LG McAfee ads on Windows will be disabled after Microsoft steps in
Microsoft says LG will disable McAfee pop-ups in its monitor installer after Windows 11 users complained about unwanted prompts.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
2 min read
Microsoft says LG will disable LG McAfee ads that appeared for some Windows 11 users after they connected LG monitors to their PCs. The move matters because the complaints centered on software arriving through Windows’ driver-update system, a channel users generally expect to handle hardware setup rather than marketing prompts.
Pavan Davuluri, Microsoft’s Windows chief, said on X that LG had agreed to turn off the McAfee pop-up in the LG Monitor App Installer immediately. Davuluri also said Microsoft would keep working with its hardware and software partners on the issue.
The action followed complaints from Windows 11 users about McAfee trial notices and LG app prompts appearing after an LG monitor was connected, according to The Verge. Those reports said a Windows driver update installed LG driver updates and the LG Monitor App Installer without a clear approval step from the user, with similar complaints appearing as far back as 2024.
Why were LG McAfee ads appearing on Windows 11?
The McAfee prompts were tied to LG’s Monitor App Installer, a utility LG said was distributed through Microsoft’s official Windows distribution process. In LG’s account to Windows Latest, the installer included McAfee as an optional offer rather than installing the antivirus software on its own.
That distinction did not answer the main user complaint: the appearance of promotional pop-ups after connecting a monitor. Microsoft’s intervention targets the pop-up notification, according to Davuluri’s post, rather than a broader ban on monitor makers distributing companion software through Windows.
What LG said about consent and data
LG defended its handling of the installer in a statement to Windows Latest. The company said McAfee is not installed automatically and that users must choose to continue with the installation and give consent before McAfee is added.
LG also told Windows Latest that the LG Monitor App Installer does not access, gather or send customers’ personal data. The statement focused on the McAfee installation process and data handling, while Microsoft’s response addressed the pop-up that users objected to seeing.
The episode points to a broader irritation with hardware companion apps on Windows. The Verge’s Tom Warren has noted that Dell uses a similar automatic installation approach for Alienware Command Center when a Windows PC is connected to an Alienware monitor.
Warren has also reported that LG shows ad notifications on its TVs at startup. Microsoft can pressure partners over software delivered through the Windows ecosystem, but that leverage does not extend to every LG product or every place where ads may appear.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.