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AVG TuneUp - FAQs

General

What is AVG TuneUp?

AVG TuneUp is an optimization tool that includes a range of scans designed to detect unnecessary items and performance issues. These scans help free up disk space and improve your system's speed.

How will AVG TuneUp improve the performance of my device?

With frequent use, the reliability and performance of your Windows device begins to decline. You may notice the following issues:

  • Applications that run very slowly, crash, or freeze.
  • A lack of disk space.
  • Pop-ups from 'bloatware' applications.
  • Problems while starting your Windows device.

When you use AVG TuneUp to scan for and resolve issues on your Windows device, you may improve the speed of your Windows device, clear disk space, eliminate unwanted applications, and fix corrupted internal drives.

How do I use AVG TuneUp?

For detailed instructions on how to start using AVG TuneUp, refer to the following article:

Download and Installation

How can I download and install AVG TuneUp?

For detailed installation and activation instructions, refer to the following articles:

Is there a free trial version of AVG TuneUp available?

Yes. After installing AVG TuneUp, you have free access to all features and functions for a limited time period. A payment method is required to sign up for a free trial. When the trial ends, your paid subscription starts, unless it has been canceled before.

Can I use AVG TuneUp without installing AVG AntiVirus?

Yes. AVG TuneUp can be installed as a standalone application without AVG AntiVirus or AVG Internet Security installed on your Windows device.

Is AVG TuneUp included when I subscribe to AVG Internet Security?

No. AVG TuneUp requires a separate, paid subscription to use. You cannot use an AVG Internet Security subscription to activate AVG TuneUp.

Subscription and Activation

How do I activate AVG TuneUp?

AVG TuneUp is a paid app that requires a subscription to use. For detailed activation instructions, refer to the following article:

An AVG Account was created using the email address that you provided during the subscription purchase. To sign into your AVG Account for the first time, refer to the following article: Activating your AVG Account.

How do I know when my subscription expires?

Open AVG TuneUp, hover your mouse over the side menu, then click Settings, and select the My subscription tab. The subscription duration and expiration date are listed under Your subscription.

Can I use my AVG TuneUp subscription on multiple devices?

You can activate AVG TuneUp simultaneously on the number of devices you specified during purchase. You can verify the number of devices in your order confirmation email or via the AVG Account that contains your AVG TuneUp subscription.

If you have reached the device limit for your purchased subscription, you can start using AVG TuneUp on a new device by following the steps below:

  1. Uninstall AVG TuneUp from one of your current devices.
  2. Install AVG TuneUp on the new device.
  3. Activate AVG TuneUp on the new device.

What should I do if activation is unsuccessful?

To learn how to resolve some of the most common activation issues, refer to the following article:

If the issue persists, contact AVG Support.

Features

What does Clean junk do?

Running a Clean junk scan helps you remove caches, logs, downloads, trash, and broken files to free up disk space and improve system performance. The Clean junk scan includes several components, each designed to identify and remove a specific type of unnecessary data:

  • Disk Cleaner: Helps you remove files that may be using a large amount of disk space on your Windows device. You can review and clean leftover files created by the system, applications, or installers, such as temporary files, logs, and cached data.
    If you select the Downloads option for cleaning during a scan, check that your Downloads folder does not contain important or irreplaceable files before continuing.
  • Browser Cleaner: Helps you remove leftover files and tracking data stored on your Windows device during web browsing, such as browser cache, cookies, and history.
    If you select the Full mode, Browser Cleaner removes auto-fill data saved in the selected browsers.
  • Broken Registry keys: Helps you remove registry entries that may be outdated or no longer valid.
  • Broken shortcuts: Helps you remove invalid shortcuts that point to files or applications that no longer exist.

What does Manage programs do?

Manage programs scans your Windows device for outdated or unused applications and lets you update, uninstall, or simulate uninstalling them. This helps optimize how applications run and can free up system resources. The Manage programs scan consists of the following components:

  • Software Updater: Helps you find and install updates for installed applications. You can choose how the feature handles outdated programs.
  • Processes: Identifies applications that run silently in the background and may slow down your system. The feature allows you to safely put these applications to sleep.
  • Uninstall Simulator: Provides a simulated environment to practice removing software without immediately uninstalling it. You can choose when programs from the Uninstall Simulator list are permanently removed from your Windows device.
  • App Uninstaller: Allows you to completely remove programs that you no longer use. You can define how long an application must be unused before it is categorized as unused.

How can I turn off background and startup processes?

Certain applications slow down your system by running silently in the background. AVG TuneUp Premium scans for these applications, then allows you to safely put them to sleep and boost performance.

For information on how to use AVG TuneUp to save your resources, refer to the following article:

What does Optimize disks do?

The Optimize disks feature includes the following components, which help improve disk reliability and performance on your Windows device:

  • Disk Doctor: Helps you check, fix, and prevent errors on your hard disk by scanning for issues caused by corrupted files. If left unrepaired, such issues may lead to crashes, unexpected behavior, startup problems, or data loss.
  • Disk defragmenter: Helps improve performance by reorganizing files on hard disk drives so that fragments of the same file are stored together.
  • Disk optimizer: Helps improve system performance by optimizing how data is stored on your hard disk drive.

What does Manage data do?

Manage data allows you to scan your Windows device to recover deleted or damaged files or delete files permanently for extra privacy. It consists of the following components:

  • Data Recovery: Helps you recover deleted files from hard drives and other storage devices.
  • Data Shredder: Helps you permanently delete files and make them impossible to recover.

What is Undo Center?

The Undo Center allows you to reverse certain changes that AVG TuneUp Premium has made to your Windows device. To reverse a change: Hover your mouse over the side menu and click Undo Center to view a list of actions, then click Undo next to any changes you want to reverse.

Not all AVG TuneUp Premium actions can be reversed. Click Settings (the gear icon) to specify when AVG TuneUp Premium creates backups, and for how long the backups are stored. AVG TuneUp Premium uses your stored backups to undo changes.

Settings

How do I adjust general AVG TuneUp Premium settings?

Open AVG TuneUp Premium and hover your mouse over the side menu, then click Settings (the gear icon). The following options are available under the General tab:

  • Language: Change the language of the application.
  • Undo Center: Select which categories you want to create backups for.
  • Desktop notifications: Enable or disable notifications about critical issues or when scans are completed.
  • AVG Support Tool: Use the Support Tool to check for common issues in the app and gather logs that you can send to the support team.
  • Developer settings: Configure advanced settings that control how AVG TuneUp Premium behaves when the application is closed. Disabling these settings may prevent AVG TuneUp Premium from working properly.

What is Auto-Clean?

The Auto-Clean feature allows you to set up an automatic cleaning schedule and choose the items you want to clean regularly:

  • Broken Registry keys: Links in your system registry that may be outdated or broken.
  • Broken shortcuts: Invalid shortcuts leading to non-existent files or applications.
  • System junk: Unnecessary files (such as driver packages, temporary files, and log files) that occupy a lot of space and slow down your system.
  • Browser cache: A temporary storage location on your computer that holds downloaded files (for example, picture files stored from websites).
  • Cookies: Data files that record information about the websites you visit.
  • Browsing and download history: The history of visited websites and downloaded files from your browser (this option only removes the list of files and does not delete any files stored on your Windows device).

For information on how to set automatic cleaning, refer to the following article:

How do I adjust Manage programs settings?

The Manage programs feature keeps commonly used third-party software updated to eliminate potential security risks and improve the overall performance of your system. To specify how AVG TuneUp responds when it detects an outdated program on your Windows device, open AVG TuneUp Premium, hover your mouse over the side menu, and click Settings (the gear icon). The following options are available under the Manage programs tab:

  • Uninstall Simulator: Provides a secure simulated environment to practice removing software, without the risk of losing essential programs. Select when the programs on your Uninstall Simulator list get completely removed from your Windows device.
  • App Uninstaller: Enables you to completely remove any program that you no longer use. Select the duration after which programs should be categorized as unused.
  • Software Updater: Helps you find and install program updates for a smoother and safer experience. Select how the feature will handle outdated applications.

How do I adjust Browser Cleaner settings?

AVG TuneUp Premium allows you to choose how long you keep your browser data before it is cleaned. You can also create exceptions for websites that you want to stay logged into.

To manage Browser Cleaner settings, open AVG TuneUp Premium and hover your mouse over the side menu, then click Settings (the gear icon). The following options are available under the Browser Cleaner tab:

  • Cleaning delay:
    1. Click the drop-down menu under Cookies or Browsing history to specify how long AVG TuneUp Premium keeps them in your web browsers.
    2. After the selected period, AVG TuneUp Premium will remove Cookies or Browsing history.
  • Cookie allowlist:
    1. Enter the website URL (for example, example.com) in the upper text box, and click Add.

      ...Alternatively, select a website from the list of popular websites in the lower text box, and click Add.
    2. The selected website is now excluded from cookie clearing.
Adjusting the cookie allowlist is available only in AVG Secure Browser, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.

Can I review found issues before AVG TuneUp Premium optimizes my device?

Yes. When AVG TuneUp Premium completes a scan, you can review and manage any issues you find.

When Auto-Clean is enabled, you can select which items AVG TuneUp Premium has permission to automatically delete by clicking the arrow next to a category to view its individual items, then manually de-select any items you do not want to be deleted automatically.

How can I control which data I share with AVG and third parties?

To change your personal privacy settings:

  1. Open AVG TuneUp Premium, hover your mouse over the side menu, and click Settings (the gear icon).
  2. Select the Privacy tab.
  3. Tick or untick the boxes next to the privacy settings according to your preferences.

What does AVG TuneUp do with my encrypted files?

AVG TuneUp ignores encrypted partitions and files to ensure your privacy and security. If your entire hard drive is encrypted, AVG TuneUp cannot scan and optimize your system.

Troubleshooting

How can I uninstall AVG TuneUp?

For detailed uninstallation instructions, refer to the following article:

How can I report a problem or suspected bug?

If AVG TuneUp produces unexpected results or error messages, report the issue to AVG Support by submitting a ticket.

Send a detailed description of how to reproduce the error and include the following information:

  • Your version of Windows and your Windows device's brand, model, and graphics card.
  • A detailed description of the problem and the sequence of actions leading up to the issue.
  • Any error messages displayed.
  • Any differences on your Windows device following the issue.

How do I report a falsely identified junk file or program that AVG TuneUp removed from my system?

If AVG TuneUp disables or removes a file or an application that you wanted to keep, report the issue to AVG Support. Include the exact file or application name, all relevant details, and the undesired result.

What can I do if I see the error message 'Well, this is embarrassing'?

For detailed troubleshooting steps, refer to the following article:

General

What is AVG TuneUp?

AVG TuneUp is an optimization tool that includes a range of scans that are designed to detect unnecessary items and performance issues, helping to free up disk space and improve the speed of your system.

How will AVG TuneUp improve the performance of my device?

With frequent use, the reliability and performance of your Mac begins to decline. You may notice the following issues:

  • Applications that run very slowly, crash, or freeze.
  • A lack of disk space.
  • Unwanted applications on your Mac.
  • Problems while starting your Mac.

When you use AVG TuneUp to scan for and resolve issues on your Mac, you may improve the speed of your Mac, clear disk space, and eliminate unwanted applications.

Download and Installation

How can I download and install AVG TuneUp?

For detailed installation and activation instructions, refer to the following articles:

Can I use AVG TuneUp without installing AVG AntiVirus?

Yes. AVG TuneUp can be installed as a standalone application without AVG AntiVirus or AVG Internet Security installed on your Mac.

Is AVG TuneUp included when I purchase AVG Internet Security?

No. AVG TuneUp requires a separate, paid subscription to use. You cannot use an AVG Internet Security subscription to activate AVG TuneUp.

Subscription and Activation

How do I activate AVG TuneUp?

  • AVG Account: Activate AVG TuneUp by signing in to the application with the AVG Account that contains your AVG TuneUp subscription. In the top-right corner of the main application screen, click Sign in ▸ Sign in to existing account.
  • Activation code: Activate AVG TuneUp using the activation code from your order confirmation email. Ensure AVG TuneUp is open and active, then select AVG TuneUp ▸ Insert activation code on the left side of the Apple menu bar.

For detailed activation instructions, refer to the following article:

An AVG Account was created using the email address that you provided during the subscription purchase. To sign into your AVG Account for the first time, refer to the following article: Activating your AVG Account.

How do I know when my subscription expires?

Open AVG TuneUp and click Settings (the gear icon) in the left panel. Select the Subscription tab, and check the subscription expiration date under Your current subscription.

Can I use my AVG TuneUp subscription on multiple devices?

You can activate AVG TuneUp simultaneously on the number of devices you specified during purchase. You can verify the number of devices in your order confirmation email or via the AVG Account that contains your AVG TuneUp subscription.

If you have reached the device limit for your purchased subscription, you can start using AVG TuneUp on a new device by following the steps below:

  1. Uninstall AVG TuneUp from one of your current devices.
  2. Install AVG TuneUp on the new device.
  3. Activate AVG TuneUp on the new device.

What should I do if activation is unsuccessful?

To learn how to resolve some of the most common activation issues, refer to the following article:

If the issue persists, contact AVG Support.

Features

How do I use AVG TuneUp?

For detailed instructions on how to start using AVG TuneUp, refer to the following article:

What is Clean clutter?

Clean clutter scans several areas of your hard drive and detects unnecessary files that you can remove to free up disk space on your Mac.

To perform a scan, click Scan next to Clean clutter on the main AVG TuneUp screen. After the scan completes, you can review the amount of space taken up by unnecessary files and select which files you want to remove from your Mac.

What is Clean browser?

The Clean browser option allows you to easily protect your privacy by removing cookies and other browsing data from your web browsers.

To perform a scan, click Scan next to Clean browser on the main AVG TuneUp screen. After the scan completes, you can review the number of items found on each of your installed web browsers. Optionally click Details next to a browser to view the specific item types found and specify exactly what you want to remove.

You can configure AVG TuneUp to clean your browsers automatically. You can also add allowed websites that are always exempt when AVG TuneUp clears cookies and other browsing data.

What is Find duplicates?

Find duplicates detects multiple files with identical content.

To perform a scan, click Find next to Find duplicates on the main AVG TuneUp screen. After the scan completes, you can review the detected duplicate files and select which files you want to remove from your Mac.

What is Analyze photos?

Analyze photos detects photos that are blurry, badly lit, or similar.

To perform a scan, click Find under Analyze photos on the main AVG TuneUp screen. You can specify where AVG TuneUp will look for photos, and then after the scan completes, review and select which photos you want to delete.

What is Uninstall apps?

Uninstall apps allows you to easily find and remove applications from your Mac that you no longer use.

To uninstall applications you no longer use, click Show next to Uninstall apps on the main AVG TuneUp screen. Review the list of applications installed on your Mac and select which applications you want to delete.

What is Manage startup items?

Manage startup items allows you to turn off processes that launch automatically when you start up your Mac.

To turn off a startup item, click Show next to Manage startup items on the main AVG TuneUp screen. Review the list of applications, launch agents, and launch daemons. Click the green (On) slider so that it changes to gray (Off) next to a process you want to remove at startup.

Settings

How do I adjust AVG TuneUp settings?

Open AVG TuneUp and go to Settings (the gear icon) in the left panel, then select the relevant tab to perform the following actions:

  • General: View your app version number or check for updates, allow automatic updates, or enable Touch ID to approve actions.
  • Scanning: Specify scan options for Cleaning clutter, Finding duplicates, Finding photos, and Uninstalling apps, or allow System Monitor.
  • Browser Cleaning: Specify for how long AVG TuneUp keeps the cookies and browsing history in your web browsers before offering to remove these items during a Clean browser scan. You can also add allowed websites that are always exempt when AVG TuneUp clears cookies and other browsing data.
  • Trash: Enable to automatically delete files from the Trash after a specific time.
  • Alerts: Specify which notifications you receive from AVG TuneUp.
  • Subscription: Activate AVG TuneUp with an activation code or view your current subscription details.
  • Privacy: Manage which app-usage data you want to share.

How can I customize AVG TuneUp notifications?

To specify when you want to receive notifications from AVG TuneUp:

  1. Open AVG TuneUp and click Settings (the gear icon) in the left panel.
  2. Select the Alerts tab.
  3. The following options are available:
    • Notify me when my clutter is more than: Tick or untick this option to enable or disable notifications about the amount of clutter on your Mac. When this option is enabled, you can use the drop-down menu to customize the minimum amount of clutter that will trigger a notification.
    • Notify me when my disk space is less than: Tick or untick this option to enable or disable notifications about the amount of free disk space on your Mac. When this option is enabled, you can use the drop-down menu to customize the amount of remaining free disk space that will trigger a notification.
    • Notify me when I can delete leftover app files from my Trash: Tick or untick this option to enable or disable notifications about removing unnecessary app files from your Trash, such as log files and cache.

Can I review found issues before AVG TuneUp optimizes my device?

Yes. When AVG TuneUp completes a scan, you can review and manage any found issues.

How can I control which data I share with AVG and third parties?

To change your personal privacy settings, follow these steps:

  1. Open AVG TuneUp and click Settings (the gear icon) in the left panel.
  2. Select the Privacy tab.
  3. Tick or untick the boxes next to the privacy settings according to your preferences.

Troubleshooting

How can I uninstall AVG TuneUp?

For detailed uninstallation instructions, refer to the following article:

How can I report a problem or suspected bug?

If AVG TuneUp produces unexpected results or error messages, report the issue to AVG Support by submitting a ticket.

Send a detailed description of how to reproduce the error and include the following information:

  • Your macOS version.
  • A detailed description of the problem and the sequence of actions leading up to the issue.
  • Any error messages displayed.
  • Any differences on your Mac following the issue.

Why do I need to close open applications before AVG TuneUp continues cleaning?

When you perform a Clean clutter scan, AVG TuneUp detects unnecessary files, including those stored in your browsers and applications. If the applications containing these files are running when you click Clean, AVG TuneUp asks you to close the applications to prevent them from crashing or malfunctioning.

Why doesn't AVG TuneUp clean anything from my system?

AVG TuneUp is a paid app that requires a subscription to use. If you installed AVG TuneUp but you have not subscribed to or activated the app following your subscription purchase, the application runs in scan-only mode and cannot clean anything.

Why do I need to grant permissions to AVG TuneUp?

Each time you remove files, photos, or applications using AVG TuneUp, you are asked to authorize the cleaning process by entering the password that you use when you start your Mac. This stops unauthorized users clearing items from your system folders.

How do I send feedback about AVG TuneUp?

  1. Ensure the AVG TuneUp window is open and active.
  2. Click Help ▸ Send Feedback on the left side of the Apple menu bar.
  3. Enter your feedback, optionally include your name and email address, then click Send.
Your feedback will be reviewed and considered by our development team, but we cannot guarantee that you will receive a response. If you require assistance resolving an issue with AVG TuneUp, we recommend contacting AVG Support.
  • AVG TuneUp
  • Windows and macOS
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