The McAfee License Agreement is the single contract that governs McAfee’s consumer software and services. It is written in plain language, binds the person or business that accepts it, and takes effect when the user clicks an acceptance button, installs or uses the software. Words in bold carry the same meaning throughout, “McAfee” means the McAfee entity that provides the software in the user’s region, and “you” can mean a business the signer is authorised to represent.[1] The page states a “Last Updated” date of 30 March 2026.
Product-specific terms of service are part of the same agreement: the License Agreement says some software and services have extra terms that are also part of it, and directs readers to the Product Terms of Service.[1] Those additional terms are covered in identity, privacy and support services and renewals, refunds and the Virus Protection Pledge.
The grant
On purchase the user receives a limited licence. McAfee, its partners and its suppliers keep all rights in the software, and the licence belongs to the subscriber alone and cannot be transferred to anyone else.[1] The licence is available:
- for as long as the subscriber continues to pay applicable fees or until the subscription ends;
- for the length of time chosen at purchase or, where no length was chosen, one year;
- on the number of devices offered as part of the plan or product purchased, provided the devices and operating systems meet McAfee’s requirements, which the subscriber must keep up to date.[1]
Two clauses matter for asset records. First, if a user sets up a new device and already has a subscription associated with their email address, McAfee automatically applies the existing subscription instead of any limited-term trial that came with the device; if several subscriptions exist it selects the most appropriate one.[1] A preinstalled trial therefore does not create a second entitlement on a device whose user already holds a subscription. Second, by buying a subscription in a particular language the user agrees to receive all later communications in that language.[1]
Small business products
For small business products the grant is the same, with one difference: the software and services may be used on devices used for internal business operations by people employed by the small business, up to the limit of devices and/or users of the product.[1] A business that uses an individual or family plan on staff devices is outside this clause.
Unlimited device plans
Unlimited device plans cover only devices that each licensed user owns for personal, non-commercial use, and McAfee reserves the right to stop abuse; a user who has trouble adding a device is told to contact Customer Support.[1] The offer terms repeat this and add that such plans cover household devices and are subject to a fair use policy.[4]
Free software and minors
McAfee sometimes provides software and services free of charge, for example as a feature inside a paid subscription, as pre-release beta software or as a courtesy service. The agreement applies to those too unless McAfee says otherwise, and they can be used for as long as McAfee provides them.[1]
A person under 18 or under the age of majority in their jurisdiction may not accept the terms alone and may not use the software unless a parent has agreed on their behalf as part of a family plan. Users who rely on tracking features must have the legitimate right and authority, as a parent, legal guardian or otherwise, to monitor children.[1]
Restrictions
The agreement lists examples of prohibited conduct that can lead to cancellation of the subscription. They include reverse engineering or decompiling, modifying the software, commercialising it “including by selling, lending or renting”, using a pirated version, creating a product based on it, sub-licensing or assigning it, publishing or copying it other than backups, circumventing technical protection measures, exceeding content storage or bandwidth limits, and using a multi-user product to track another person without consent.[1]
Two items are specific to device counting: installing on more devices than permitted, including by failing to delete the software from a device before it is sold or transferred, and continuing to use the software after the right to use it has expired or been terminated.[1] The published agreement has no clause allowing McAfee to audit a customer’s systems. If the agreement is violated, McAfee says it will suspend or end use and may close the account.[1]
Updates, support and discontinuation
McAfee releases updates and may stop supporting the previous version; users agree that updates may be installed in the background. For products that qualify for technical support, the standard support offering applies for the length of the paid subscription, and its policies may change and vary by country.[1]
McAfee may discontinue software, services or features. When it stops offering a product for purchase, download or renewal the product reaches end of sale, and the subscriber cannot activate or renew the subscription after the end-of-sale date.[1] The offer terms add that product features may be added, changed or removed during the subscription term and that not all features are available on all devices.[4]
Payment, renewal and cancellation
The payment clauses are summarised here and treated in full in the renewals article. A purchase made from McAfee, as opposed to a third party, authorises McAfee or its authorised partner to charge the payment type for the initial price and for renewals, and to charge alternative payment types if the primary one fails. Subscriptions renew automatically unless the user opted out, and McAfee charges within 30 days before the term ends at the price in effect at renewal. McAfee may change prices after an introductory period for legal or regulatory reasons, improvements or new features, or market factors such as taxes, inflation or currency.[1]
A subscriber can cancel any time before expiry but may not qualify for a refund; if not, they can use the software until the end of the paid period. When the agreement ends the user must stop using the software and permanently delete it from devices, and McAfee deletes stored content in line with its internal policies.[1]
Changes to the terms
McAfee may change the terms and post them on its website. Renewing a subscription means accepting the most recent version, which replaces older versions the user has accepted; a user who disagrees can end the subscription by not renewing and uninstalling the software. Free software users accept changes by continuing to use it.[1]
Warranty and liability
The software and services are provided “as is”. McAfee’s liability, and that of its affiliates, suppliers and licensors, is limited to the price paid for the software or services for the subscription term in which the event occurred, or USD 100 for free software, and excludes indirect and consequential loss and theft of personally identifiable information. The agreement also states that it does not limit consumer-protection rights that cannot be waived.[1] Users are responsible for backing up data, because malware attacks may delete, alter or encrypt it, and the software is not designed for high-risk activities such as nuclear facilities or air traffic communication.[1]
Governing law, disputes and local variations
Use of the software is subject to the laws of New York, or Delaware if New York law does not apply, with listed exceptions: Ontario for Canadian purchases, New South Wales for Australian purchases, Singapore for Asia, New Zealand and Oceania outside Australia and Japan, Japan for Japanese purchases, and national law in the European Union, United Kingdom, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. Conflict-of-laws principles, the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods and the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act are always excluded.[1]
For US consumers, disputes go to confidential, final, binding individual arbitration under the Federal Arbitration Act, administered by the American Arbitration Association, after a 60-day written notice period. Class actions and jury trials are waived. Either party keeps the right to use small claims court and to seek injunctive relief to protect intellectual property. A user can reject the arbitration contract by written notice within 30 days of first agreeing to the agreement, and can reject later changes to the arbitration terms within 30 days of the “Last Updated” date.[1]
Local provisions modify the terms. In Quebec, an automatic renewal runs for an indefinite term and may be terminated at any time after renewal with a prorated refund under local law. In the Netherlands the same indefinite renewal applies with 30 days’ notice. In Germany, for consumer contracts from 1 March 2022, the subscription renews for an indefinite period and may be terminated after the initial term on one month’s notice. France reproduces statutory text on tacit renewal, and Australia sets out remedies under the Australian Consumer Law. New Jersey consumers are not subject to the exclusion of punitive damages, loss of data and property damage.[1]
Contracting entities
The software and services are licensed by McAfee, LLC for downloads in the United States, Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean, by McAfee Consumer Affairs North, LLC for Canada, by McAfee Ireland Limited for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Pacific Rim, by McAfee Security Australia Pty Ltd in Australia, and by McAfee (Singapore) Pte Ltd for Asia Pacific outside Japan and Australia. In Japan the software is licensed by McAfee, LLC and services are provided by McAfee Co., Ltd.[1] The Product Terms of Service for Virus Removal and TechMaster list three offering entities, for North, Central and South America and the Caribbean, for Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Pacific Rim and Australia, and for Japan.[2]
Out of scope
This article does not reproduce the French statutory text or the German-language consumer refund policy, and it does not cover the privacy notice, which the agreement incorporates but which is not a licensing document. The Virus Protection Pledge terms are described in the renewals article.[3]