We all know just how crucial protection against malware is. When you think about it, malware can affect all your valuable files and cause havoc in your system.
Luckily, Avast has developed numerous programs to protect your system against this kind of threat, and Avast Behavior Shield is undoubtedly one of the top choices.
However, what can you do if your Avast Behavior Shield won’t turn on, and what is causing your antivirus program to act up?
Let’s see how you can troubleshoot and fix your Avast Behavior Shield.
Why Avast Behavior Shield won’t turn on
Avast Behavior Shield is a next-level malware protection feature that monitors every single program in the system even after it has successfully passed the initial security check of your antivirus program.
As the name implies, this Avast tool monitors and remembers the behavioral changes in the programs.
This way, in case of any unexpected or suspicious changes, the Avast Shield can react and notify you of these potentially harmful actions. You can uninstall the program or take other action before malware damages the system.
However, if you cannot turn the Avast Behavior Shield on, there is probably an underlying issue you should take care of first.
Malware or issues in your Avast Antivirus program
Yes, we realize this may sound counterintuitive, especially since Avast is supposed to protect you against malware.
However, believe it or not, malware can also affect the antivirus program and cause all its features, including Avast Behavior Shield, to act up.
That said, if your Behavior Shield won’t turn on and you’ve tried almost everything, it could mean that the Avast program is infected, corrupted, or you don’t have the latest version.
Old, outdated versions of antivirus programs may have certain system errors and bugs eliminated with the latest version, which is why keeping the software up to date is crucial.
Avast antivirus program and system OS are not compatible
Before installing an Avast antivirus program or any other program, it is necessary to check if it is compatible with your system OS.
In case of incompatibility, your Windows or MAC OS will reject the program such as Avast Behavior Shield, blocking its activity.
Therefore, if you cannot turn on the Avast Core Shield, it could mean that the program and the system OS are incompatible.
How to fix Avast Behavior Shield that won’t turn on
There are a couple of highly effective methods an Avast user can use to start the Avast Behavior Shield if it fails to turn on automatically.
1. Check if you’ve turned the Shield off
You may have accidentally turned the Shield off, which is why it hasn’t been activated. Some users choose to deactivate the Shield on certain websites they trust, as it can block certain actions and content downloads.
Double-click on the Avast icon in the taskbar to check if your Avast Behavior Shield is turned off, then select Menu. Go to Settings, then look for the Protection tab.
Under the Protection tab, select the Core Shield option, where you should see a list of all the available Avast shields.
The Behavior Shield is usually listed as the Web Shield. Ensure it is turned on, then exit the Menu.
2. Launch Avast as an admin
Running Avast as an Administrator will give you more control over all its features, including the Behavior Shield.
Right-click the Avast icon in the taskbar, then select Run As Administrator. However, you need to ensure that Avast isn’t running in the background by pressing CTRL + Shift + ESC simultaneously, which will launch the Task Manager.
If you find Avast among the tasks, right-click on it and choose End Task. Now it should be possible to run Avast as an administrator.
Once you launch Avast, check if the Web Shield is disabled. If it is, make sure to enable it. You can also adjust the settings, so you always launch Avast as an admin.
Right-click on the Avast icon, launch Properties and check the Run this program as Admin option. Click Ok, and your changes will be saved.
3. Repair Avast antivirus
A problem with the Avast program files could be solved by repairing the program on your PC. Luckily, Avast has a restore option, and you don’t need to download any external programs for this.
Launch Control Panel, then click on Programs to find the Avast files. Once you find Avast Antivirus in the list of programs, click on it, and there should be an option to Modify/Change.
Select this option, and a repair wizard menu should pop up. Follow the instructions, which should lead to a menu offering to either Update, Repair, or Modify the program. In this Menu, you can also find the Uninstall option.
Select the Repair option and follow the instructions to fix any corrupted files in your Avast Antivirus program. Once the process is completed, restart the PC and see if you can turn on the Behavior Shield.
If repairing doesn’t work, you may have to uninstall the program, then download and install it again. When downloading an antivirus program, get the software from the official Avast website.
The same rules apply for updates, as you never want to download corrupted files from untrusted websites.
4. Download the latest version
Every new version of your antivirus brings new updates, improvements, and, most importantly, bug fixes.
That being said, you never want to run an outdated antivirus program, as there may be various bugs and software errors that could expose your system to malware.
While your Avast should be updated automatically, something may have blocked the update, so you may have to update it manually.
Launch the Avast user interface, then select Menu and Settings in the Menu that appears. Locate the Update tab, then make sure that the two buttons in this tab are checked (Virus Definition and Antivirus).
Once the updating wizard pops up, go through with the process and follow the on-screen instructions to download and install the latest Avast software version.
You can also restart the computer once the updates are installed to check if the Behavior Shield is working.
5. Re-install your Avast antivirus
In many cases, the only way to ensure that Avast Antivirus is installed correctly and free of errors and bugs is to re-install it without additional components and tools.
Go to Avast’s official website and download your chosen antivirus program. Launch the Control Panel, then go to Programs and find the current Avast antivirus you have installed on your computer.
Uninstall the current antivirus, disconnect the internet connection and go to C > Program Files > Avast directory to delete all Avast remains from your computer.
To launch the System Configuration menu, press and hold Windows + R Key and type ‘MSCONFIG’ in the dialogue bar that pops up, then confirm by pressing Enter.
Click on the boot tab and check the Safe Boot field. Reconnect the internet if it is necessary for Avast installation.
Install your new Avast antivirus program. Once the program has been installed on your computer, change the boot mode from Safe Boot to standard boot.
The Safe Boot mode has assured that nothing interfered with the installation of the new Avast program and nothing damaged the Avast files in this process.
