Is your Avast scan tool missing from the drop menu, or perhaps it’s there but failing to launch or function correctly? Many users of Avast Free Antivirus, Avast Premium Security, and Avast One encounter situations where certain features, including the vital scan tool, stop working as expected. This can leave your system vulnerable and your security compromised. If you’re experiencing issues like the Avast Scan Tool In Drop Menu Not Working, don’t worry. This guide will walk you through a proven method to resolve this problem: repairing your Avast installation.
This repair process is officially recommended by Avast to address a range of issues that can affect the performance of your antivirus software. It’s particularly useful when:
- Specific features malfunction: You might find that not only the scan tool but other components of Avast are unresponsive or not working correctly.
- Scans get stuck: If you manage to initiate a scan through another method, it might freeze or halt mid-progress.
- Updates fail: The application might fail to update to the latest virus definitions or program versions, leaving you exposed to new threats.
By performing a repair, you essentially refresh the Avast installation, often resolving underlying conflicts or corruptions that cause these problems. Keep in mind that while the repair process is designed to be safe, it might reset some of your customized settings back to their defaults.
Let’s dive into how to repair your Avast installation and get your scan tool, and your overall protection, back up and running. The steps are slightly different depending on your Windows version, but we’ve got you covered for Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7.
Repairing Avast Free Antivirus and Avast Premium Security
These instructions apply to both Avast Free Antivirus and Avast Premium Security.
For Windows 11 and Windows 10
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Close all applications: Ensure no other programs are running on your computer to prevent any conflicts during the repair process.
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Access Apps & Features: Right-click the Windows Start icon, typically located in the bottom left corner of your screen. From the menu that appears, select Apps and Features.
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Initiate Uninstall/Repair: Locate Avast Free Antivirus or Avast Premium Security in the list of installed apps.
- In Windows 11: Click the
â‹®
Options (three dots) icon next to your Avast product and select Uninstall twice. - In Windows 10: Click on Avast Free Antivirus or Avast Premium Security and then select Uninstall twice.
- In Windows 11: Click the
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User Account Control Permission: If the User Account Control dialog box appears asking for permission, click Yes to continue.
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Avast Setup Window – Repair: When the Avast Setup window opens, you will see options to modify, update, uninstall, or repair. Click Repair.
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Confirm Repair Request: A confirmation dialog will appear. Select Yes to confirm that you intentionally want to repair the application.
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Wait for Repair Process: Allow the setup process to repair your Avast application. This might take a few minutes.
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Restart Computer: Once the repair is complete, you might be prompted to restart your computer.
- If prompted, click Restart computer to reboot immediately and finalize the repair.
- If a restart is not required, click Done.
For Windows 8 and Windows 7
The process is slightly different for older Windows versions but still straightforward.
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Close all applications: Ensure no other programs are running.
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Access Programs and Features:
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Windows 8: Press the Windows logo key and the
X
key simultaneously on your keyboard, then select Programs and Features from the menu. -
Windows 7: Click the Windows Start icon and select Control Panel.
Then, depending on your Control Panel view:
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Category View: Under Programs, click Uninstall a program.
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Large/Small Icons View: Click Programs and Features.
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Initiate Uninstall/Repair: Right-click Avast Free Antivirus or Avast Premium Security, and select Uninstall.
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User Account Control Permission: If prompted by the User Account Control dialog, click Yes.
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Avast Setup Window – Repair: In the Avast Setup window, click Repair.
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Confirm Repair Request: Select Yes to confirm your repair request.
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Wait for Repair: Allow the repair process to complete.
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Restart Computer: Restart your computer if prompted, or click Done if no restart is needed.
Repairing Avast One
If you are using Avast One, the repair process is very similar. Here are the steps:
For Windows 11 and Windows 10
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Close all applications: Make sure no other applications are running.
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Access Apps & Features: Right-click the Windows Start icon and select Apps and Features.
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Initiate Uninstall/Repair: Locate Avast One in the apps list.
- In Windows 11: Click
â‹®
Options (three dots) and select Uninstall twice. - In Windows 10: Click Avast One and select Uninstall twice.
- In Windows 11: Click
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User Account Control Permission: Click Yes if the User Account Control prompt appears.
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Avast Setup Window – Repair: When the Avast Setup window appears, click Repair.
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Confirm Repair Request: Click Yes to confirm the repair.
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Wait for Repair Process: Let the repair process run.
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Restart Computer: Restart your computer if prompted, or click Done.
For Windows 8 and Windows 7
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Close all applications: Ensure no other programs are running.
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Access Programs and Features:
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Windows 8: Press the Windows logo key and select Programs and Features.
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Windows 7: Click the Windows Start icon and select Control Panel.
Navigate to Programs and Features as described earlier for Windows 7.
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Initiate Uninstall/Repair: Right-click Avast One, and select Uninstall.
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User Account Control Permission: Click Yes if prompted by User Account Control.
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Avast Setup Window – Repair: Click Repair in the Avast Setup window.
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Confirm Repair Request: Confirm by clicking Yes.
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Wait for Repair: Allow the repair to proceed.
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Restart Computer: Restart your PC if prompted, or click Done.
Once the repair process is complete and your system has restarted (if required), your Avast application should be functioning correctly again. The avast scan tool in drop menu not working issue should be resolved, and you should be able to access and use all features of your Avast antivirus software without problems. If you continue to experience issues after following these steps, you may need to consider a clean reinstall of Avast or contact Avast support for further assistance.