Hi,
I’ve been using the farm version of Avast for years, I’ve recommended it to all my friends, and I’ve been very happy with it. For about three weeks, however, I’ve been having a problem (I’ve also been using Firefox for years, I checked there’s no change on Chrome - Avast also blocks access). Avast has started completely blocking well-known and regular websites like Amazon, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and many others that I use.
And now the interesting part - the program blocks them despite setting exceptions for these addresses! The only way to open Facebook, for example, is to… completely disable the shields for, say, 10 minutes.
Has anyone else had/experienced a similar problem with Avast Free + Firefox + Win11?
I’ve reached the point where I’m (reluctantly) considering switching to a different antivirus if I don’t find a permanent solution within a few days.
Hi, I’m sorry to hear about this issue. Is there a detection message shown on the screen? If so, can you please send us a screenshot or a photo of this message?
I suspect this might be a case of some browser hijacker or malicious browser extension. Or potentially a false positive detection of some sort.
If you’re not getting any detection message, can you please send a screenshot showing the blocked/unloaded version of the websites? This could be a problem similar to this one: Avast block facebook from opening - #16 by Arsat
There’s no window, no pop-up. Avast simply blocks websites and their content.
They don’t open at all or open very, very, VERY slowly (on Amazon, individual photos load at a rate of one every 5 seconds).
It’s also not the fault of browser add-ons, as I only use… two. The same ones I’ve used for years, tried and true, and haven’t caused any problems. Ever.
I should also add that about a month and a half ago, I reinstalled Windows 11, and everything worked fine for first 3-4 weeks. One morning, I turned on my computer, and Avast was already acting up (probably after the update).
The fact is, I’m currently unable to use any browser. The only way to browse the internet is to disable Avast, which contradicts the sole reason this program is on my computer.
Some websites that partially load (e.g., Twitter) look like this. The loading circle spins for, say, 4-5 minutes, and the page may or may not load. It may load 5-10 posts, or maybe 50. After disabling Avast, everything returns to normal.
Using YouTube is similar. The video doesn’t load immediately, but rather with a significant delay. Even with the minimum resolution, the video loads while you’re watching every 10-15 seconds. After disabling Avast—as with other issues—everything returns to normal.
1:1 the same problem.
Some websites load, others don’t. Others only load partially and problems arise when logging in at the latest.
I tried everything: adwcleaner, malwarebytes virus scanner, resetting all DNS with all possible commands.Router disconnected from the network for 10 minutes, Firefox cache etc. deleted, Firefox cleaned up.
Only two things worked 100%: turning off Avast or loading Win11 in safe mode with networking (without Avast). Then everything worked.
Chrome is working a little better again, but Firefox is still difficult with Facebook, Instagram, etc.
Download Comet from Perplexity. Firefox and Chrome have their own certificates, as Gemini explained. Comet uses the ones from Windows. Everything works there.
But the culprit in my case is clearly Avast.
The problem kept recurring. Facebook or Insta loaded poorly (e.g., images or posts) or not at all… for years, on and off. It’s never been this bad before.
Whilst this isn’t a great Idea (you should only need to disable the Web Shield/Guard), as you have to remember to enable it again or you are unprotected.
You could add Facebook to your Menu > Settings > Exceptions - see attached image which is for youtube as an example of the format.
But it would be better to give more details on why it isn’t working.
Is Avast Alerting or are you getting an error from the website or other (not loading) ?
I have already loaded them as an exception (Facebook and Marketplace). I get no notifications of any kind. I temporarily disable the shields for an hour. I do not turn them off. It’s the only way I can view these sites and have the images load.
