How to Remove Virus Notifications From Chrome in 2025

Fake browser notifications on your Google Chrome browser have become a significant issue in 2025 and need to be addressed. In this blog, you will learn how to remove virus notifications from Chrome in 2025.

The pop-ups generally carry the message saying that your device has a virus and you need to do a scan of your device. Some notifications also use logos from trusted antivirus companies such as McAfee to make you feel the alert is authenticated and you can easily trust it as real.

Although not every such notification is harmful. However, you need to be careful of these alert messages as most of them are built to make you afraid so that you act quickly and compromise your security.

How do the Fake Virus Notifications Look?

The alert messages warning you that your system contains viruses are not always true. These types of fake virus notifications or scareware are such pop-ups on your Chrome screen that let you mislead and make you believe it is real.

Such messages often contain phrases that induce panic among the users, such as “Critical threat!”, “Your computer is infected!”, “Immediate action required!” or, “Your system is at risk!”.

Also, the alerts contain virus images or flashing red screens to make it seem more real to you, and you take immediate action.

They make you take certain actions or steps which can be more harmful than beneficial to you.

• Installing a fake antivirus program: These kinds of fake antivirus programs will let you believe that your issue will get resolved and will also show you fake scans, ask you to pay, or install more such malware on your computer.
• Clicking on a harmful link: If you click on a link in such an alert message, it will automatically start a hidden download that will install malware on your computer. This will further let the hackers steal your data and control your computer.
• Contacting the hacker: Some fake alerts might also try to get you to contact them for certain help. In case you end up doing so, they might ask for remote access to your system, which will further give them the chance to steal things like passwords, bank details, or any type of personal file on your computer.

How can you Spot the Fake Virus Notifications?

These kinds of fake alert notifications regarding viruses in your system are created to scare you from stealing and misusing your private data. They often come up with threatening language, warning you. However, there are certain signs and ways to understand better that these messages are false, and you can easily understand their behaviour.

• Payment Requests: If the notification is asking you to pay at once, make sure to get an alert because that might be suspicious for your computer. The original antivirus services will always offer you to choose them in the form of free trials.
• Phone Call Requests: Some of these messages might also ask you to call a certain number. If you made the call using the number they gave, you might fall into the trap of security threats to your data.
• Poor Grammar: These kinds of fake virus notifications usually contain spelling or grammatical errors. Hackers generally intend to steal data from less cautious users, and they don’t even care about editing their pop-up messages.
• Basic Designs: Also, the designs of these types of fake messages are very basic and look unprofessional or of low quality. If you find something like this, you must avoid them.
• Wrong Web Addresses: You can look for incorrect or misspelt URLs or links to websites that redirect you to a strange and unknown website. The web address of such alerts seems to be real and trustworthy, but they are usually fake to trick you, and that is why they make a slight change from the original ones.
• Unfamiliar Software: Also, you must always avoid virus-related types of programs that you do not even know or recognize or sound to be unfamiliar to you.
• Unwanted Pop-Ups: The original and real antivirus programs always send you notifications on your app or desktop, not by any kind of random pop-up alerts on your browser.
• Strange Behaviour: It might also happen that these fake alert pop-ups restrict you from closing the window and tale up your whole screen. You need to understand that the real ones won’t block your entire computer but rather will stay within the browser or the app window.

Preliminary Steps to Remove Virus Notifications from Chrome

If you are also one of those who are facing the problem of having unwanted virus notifications on your Chrome browser, here are some preliminary steps that you need to follow before proceeding with the final ones.

1. Block Further Notifications

The foremost important task is to stop more such alert notifications on your Chrome browser. Most of the websites, such as news and social media, generally ask for permission to stop more such notifications. You must always block such requests if the site is not trusted or known to you.

2. Revoke Permissions for Notifications You’ve Already Allowed

The next step is to look for the website that sends you these types of notifications. You can easily get the website address or the URL as soon as the message pops up on your screen. 

Then, it’s time to block all the notifications from that particular website. 

• Simply navigate to the three dots in the top-right corner of your Chrome browser window and select Settings.
• Then, head to the Privacy and Security section and click on Site Settings.
• Under the Permissions option, just click on Notifications and look for the URL of the website you just have noted. The website must have been allowed to send notifications.
• Simply click on the three dots next to the website’s address and click on Block. This step will block all the other notifications from that particular website.

3. Remove Suspicious Chrome Extensions

At last, you also need to ensure that all the suspicious Chrome Extensions that might send you such unwanted fake virus notifications or it might have happened that you installed them accidentally. In such cases, you must remove these extensions.

• Simply navigate to Manage Extensions by clicking on the three dots in the top-right corner of Chrome.
• Then, click on Remove next to any extensions that you do not recognize or seem to be unknown and suspicious to you.

If the problem is still not resolved, you might have to reset your Chrome browser so that it comes back to its original default settings. Resetting your Chrome will also clear all your permissions, remove cookies, and return Chrome to its original state.

• Navigate to the Chrome Settings from the three dots in the top-right corner.
• Scroll down and click on the Reset settings option.
• Then, choose Restore settings to their original defaults and click on Reset settings.

Once you have completed all three of these steps, you can continue with the next steps to remove any remaining unnecessary adware.

If you want to learn how to transfer Chrome Extensions from another Google Account, you can read how to import Chrome extensions from another Google account.

How to Remove Virus Notifications from Chrome in 2025?

1. Do not Click on the Pop-Up Alert

If you by anyhow get to see a fake virus notification claiming that your system has a virus and needs immediate action, never click on any link on that pop-up, and do not make a call to any number that shows up on the alert message.

These pop-ups are designed in such a way as to trick you into downloading malware on your system. Instead, you must always close your browser in such a situation.

If the browser does not get closed normally, you can try using shortcut key combinations to get out of the browser. If you are using a Windows machine, simply press Alt + F4 on your keyboard and Command + Q for Mac users.

2. Clear Your Browser Data

Once you have closed your browser, open your Chrome again and clear all the cache and cookie files stored in it. Clearing these browser data files will make sure that any type of unwanted, dangerous data is removed from your Chrome browser.

3. Run a Malware Scan

Always make sure to use trusted antivirus software to scan your computer for any hidden malware. You can use antivirus software such as Norton, McAfee, or any other that can help you find and remove any viruses that are causing the fake alert notifications. Then, let the scan finish to make sure that nothing is missed.

4. Restart Your Computer and Scan Again

Once you are done with removing the harmful extensions and cleaning up your browser, restart your computer. Then, run another full scan with any trusted antivirus software to make sure all the malware is removed.

5. Remove Suspicious Extensions or Apps

Sometimes, these types of fake virus notifications might enter through any malicious Chrome extensions that you have accidentally installed into your Chrome browser.

Simply open your extensions settings by clicking on Extensions through your Chrome Settings and remove any unknown or suspicious extensions that you do not recognize.

If the alert appears outside of Chrome, check the apps of your computer for anything suspicious and simply uninstall them from your system’s settings or Control Panel.

6. Block the Source of the Notifications

Now, if you keep getting these virus notifications, they might be coming from certain specific websites that you immediately need to block.

• First, open your Google Chrome and click on the three dots in the top-right corner to head to Settings.
• Then, navigate Privacy and Security, followed by Site Settings.
• Under the Notifications section, look for any suspicious sites.
• Simply click on the site and modify the setting to Block.

7.  Factory Reset (Last Resort)

If you are still getting such notifications, you might need to reset your computer factory. But before performing a factory reset of your computer, make sure that you completely back up all the important files since doing a factory reset deletes everything from your system.

For Mac Users:

• Open your Apple menu, followed by System Settings. 
• Click on General and then on Transfer or Reset. 
• At last, click on Erase All Content and Settings.

For Windows 10/11 Version:

• Click on Start and then on Settings.
• Navigate to the System option, followed by Recovery.
• At last, click on Reset PC.

8. Prevent Future Issues

To make sure that these kinds of fake virus notifications do not come in the future, you can follow the below steps.

• Use reliable and trusted antivirus software such as Norton, McAfee, or Bitdefender.
• Always be careful when adding any Chrome extension. Install the extensions from only trusted sources, like the Chrome Web Store.
• Also, make sure to keep your browser and other software up to date to protect against security issues.
• Also, allow notifications from only trusted websites and disable all the pop-ups when possible.

Conclusion

In 2025, these kinds of fake virus notifications on Google Chrome will become more common, but there are some simple steps that you can follow to get rid of this issue. 

Firstly, never click on any link in the pop-up, do not make any phone call mentioned in the pop-up, clear your browser’s data, run a scan with trusted antivirus software, remove any suspicious Chrome extensions, block notifications from websites you do not trust, do a factory reset after having a complete backup of your files, are some of the steps you can follow along.

To avoid such issues in the future, stick to reliable and trusted antivirus software, be careful about which browser extensions you add, and keep your software updated.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)