Microsoft pressures LG into killing unwanted McAfee ads

Microsoft has intervened to stop Windows 11 users with LG monitors from being bombarded with annoying McAfee trial pop-ups. In response to complaints about the LG bloatware, Microsoft’s Windows chief, Pavan Davuluri, said that LG has agreed to immediately disable the McAfee pop-up from its LG Monitor App Installer, and pledged that Microsoft will “keep improving here with our ecosystem partners.”

This crackdown follows backlash about large pop-up ads for McAfee antivirus and LG’s own apps appearing on Windows 11 PCs after being connected to LG monitors. Upon connection, a Windows driver update was silently installing LG driver updates and the LG Monitor App Installer without explicit permission from the user — with reports about the auto-installing issue dating back to 2024.

LG defended its behavior in a long, uncredited statement sent to Windows Latest that seems to miss the point entirely:

“LG Electronics reiterates that McAfee is not installed automatically and is never installed without the user’s explicit consent. The LG Monitor App Installer is distributed through Microsoft’s official Windows distribution process, which included McAfee as an option. McAfee will be installed only if a user actively chooses to proceed with the installation and provides consent. Under no circumstances is McAfee installed automatically or without user authorization. The LG Monitor App Installer does not access, collect, or transmit any customer personal data.”

LG isn’t the only company that pushes automatic installation features, with The Verge’s Tom Warren previously noting that Dell similarly auto-installs an Alienware Command Center app on Windows when connected to Alienware monitors. Tom also recently found that LG is pushing annoying ad notifications on its TVs at startup, so Microsoft’s intervention can only stretch so far.