’ve visited AVG website to download free antivirus and ended up installing AVG IS with AVG Zen, which you’ve not expected or don’t want. AVG hasn’t got their download pages right, even after 45 days later the release of their 2016 products.
If you’ve installed AVG this way, you can visit Control Panel and uninstall AVG Protection and AVG Zen separately, if you face any issues during their’s uninstall, use this tool.
To avoid this in future, visit http://www.avg.com/ww-en/download.prd-afh-free, you’ll find latest offline and online installer links for AVG free.
Update: Let me re clarify as I’ve mentioned about AVG Protection, which indeed is the antivirus program component right now. So you shouldn’t be removing that, but you can of AVG Zen. I’ve updated the title to reflect this wording.
UPDATE 1: AVG is forcing is Zen upon us, they’ve removed the offline installer from their download page, which I’ve mentioned above and included Zen with Online installer. So don’t install AVG using web installer provided by the company, instead go for standalone installer, which is not installing Zen at the moment.
Visit the below links on Filehippo to download latest 32 or 64-bit of AVG free antivirus.
AVG free antivirus 32-bit
AVG free antivirus 64-bit
UPDATE 2: Filehippo links are returning 404, don’t worry we’ve got you covered with full offline installer for AVG Free 32 & 64-bit below through majorgeeks and Softpedia.
AVG Free antivirus – Softpedia
Can you please specify what link to choose on the page for downloading the “online” and “off line” installer? I see only one link, and it is unclear which this might be.
Recommended is online installer, you should be downloading either 32-bit or 64-bit depending on OS version you’re using to install offline.
After 4 hours and talking in chat to a less than helpful avg staff member… finally just installing the free av and not that zen stuff. And this is after I killed all avg references in the registry to force it to NOT install Zen again. Yea I know they want to make money but a jobless full time college student does not have that expensive choice that is forced on them. Thank you for at least getting me to the RIGHT download spot.
if you want to download the one without zen, please DO NOT download the recommended one. Download the 2 offline ones, they are without Zen, pc tune up trial, and internet secuirty trial. I have asked technical support in AVG, they are sure about this.
I confirm that the offline setup (64-bit, dated 2015-11-30) is the best way to avoid internet browser problems. When I did the online setup with a custom installation that avoided the 30-day trial of AVG 2016, I soon lost all internet access with any browser. There was no way to access the AVG firewall, which had not in any case replaced the standard Windows 8.1 firewall. Windows internet troubleshooter found nothing to fix. Neither did latest iolo System Mechanic, although it reported the connection was broken somehow. My other laptop browsed normally, so the problem was clearly AVG. Reverted using Windows System Restore and the problem vanished. Reinstallation with AVG Free offline installer produced no problems even after a couple of restarts and the addition of Malwarbytes free version.
Agree with Mana and Kirk_RS. Use the link in the article:
“To avoid this in future, visit http://www.avg.com/ww-en/download.prd-afh-free, you’ll find latest offline and online installer links for AVG free.”
And then chose the 64-bit or 32-bit based on what OPS you have. The files are larger than the “recommended”, and it takes a lot longer to download, but the application fits the system better and does not have all the extra “stuff” (i.e. Zen, PC etc.) they want you to have. Helps you stay in control of what you have vs them, and didn’t have to call them. Pretty easy!
I don’t think that you are going to be getting the newest version of AVG without Zen. I tried to get it off, but no hope in that. YOu can always just ignore it and use the regular AVG that comes with it. I had to reinstall it from a 2015 version to a 2016 version.
I am confused. I keep getting a screen message that my trial subscription is now out of date. I recently purchased AVG Pro and received a confirmation email but it does not allow me to register the devic with my AVG Subscription Order Numbere 36-6370795. Why am I getting the messages that my trial has run out and how do I know that AVG Pro is connected to my device?
@Dawn Campbell
Please contact AVG support on your issue.
YOU CANNOT INSTALL AVG WITHOUT ZEN!
You can. Install AVG from offline link, and pay attention while installing.
RUBBISH – impossible to install without ZEN!! Maybe it was in Nov 2015 when you tried it but doesn’t work now. 64bit download on W10 installs with ZEN. Just spent hour and a half trying all options. Try it yourself and list screenshots showing install without ZEN if you can….
@PPOFF
Sorry for the late reply. installed AVG Antivirus Free 2016 without zen on April 20, 2016. Here are the screenshots take a look http://imgur.com/a/HYyK2
That no longer works. ZEN get’s installed. There’s just one, 32bit installation program now and it installs ZEN.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention, I can confirm that and posted a new update with instructions to install AVG without zen using offline installer. Please have a look and let us know its working for you or not.
After years of AVG free I’m now disappointed, as suddenly it updated to ZEN.The database updates often fail, The icon in the tray that tells u its working or broken has disappeared, it keeps tell me to install Web tune up, no idea what that does, but the installation fails. & it offers me the chance to ” tune up PC performance “, but I have no confidence that it isn’t just ” Run Program PC*uck ” too. Time to leave AVG?
It looks like the free version of AVG has gotten so hard to find, or impossible, that I’m off looking for another program. This is too much trouble.
I’m not even sure I need something like AVG when Windows Defender is available.
Well I’m trying it now from the link posted above. Imgur’s screen shot looks just like what I got. We’ll see if it installs without Zen this time. I completely uninstalled after I got the Zen version. And…it worked! Today is 5/22/2016. I used this page: http://www.avg.com/us-en/free-antivirus-download. Try it! Of course you could always use Avast. I have three computers, two have this non-Zen free AVG and one has Avast free. It is on an old Dell with Windows XP, but never had any viruses or other problems. Good luck folks! And thank you for the advice.
Thank You, just successfully uninstalled ZEN and reinstalled free version by following your instructions. I used the link in box at top of page.
I got plagued by Zen and had to do a total wipe to get rid of it. I then re-installed AVG Free as per “expert guidance”. All looking good. Now, after several days I have AVG Protection! What ever is going on? I’m now looking for an alternative program. Such a shame after so many years.
AVG antivirus appears with name AVG protection, that’s all you’ve nothing to worry about that, protection remained the same.
As of right now Oct 7 2016 32 bit and 64 bit links from Hippo are dead. FYI. Thanks for the genuine post though!
@DC Thanks for alerting us. We’ve posted new links at the bottom, please check them, let us know if they don’t work for you. Enjoy.
I have just tried to download/install the offline version of AVG 2016 from filehippo. It still tells me that Zen will be installed. But it then asks me for a Zen username and password???
You mean I have to have a UN/Pass. just to install AVG 2016 now??
Why do you post comment without reading the article? Check the second update added at the end of article and let me know if you’ve any problem in installing AVG.
I cannot believe AVG. I have a three device license with paid AVG. Other adult just tried installing AVG on child’s computer so I can enter my license number – and it defaults to AVG Zen. Funnily enough, the adults in this house are not keen on all the devices in the house being controlled from the teen’s laptop. Now googling galore to find out how to get just AVG with a space to enter the existing license without all the rubbish. My license renewal is up in March. I think loyalty is dead.
Wanted to let anyone that installed Zen by accident and wants to remove it, at least from XP as of 4/30/17, I found it does have a key where other applications are stored and would normally appear in the Add/Remove Programs as “AVG Zen”. After further investigating, I found it was labeled simply as “AVG”, while I also had an “AVG 2014” instance for the actual Anti-Virus. I started my investigation going to the registry key under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall, which is where all your programs are supposed to create uninstallation “shortcuts” for the Add/Remove Programs. The one for Zen is labeled {FEE2F360-B2B5-95C8-7632069C0CB8}. It has a line to its “uninstaller”:
MsiExec.exe /I{FEE2F360-B2B5-45BC-95C8-76E2069C0CB8}
If you put that on a Run line and hit Enter, it will say that Windows Installer is configuring Zen, but then says “Installation failed” – looking closer at the command, they have an “I”, there – I figure they were trying to use the “installer” part, and it failed – probably because it was already installed and the programmer didn’t build in a configuration method, only install. You can look up msiexec.exe’s commands by just entering “C:\windows\system32\msiexec.exe” on a command prompt. It shows they have “X” for uninstallation. “I” is for configuring (which is why I tried it…sometimes it means “install”, sometimes programmers let you go back to the same “install” routine to change the installation, i.e. “configure” it, including to “turn it off” or remove it). So I tried replacing “I” with “X” – it starts saying it’s trying to uninstall it, but then fails with the same error! Clearly they left that part out, too.
If you wanted to remove it, you’d have to do a search of anything to do with Zen from the registry and any files that reside at referenced filepaths from the registry entries you are deleting. I went looking around the internet a little more. I saw one guy tried Revo Uninstaller, so I tried a trial of the Pro version and it saw 2 AVG things, I had “AVG” and “AVG 2014”. So I tried Revo, as I saw they had a free trial for their Pro software. It was great in that you can choose Quick Uninstall and it will create a System Restore point and registry backup prior to trying to uninstall, so you could roll back if needed. But I found that it just launched the uninstaller I found through the Zen settings from its graphical interface, the same one that says you can’t uninstall Zen because AVG 2014 is still installed. After clicking OK on that error, the uninstaller for AVG closed, but the one for Revo kept saying “Deleting found leftover items” with a never-ending green bar going from left to right, like it was doing something, but after 10 minutes of waiting (how long should it have taken?), I clicked the red “X”. Then I no longer saw AVG in Revo, just AVG 2014. I checked Add/Remove Programs, same thing. Ok, maybe it removed it, I’m thinking. I still have the AVG shortcut on my Start Menu though (maybe because I had previously moved the “AVG Zen” folder under “AVG” instead of having them as separate”?). I tried the shortcut, it launched a black window the size that Zen used to be, but nothing fills in. I then open AVG 2014 and that launches fine, no AVG Zen on its black window. I close AVG 2014 and there’s nothing open from the Zen window that the AVG 2014 window must have overtook. I tried Zen’s shortcut again, nothing happens this time. Maybe it’s gone? Except that the Registry Key is still there. I did a search in the rest of the registry for “AVG Zen” (Ctrl+F). I found keys in HKEY_USERS, under a user SID, \Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MenuOr. Well, I didn’t want to see Zen on my right-click menu in Explorer, so deleted them. Did a F3 to “Find Next”. Nothing else. Could it really be gone? Started from the beginning. Nope. Found it in these places:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Installer\Products\063F2EEF5B2BCB54598C672E60C9C08B, and same in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE version of the same place. Deleted the whole key in Products in each one.
There was a reference to my shortcut on my Start Menu at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer\Folders. Deleted the string name and value only-not the key.
Deleted just the AVG Zen one, not the AVG. Also deleted my AVG Zen folder from C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\AVG\AVG Zen. Yours might be in a slightly different place, like C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\AVG Zen.
Found again at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Installer\UserData\S-1-5-18\Products\063F2EEF5B2BCB545 (the “S” number could vary on your machine). Deleted the whole key.
Then finally I was back at my original key in HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall. Deleted this.
So now I’m gonna consider it removed, but I didn’t see any difference in my disk files, even though Add/Remove Programs said it was something like 250 MB, I thought. One explanation, when I looked at the Start Menu shortcut path before I deleted it, I believe it was referencing one of the “avg” processes, like “avgcsrvx.exe” (I think that was the file…I’m looking at my Task Mgr processes to refresh my memory, since I already deleted the file and recycled it – I wanted it gone!) with parameters after it, to differentiate it from the AVG program, but still integrate or build in this Zen interface to the original program. So the files are still required… just by AVG, not Zen, now. Apparently they literally built Zen into the AV .exe file…. unless I’m wrong, but I don’t think I am.
Anyway, if this helped anyone, I’ve seen posts saying shops charge anywhere from £70 to $200US for getting rid of it. Donations appreciated to my e-mail address using PayPal. Thanks!
Oh, that’s navyjax2 at aol, btw.
And be careful with my instructions – where I say I delete the “whole” key, I mean from where I found AVG Zen, not anything above it. On the “Uninstall” key, I mean just the one at {FEE2F360-B2B5-95C8-7632069C0CB8} I mention in the beginning. Always be careful when editing the registry and it’s best to back it up first if you don’t know what you’re doing or can’t make sense of what the information is telling you. Making a System Restore point is a good idea, and will take care of backing up the registry for you.
It is all for the money.
AVG wants just earn big money.
I had so much troubles by installing AVG plus ZEN, that i took it all from the system. Ofcourse it took some time and and headbreaking haha, bud it is finally all out of the system.
AVG los a user/customer.
Never will return back to that program.
Absolutely no way to install AVG without Zen. I installed from Filehippo.com and still ended up with this Zen bull@%#!. You can delete AVG Protection alright, but Zen still remains. Looks to me like AVG has also gone into the Ransomware business. If I can finally get rid of Zen, without having to do a whole complete reinstall of my O.S., I’ll never go back to AVG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If anyone can offer any solutions, I’d be very gratefull.
Simple fix to get rid of Zen!
Right click on AVG Icon and click on properties!
Change Target to read.
Make sure to use Caps as shown here
And exclamation marks as shown also!
“C:\Program Files\AVG\Antivirus\AVGUI.exe”
Change Start In to read.
“C:\Program Files\AVG\Antivirus”
Click “APPLY”
Then click on icon. :-)