Symantec Endpoint Protection can perform security software removal as part of its installation package. Installation packages that are deployed with this feature will remove any currently installed security software listed in the list below. Installation of Symantec Endpoint Protection begins immediately after existing security software is removed.

To enable the security software removal feature, do one of the following:

Enabling security software removal for Enterprise Edition

1. In Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager, go to Admin > Install Packages.

2. Click Client Install Settings.

3. Under Tasks, click Add Client Install Settings.

4. Give the file a meaningful name, such as "Third party uninstaller."
   Other settings in the file can be left on the default settings or configured as appropriate.

5. Check Automatically uninstall existing security software.

6. Save the Client Install Setting file.

The new Client Install Setting can then be chosen when creating or exporting installation packages, or selected from the menu in the Client Deployment Wizard.

Enabling security software removal for Small Business Edition

1. In Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager, click Home > Install protection client to computers.

2. In the Client Deployment Wizard, in the Select Group and Install Feature Sets pane, click Automatically uninstall existing security software.

NOTE: This feature requires Symantec Endpoint Protection version 12.1 RU1 MP1 or later. It is not available on Macintosh platforms. It is not included in Symantec Network Access Control client packages.

Information on Locale Support

• Uninstalling an English product in a localized environment is supported, unless explicitly stated otherwise in the table. Any attempts to uninstall an unsupported, non-English product will fail gracefully.

• All localized products in the above list can be removed when the OS language is the same as the product language.

Known Issues and Unsupported Combinations

• Symantec does not support uninstalling third-party security products while Symantec Endpoint Protection is installed on the system. The third-party security product should be manually uninstalled before proceeding with the installation of Symantec Endpoint Protection.  

• If a third-party product is scanning, updating, or cleaning when the uninstaller launches, the uninstaller fails gracefully. The uninstaller will not uninstall a third-party product if it cannot guarantee uninstall success.

• If the path for the Symantec Endpoint Protection installation package contains double-byte characters, the third party products will not be uninstalled.

• On some non-English language operating systems, the following products cannot be removed by the uninstaller and must be removed using Add or Remove Programs:

  • Kaspersky Internet Security 11.x and 12.x

  • Kaspersky AntiVirus 11.x and 12.x

• The following products require a password to install and uninstall, and therefore cannot be removed by the uninstaller:

  • Trend Micro Worry Free Business Security Agent 7.x

  • Trend Micro Worry Free Business Security Advanced 7.x

  • Trend Micro Worry Free Business Security Agent 6.x

• In cases where the product removal process does not complete, the product should be removed manually or an update from the product vendor should be sought to correct the problem with incomplete product removal.

• Use of this feature is not recommended if multiple antivirus products exist on the same computer.

• During removal, if security software is scanning, updating or cleaning when product removal begins, the uninstaller will fail gracefully.

• Products that were installed using a password will not be removed.

• This feature does not remove the McAfee framework service. This is a shared McAfee service used by other McAfee products.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know whether a product is removed successfully?

To confirm that a third-party product was removed, check Add or Remove Programs/Programs and Features, depending on your version of Windows.

If it appears that a product has not been removed, how do I troubleshoot it?

First, check the preceding table to make sure that the product you are trying to remove is supported for removal.

If the product is on the supported list, try using Add or Remove Programs/Programs and Features to remove the product. If you encounter problems using Add or Remove Programs to remove the product, you will need to open a ticket with the third-party vendor.

What if the third-party product is not in the supported products list?

Security products that are not in the supported products list can be removed using the SEPprep tool.