How to Fix Avast Not Updating Virus Definitions?

When you start using an operating system, it becomes your responsibility to protect it from any sort of virus or other security threat. Well, this is the reason, you have an antivirus system installed in your system, to protect your system. One of these antivirus software that people use is Avast Antivirus, Avast is one of the most famously used antivirus software. The only problem with this software is that sometimes it stops updating. In this case, Avast not updating can be a major concern for you. 

This is with every software or application that whenever there is a new update or new virus definitions are available, it gets updated automatically. But after all, they are all just software made with technologies and can have any issue anytime, maybe this is why you are getting the message “Avast Antivirus is Not Updating”. So if you are facing this issue, look no further, here is a list of solutions for you to fix this issue. But first, let’s have a look at why your Avast Antivirus Not Updating Virus definitions.

Why are Avast Antivirus Not Updating Virus definitions?

Before jumping onto the solutions and their fixes, you should know the cause of the problem that you are facing. Knowing the cause of the error might also give you some tips to prevent the error from occurring again. So here are the reasons why your Avast software is not updating virus definitions:

• Incompatibility with Windows 

It might be possible that the current version of Avast that you are using might be incompatible with the Windows installed on your device. This happens when you don’t update your Windows or any other operating system regularly. 

• Installation error

There might be a possibility that your Avast software is installed incorrectly, which is leading to this issue. So if you are facing this error, again and again, make sure that the software is installed correctly. 

Now that you know what is affecting your Avast software update, let’s now have a look at the possible fixes for it. 

Solutions for Fixing the Update Issue in Avast

Here are some solutions to help you fix the “Avast not updating virus definitions” error. Try the following solutions and see which one of them works out for you:

Solution 1: Update the Virus Definitions Manually

If your Avast software is not updating automatically, you can do the same on your own too, here’s how you can update your virus definitions:

• Click on the Avast icon from the bottom right corner of your taskbar.
• There, click on update and then on engine and virus definitions. 

• The Avast will start to check on system updates on its own, if not, click on “check for updates”. 
• Then, Avast will check for the pending updates and install them, waiting for this process to finish. 
• Once it’s done, you’ll receive a message saying “Virus definitions are up-to-date”. 
• After that, you may have to restart your device to let the update install properly. 

Solution 2: Update the Avast Application Manually

There’s a possibility that your Avast application needs to be updated, so here’s how you can do the same manually:

• From your notification section, right-click on the taskbar of your Avast software and then click on “Update”. 
• After that, click on Program. 
• The Avast software will start looking for updates on its own after this, but if not, click on “check for updates”. 
• Then, Avast will check for the pending updates and install them, waiting for this process to finish. 
• Once it’s done, you’ll receive a message saying “Virus definitions are up-to-date”. 
• After that, you may have to restart your device to let the update install properly. 

Solution 3: Update the Avast Free Antivirus From the Settings of your System

• Launch Avast on your system and visit the menu option from the upper right corner. 
• There, select settings. 
• In the settings menu, you’ll see the general tab, click on it, and then click on the update option. 
• There, click on “check for updates” and the installation of the new update will begin. 
• Once the update is installed, you’ll see a prompt asking you to restart your system, and click on it to make the available changes on your Avast software. 
• After that, when the system is restarted, launch the Avast software again to see if there’s any change in the error or not. 

Solution 4: Use the Built-In feature to Troubleshoot Avast

Most people might not know that, but there’s a built-in feature in your Avast software to help you when there’s this error of Avast not being able to update the virus definitions. You can use this method to fix this issue within a few minutes, let’s see how:

• Launch your Avast antivirus and go to the menu option.
• There, click on settings. 
• In the settings option, click on general, and there you’ll find the troubleshooting option. 
• In the troubleshooting bar and scroll down.
• There, you’ll see the “still having problems?” button where you’ll have the “repair” option, click on it to proceed. 
• Once clicked on the repair option, you’ll receive a pop-up message asking for permission, click “yes” on it and wait for the Avast repair to get finished. 

Solution 5: Use the Control Panel to Uninstall the Software

As said before, there might be an issue with the installation of the Avast software itself. So if you notice that there are no updates available, it means the Avast installation needs to be repaired. This can be done by simply using the control panel, let’s see how:

• Press the Windows+R key together to open the run tab. 
• In the tab, type “control” and click on OK.
• Then, in the control panel window, click on programs and features in the program section. 

• There, click on Avast and then select the Uninstall/Remove tab. 
• Next, you’ll see the repair button, click on it and then select OK.
• Then, you’ll be required to follow some instructions, follow them, to begin with, the repair. 
• Next, after the scan, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on “Resolve”. 
• Once all the process is complete and the fixes are done, restart your system and then launch the Avast software again to see if the issue is resolved or not. 

Solution 6: Reinstall the Software

Whenever there’s an issue with a software or an application, we do try reinstalling that application once, in hope of it being fixed on its own. Similarly, if the in-built troubleshooting feature, or updating the software manually didn’t work out for you, try reinstalling the Avast software. Here’s how you can do it:

• Open the Run dialogue box by pressing the Windows+R keys altogether. 
• There, type “appwiz.cpl” to launch the control panel. 
• Then, you see a list appear on your screen, click on Avast from that list. 
• Click on remove or uninstall, then a setup screen will appear, click on Uninstall there and then follow the instructions on the screen to proceed. 
• Once the software is uninstalled, download the latest version of it available from the Avast website. 

So this was how you can simply uninstall the software and then download the latest version of it within just a few steps. But if this method doesn’t work out for you, there’s an alternative way to do the same too, let’s have a look:

• Visit the official website of Avast and download the Avast uninstall utility software from there. 
• Once downloaded, make sure to save it on your desktop screen.
• After that, launch the Run dialog box by pressing the Windows+R keys together, then type ”msconfig” and hit the enter key. 
• Check the safe boot under the boot options that are available under the boot tab. 

• There, click on apply and then click OK.
• And then restart your system to boot it into the safe mode without any interruption. 
• Once your system enters the safe mode, run the avastclear.exe that you earlier installed on your desktop.
• And now boot your system back to normal mode and download the latest version of Avast from its official website. 

Solution 7: Contact Customer Support

Well, this would be your last stop. If none of the above-mentioned solutions works out for you, there must be some technical issue that only a professional can resolve. In this case, it is advised to contact the customer support team of Avast Antivirus. Discuss every detail with them, and they will have some solution for you. 

Here are some frequently asked questions for Avast Antivirus: