Following the directions straight from your own guide are now obsolete.
When I follow the directions to downgrade to Free, it no longer takes me to the Setup page you have pictured.
It now takes me to the menu of picture attached. And it has no option to downgrade to free from there.
So how do I do it now?
I’d personally recommend uninstalling the premium version followed by a clean install of the free version.
I tried that, and when I signed in with my current account that has an expired subscription it automatically updated to expired premium. Very annoying.
If you’re installing the free version there is no need to sign in, just use it.
Not only is that a non-solution, but now Avast automatically signs me in and upgraded me to expired-premium on a re-install. This sucks man lmao
How is that a non-solution?
If you do a proper uninstall of Avast Premium (maybe use AvastClear) and then install Avast Free, it should have no knowledge of your premium account, and thus can’t automatically log you in and do an ‘upgrade’.
Quite likely there are some Avast remnants left after uninstalling Avast, after the removal of Avast you might need to run the Avast clean tool and even that may still leave remnants.
I know there used to be a leftover Avast file remaining in Program Data and several Avast entries in left in the registry.
Considering there used to be a single button press to let you downgrade, don’t you think “Just reinstall it after downloading some special tool to remove absolutely everything and never log-in” kinda sucks? lol
So it sucks compared to how it used to work. OK. That doesn’t make this a non-solution, which is what you said.
In a world where Avast does everything it can to convince, annoy, subvert, mislead, or scare you into buying a subscription, it should come as no suprise it does the same to keep you from ‘downgrading’. It is the Avast way.
Be snarky, argue about semantics all you want dude. There was a feature to downgrade, I was asking to see if it was still accessible in some other manner, and apparently it’s not. The Workaround, or as I liked to call it, non-solution, is to just completely uninstall everything, download some special tool you have to run in safe-mode to remove everything Avast related from your computer, and then reinstall the free version and never log in? Hardly seems like a solution considering all of their own moderator forum posts and official guides are now packed full of obsolete information, no?
I wasn’t being snarky. You’re imagining things and projecting. Maybe work on that, k…
If you don’t like our answers, try a different AV. This is what Avast is these days. Misleading menus and outdated guides. Be mad at the company, not us fellow users who are in the exact same boat as you!
We’re just as sick about the constant crappification of a once great piece of software with bloat and scare tactics. Removing a simple downgrade option is just a minor offense in the greater scheme of things.
“I wasn’t being snarky. You’re imagining things and projecting. Maybe work on that, k…”
Yeah that doesn’t sound like snark at all. Thanks for your amazing insight.
Fine. Try to find a solution that doesn’t exist then. We gave you the answer, shitty as it is. We spent our own free time helping you, and you blow us off because you don’t like what you’re told. Again; direct your frustration at Avast, not us! We’re not Avast employees. If you can’t appreciate the help, kindly f*ck off.
Just to make it clear; I only use Avast Free. I haven’t seen or used this formally present downgrade functionality.
It was a feature and now it isn’t. Avast decided they’d rather try to annoy you into buying a subscription, instead of keeping a convenient and user friendly way to go back to Avast Free. That’s a design choice. Not an accident.
It is a shitty thing to do. We all agree it is a shitty thing to do. But this is apparently better for their bottom line. And this is how Avast approaches most aspects of its user experience, and has done for years. It sucks.
So, the easy way is gone. What remains is the workaround. Which we informed you about, as regular users of Avast trying to help each other. We have no connection to the company and I don’t care to be treated as if I somehow might be.
I don’t think it’s fair for you to aim your frustration at us. We’re not Avast and/or agree with their business decisions, and you need to understand the difference. We share your frustration, but c’est la vie. Either deal with it or see if another AV suits you better. But be warned; they pretty much all pull these stunts if it makes them a buck.
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I don’t know what all this “we” business is. Craig actually tried to help me, you just swam in his wake, b*tching about Avast as a Company; being snarky about semantics. If the feature is gone, it’s gone. I was asking if there was another way to do it, there isn’t. Simple as that.
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When, at any point during any of these posts did I ever try and “take out” my frustrations on you? All I said was, “This is a non-solution”; “This is a work-around not a solution”; “Don’t you think this sucks?” etc. And then you replied to me saying I was Projecting and Imagining things, you even told me to fck off when confronted with the truth that you’re being a snarky asshole for no reason.
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I never asked about your opinions on the company or any of this other nonsense you keep going on about, take a hint dude, I don’t care!
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You can leave the thread at any time. Nobody is forcing you to reply to me. I don’t want the help you claim to have even offered, despite not even attempting to help or offering any solutions to begin with. Goodbye!
You know what? I had written a reply. The forum ate it. I’m not going to write it again.
You absolutely did ask my opinion, several times in fact. That is why I took the time trying to help you and explain why Avast does things like this and what your options are. Because I’m considerate like that.
If you won’t do a clean install with AvastClear, your problems likely won’t go away. Have fun with that.