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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. Refer to the relevant section in this article to either reinstall Avast Antivirus or remove the aswResp.dat file.

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 Antivirus

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. Start Windows in Safe Mode by following steps in the article below:
  2. Uninstall Avast Antivirus. For uninstallation instructions, refer to the following article:
  3. Reinstall Avast Antivirus. For installation instructions, refer to the articles below according to your product version:

    After reinstalling Avast Antivirus, you can access the program without a password. To set a new password, refer to 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 in to Windows with Administrator permissions before you begin.

  1. Start Windows in Safe Mode by following steps in the 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. Double-click your Local Disk (usually C:) where Avast is installed by default.
  5. 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:
  6. In the Avast folder, locate the aswResp.dat file and delete it.
  7. Click Yes in the confirmation dialog that appears.
  8. Restart your PC. After your PC restarts, Avast is accessible without a password. To set a new password, refer to the following article:
  • Avast Premium Security 20.x
  • Avast Free Antivirus 20.x
  • Avast Omni 1.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 2, 32 / 64-bit

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