Fix McAfee Installation Incomplete error on Windows PC

If you see the error message Installation Incomplete when you try to download and install McAfee LiveSafe, Total Protection, or other McAfee products on your Windows 11 or Windows 10 computer, then this post is intended to help you with effective solutions that can help you successfully resolve the issue on your system.

Fix McAfee Installation Incomplete error

If when you try to install McAfee on your Windows 11/10 computer and you get the Installation Incomplete error prompt stating We couldn’t install any of the security features included with your software, then the suggestions we have presented below can be applied to that order. After completing each step, try the installation again. If the installation is successful, you don’t need to complete any remaining steps.

Initial checklist
Install and run the McAfee Software Install Helper
Run the Pre-Install Tool
Run the McAfee Consumer Product Removal tool (MCPR)
Scan your PC for malware

Let’s take a look at the description of these fixes.

1] Initial checklist

When the McAfee Installation Incomplete error occurs on your Windows PC, before you try the installation again, make sure that your PC meets the following prerequisites.

Minimum system requirements: To install the latest McAfee security software for Windows, you must have a supported operating system and browser. The software can only be installed on computers with a modern instruction set on processors that use the Streaming SIMD Extensions 2 (SSE2) supplementary instruction set or later. SSE2 includes an additional instruction set. To find the instruction set extension supported in your Intel processor, head over to the Intel support page at intel.com/processors.
If you have any other third-party security software installed on your PC, you need to uninstall the antivirus or the firewall as the case may be before attempting to install McAfee.
Make sure Windows is up to date on your PC by manually checking for and installing any available bits.

If, after you tick all the boxes for the checklist, but the issue persists, then make sure you’re logged in as an admin on the PC and try the McAfee installation again. If that doesn’t help, enable the in-built admin account, log into the account, and see if the software installation is successful. If so, you can sign out of the admin account and disable it. But if the issue persists, you can continue with the rest of the suggestions in this post.

2] Install and run the McAfee Software Install Helper

The Software Install Helper fixes most installation issues on Windows. This solution requires you to download and run the software by following the steps below.

Download the software executable file directly from McAfee.
Run the package once downloaded.
In the window that opens, enter your registered email address and password.
Next, click Login.
Click Start.
Next, accept the License Agreement, and follow the prompts.

When the McAfee Software Install Helper tool completes, your issue should be resolved. Otherwise, try the next troubleshooting step.

Read: Cannot install or uninstall programs in Windows

3] Run the Pre-Install Tool

PC users can use the Pre-Install Tool to prepare their Windows computers for McAfee software installation. To perform this task, follow these steps:

When you see the error prompt, click the Close button to exit the dialog.
Download the Pre-InstallTool directly from McAfee.
Double-click the downloaded executable file to launch the utility.
Click the Start button on the home page and follow the prompts.
Restart your PC once the procedure completes.

On boot, you can try to install your McAfee security software again. If the installation fails again, continue with the next solution.

Read: Your McAfee software installation cannot continue

4] Run the McAfee Consumer Product Removal tool (MCPR)

This solution requires you to completely uninstall McAfee using the MCPR tool. It’s recommended to always download a new copy of MCPR before each use. When you use the latest version, newer McAfee products can be successfully recognized. The tool is not designed to clean up 100% of components, but rather only the components needed for reinstallation.

After you run the tool and see the Cleanup Unsuccessful message, restart your PC and rerun MCPR. If you see the message again, ignore it and restart your PC again. On boot, attempt to reinstall your McAfee software.

5] Scan your PC for malware

If at this point, after performing the above troubleshooting but you’re still unable to install the McAfee software, then you need to scan your PC for malware. You can download and use the McAfee Malware Cleaner (MMC), a free tool that cleans malware, adware, viruses, and other threats from your PC. Alternatively, you can use any free Malware Removal Tools to remove specific viruses in Windows 11/10.

Any of these solutions should work for you! Otherwise, you can install and use an alternative AV solution on your Windows 11/10 PC or contact McAfee Support via their Virtual Assistant.

Does McAfee block Windows Defender?

Due to conflicts, the rule of thumb is that you can have only one AV protection turned on at a time that will protect your computer. So, you can’t turn on both McAfee & Windows Defender at the same time to protect your system. If your McAfee subscription has expired, you can uninstall the AV solution, and your PC security will default to Windows Defender.

Does McAfee slow down your computer?

Third-party applications might run slower than expected or stop working while being scanned by McAfee. On older computers with more limited hardware resources, this slowness is more noticeable. Sometimes the McAfee scanner itself can tax your computer’s memory, especially when you’re using multiple programs at the same time. PC users with an existing McAfee security subscription can use the McAfee PC Optimizer to boost the computer’s processing speed and overall performance.

Read: Microsoft PC Manager is a 1-click optimizer for Windows 11/10.