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Regaining access to the Avast program without a password

Avast Antivirus allows you to set a password to protect access to various areas of the program. If you forget your password, you can regain access to your Avast Antivirus program in two ways:

This article is not related to Avast Account passwords, or the Passwords manager feature in Avast Antivirus. For more information, refer to the following articles:

Reinstall Avast

If you are unable to remember your password, you can regain access to password-protected areas of Avast by reinstalling the program in Safe Mode.

  1. Uninstall Avast. For uninstallation instructions, read the following article:
  2. Reinstall Avast. For installation instructions, refer to the articles below according to your product version:

    After reinstalling Avast, you can access the program without a password. To set a new password, read the following article:

Remove the aswResp.dat file

If you are unable to remember your password, you can regain access to password-protected areas of Avast by removing the aswResp.dat file.

Ensure that you are logged into Windows with Administrator permissions before you begin.

  1. Start Windows in Safe Mode according to the Windows support article below:
  2. Simultaneously press the Win + X keys on your keyboard and select File Explorer from the menu.
  3. From the START menu select Computer.
  4. From the START menu select My Computer.
  5. Double-click your Local Disk (usually C:) where Avast is installed by default.
  6. Follow the path C:\ProgramData\AVAST Software\Avast to access Avast files on your local disk:
    If you cannot locate the ProgramData folder in your system, follow the instructions on the Windows support page:
  7. In the Avast folder, locate the aswResp.dat file and delete it.
  8. Click Yes in the confirmation dialog that appears.
  9. Restart your PC. After your PC restarts, Avast is accessible without a password. To set a new password, read the following article:
  • Avast Ultimate 17.x
  • Avast Premier 17.x
  • Avast Internet Security 17.x
  • Avast Pro Antivirus 17.x
  • Avast Free Antivirus 17.x
  • Microsoft Windows 10 Home / Pro / Enterprise / Education - 32 / 64-bit
  • Microsoft Windows 8.1 / Pro / Enterprise - 32 / 64-bit
  • Microsoft Windows 8 / Pro / Enterprise - 32 / 64-bit
  • Microsoft Windows 7 Home Basic / Home Premium / Professional / Enterprise / Ultimate - Service Pack 1, 32 / 64-bit
  • Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic / Home Premium / Business / Enterprise / Ultimate - Service Pack 2, 32 / 64-bit
  • Microsoft Windows XP Home / Professional / Media Center Edition - Service Pack 3, 32-bit

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