McAfee Agent local uninstall is blocked in managed mode

Problem

You are unable to uninstall MA locally from either of the following:

• Windows Programs and Features Control Panel
• Command prompt

The following error displays when you try to uninstall MA:
McAfee Agent cannot be removed because other products are still using it
NOTE: This issue can occur when no other McAfee products are installed on the client computer.

Cause

This error occurs when MA is in managed mode.

This behavior is by design, to prevent users from removing the agent. 

MA operates in two modes:

• Managed mode — MA connects and communicates with ePolicy Orchestrator (ePO) to manage McAfee product updates.
• Unmanaged mode — MA does not connect or communicate with ePO, but pulls updates from McAfee HTTP servers.

Solution

Remove the computer from managed mode, and remove any dependent managed products before you try to uninstall:

1. Open a command prompt as an administrator:
   1. Press the Windows key + R, type cmd, and press Enter. 
   2. If the User Account Control dialog box appears, confirm that the action it displays is what you want, and then click Continue.
       
2. On the client computer, access the frminst file. In the command window, type the following:
   
   CD C:\Program Files\Mcafee\Agent\x86\ 
3. Type the following command, and press Enter:
   
   frminst.exe /remove=agent
    
4. Close the command prompt.
5. Remove any McAfee managed products from the client computer. Examples:
   • Endpoint Security
   • VirusScan Enterprise
   • Endpoint Encryption