Are you frustrated with the sluggish speed you experience when using Avast? You’re not alone. Countless users have voiced their concerns about the decline in speed while connected to either Avast’s VPN or its antivirus software. If you’re wondering why Avast is causing this frustrating internet throttling, you’ve come to the right place.
Don’t underestimate the seriousness of this issue. The Avast speed throttling problem is not an isolated inconvenience. If you’re facing this issue, you may encounter a whole host of other problems that are linked to it. Picture this: you’re using Avast VPN, and not only are your speeds slower than ever, but you’re also grappling with web pages that refuse to load and programs that take forever to start up. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
In this guide, we will delve into the reasons behind Avast’s speed throttling issue and provide you with effective solutions to fix it. So, buckle up and get ready to reclaim your internet speed and enjoy a seamless online experience once again.
Why is Avast throttling internet speed?
- There are some instances where if you have other kinds of security software installed on your device other than a VPN, it could clash and cause either the speeds to slow down or programs to function a little slower than usual.
- Updates of both browser, and the VPN play a crucial role. Plus, sometimes it also depends on whether you’re using a new version of the VPN on an older model device. Make sure you run updates regularly for an up-to-date performance.
- You could also experience the “Avast slowing down your internet speed” issue due to your device not having enough space. Don’t install the Avast software if your device lacks free disk space.
- Got any firewalls, antivirus, VPNs, add-ons or extensions turned on? It may cause a slight or major conflict with Avast running side by side.
How do we fix the “Avast slowing down internet speed” issue?
Avast offers both the antivirus and the VPN app. When we tested it, I too encountered some terrible speed issues. For that, there are a couple of fixes or troubleshooting measures that you can use to solve the Avast throttling internet speed issue. Let’s start with the first one:
Troubleshooting fix #1 – Take a look at your router configuration to ensure that isn’t the cause of the speed downslide
We mentioned above, that there are a number of reasons why Avast speed throttling issue takes place. So, with that said, you can’t entirely blame it on the Avast antivirus program, before looking into it. The first fix involves you to go through your router configuration and check to see whether your internet speeds are slow or not.
Check to see whether the WiFi signals are reaching the device, or look to see if the server is down. With that, you will be able to tell what’s blocking the internet and its speeds from loading pages. So, in future, if you encounter the Avast throttling internet speed issue, just make sure you look into the router settings first.
Troubleshooting fix #2 – Disable or terminate any background apps if they’re running alongside Avast
In most circumstances, you will have a few versions of the Avast application that often run any similar programs in the background without you enabling it. You could say that they run as soon as you download Avast on your device, or try to reinstall or update it. This in turn causes your internet speeds to work slower or your bandwidth to get distorted. You could avoid this by better managing and terminating any background apps while Avast is running.
Let’s take your Windows device for starters. If you have the Avast app installed on it, and ever since then, your internet speeds started running slower than usual, or non-existent to a point, there is something you could try doing. Hit on “Ctrl, Esc, and Shift” keys together to launch the task manager window. From there, you head to the process tab. You could solve the issue like this.
The issue also arises when you use the free version of Avast. If you think, the Avast premium subscription is over your budget, there are other more reliable VPNs that you could consider. We’ve highlighted all of them on our best VPN deals page.
Troubleshooting fix #3 – Make frequent scanning a high priority to look into
Sometimes scanning a whole lot of webpages or files on your system, Avast can exhaust internet resources and or burn out the uses of your CPU. A reason like this can cause your internet to run slower than usual. However, the solution to getting the internet speeds back to a normal or a better consistency, you can change how regular Avast run its scans.
To do this, hit on “Windows button and X” at the same time, head to the “Command Prompt” window. There will be a space command field, where you can type “C:\ProgramData\AvastSoftware\Avast” and then click on “Enter.”
To find the file, type in avast.ini, or another name depending on what you have, and change the value of the frequency to 999. Save the changes and restart your device.
FAQs
Can a VPN increase internet speed?
For those who only got Avast VPN because you thought it would drastically increase your internet speed – you’re in for a sad awakening. Here’s the thing, I wouldn’t say that a VPN can increase the internets speed, but what I could say, is that a VPN helps keep speeds consistent.
There is something called ISP throttling, where your internet service provider often fiddles and controls your bandwidth. It means they can selectively alter how fast or slow a certain website or page loads. The same applies to when you stream movies on a particular app. This is particularly disheartening when you paid for fast internet speeds, and everything seems to be working slower than usual.
With this, a VPN is one of the best solutions, but not just any VPN. You need to be careful of which provider you go with. For me, personally, have encountered quite a few speed issues using Avast, but using the fixes above helped ease the issue slightly.
Is Avast VPN free?
No, Avast VPN is not free, but it does offer a very limited 7-day free trial period. With that, you wouldn’t need to pay anything, but will get charged after the 7 day period ends.
To conclude
Congratulations! You’ve made it to the end of our guide, and by now, you have all the tools you need to tackle the frustrating Avast throttling issue or the dreaded Avast antivirus slowdown problem – whatever name you prefer to give it. With the straightforward solutions we’ve provided, you’ll be able to address the root cause of these speed woes. But hey, if all else fails, don’t lose hope! There are plenty of other reliable software options out there that you can explore. Don’t settle for less than the seamless internet experience you deserve.
