Stop overpaying for antivirus

How to turn off antivirus auto-renewal: Norton, McAfee and Bitdefender

By Losa · Last reviewed September 24, 2026 · 3 min read

Turning off auto-renewal doesn't stop your protection today. You keep everything you've already paid for until the end of the current term, it simply won't charge you again. That makes it a sensible step even if you think you'll probably renew: you can decide nearer the time, on your terms.

Before you start: where did you buy it?

How you cancel depends on where you're being billed:

• Bought on the company's own website: cancel in your account there, using the steps below.
• Bought through the App Store on an iPhone or iPad: cancel through Apple instead. Jump to app store steps.
• Bought through Google Play on Android: cancel through Google Play. Jump to app store steps.
• It came with a new computer, or you bought it from a retailer: you usually still manage it in an account on the company's website, which you'll have created when you activated it.

Not sure? Look at your card statement. The name on the charge usually tells you who is billing you (for example, "APPLE.COM/BILL" means Apple).

Norton

These steps follow Norton's official support article.

1. Sign in to your Norton account at my.norton.com.
2. Open the My Subscriptions tab.
3. Find your subscription and click Cancel Subscription Renewal or Manage Renewal.
4. Next to Plan Renewal, click Unsubscribe.
5. Choose a reason and click Next.
6. Norton may show you offers to stay. If you still want to cancel, click No thanks, cancel my subscription, then Next.

Norton says the change can take up to 24 hours to show in your account, and the confirmation email can take 24 to 48 hours. Your protection continues until the end of the period you've already paid for. Norton also publishes a separate cancellation and refund policy if you're within a refund window.

McAfee

These steps follow McAfee's official support article.

1. On a computer, go to the McAfee website and sign in to your account.
2. Click the Subscriptions tile.
3. Next to the subscription you want to change, select Manage subscription.
4. Click Turn Off, then click Turn Off again on the next screen to confirm.

McAfee also offers an alternative route: open Account in the top-right corner, choose Auto-Renewal Settings, switch automatic renewal off, and click Save.

Bitdefender

These steps follow Bitdefender's official support article.

1. Go to central.bitdefender.com and sign in with the account linked to your subscription.
2. Click My Subscriptions in the left-hand menu.
3. Open the My Payments tab at the top.
4. Click View details next to your Bitdefender product.
5. Click Stop Auto-Renewal.

If you subscribed through an app store

If you subscribed inside a mobile app, the app store handles billing, so cancelling on the antivirus company's website may not stop the charge.

iPhone or iPad (App Store)

1. Open Settings and tap your name at the top.
2. Tap Subscriptions.
3. Tap the antivirus subscription, then Cancel Subscription.

Android (Google Play)

1. Open the Google Play Store app.
2. Tap your profile picture, then Payments & subscriptions → Subscriptions.
3. Select the subscription and tap Cancel subscription.

After you cancel

• Keep the confirmation email. If you're charged anyway, it's your proof.
• Set a reminder for your end date. When the paid period ends, the software stops protecting you. Before then, either renew at a price you've chosen, switch to something else, or make sure the free protection built into your device is switched on. On Windows, see how to check Windows Security.
• Uninstall the old product once it expires, especially before installing a different antivirus. Two active antivirus programs can conflict with each other.

Already charged for a renewal you didn't want?

Many companies offer refunds within a set window after an automatic renewal, so check the company's official refund policy promptly. If you can't resolve it with the company, your card issuer may be able to help with a dispute.