As with many modern security programs, you manage your Norton subscription online. During the purchase process, you create your Norton account (or log into an existing account). You can then download and install Norton protection on your Mac or email a link to install it on another device.
For a decade, Norton’s antivirus and security suite apps, both on PC and Mac, kept the same general appearance. An airy, light-colored main window displayed security status in the top half, while the bottom half consisted of large panels relating to feature areas such as security, scans, and updates. Clicking one of those panels revealed further choices in the selected area.
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The switch to the Gen stack also comes with a complete redesign of the app’s user interface. The home page retains its security status display, but it’s now in the middle of the page. Down the left side, a simple menu offers access to Home, Security, Performance, Privacy, Store, and Settings.
A row of large buttons down the right side roughly replaces the once separate My Norton app. Here you can access such features as Norton’s password manager and private browser. You also get management-only access to backup and parental control features on other devices—the macOS edition doesn’t include parental control, and backup is Windows-only. Norton Genie Scam Protection is mainly for your mobile devices; I’ll go over it below.
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As with Norton AntiVirus, clicking Security brings up a page with three large panels. Under Windows, these panels represent Scans, Cloud Backup, and LiveUpdate. Backing up data isn’t a feature of the macOS edition, so the middle panel on a Mac is labeled Antivirus. Clicking it takes you to a simple settings page for real-time protection.
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Below those three panels, the security page provides access to ten more significant security features: Browser Extensions, Cloud Backup, Intrusion Prevention, Norton Private Browser, Parental Controls, Password Manager, Quarantine, Safe Web, Security History, and Smart Firewall. Quarantine and Security History are self-explanatory, while clicking Cloud Backup or Parental Controls simply takes you to the online management console.
Safe Web steers you away from dangerous and fraudulent websites—it works with any internet-aware application, not just browsers. Choosing Browser Extensions walks you through installing a collection of Norton extensions in Chrome or Firefox: Norton Coupons, Norton Home Page, Norton Safe Search, and Norton Safe Web. For Safari, only Norton Safe Web is available. As in the Windows edition, Norton automates installing extensions for Chrome and Firefox. You just sit back and click, click, click when prompted.
As for the remaining choices, I’ll discuss them in detail below.
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Between its full malware scan and real-time protection, Norton should take care of any malware attack, but in the rare event that it doesn’t, the company’s Virus Protection Promise kicks in. You only qualify for this service if you enable automatic renewal, which seems like a reasonable exchange. Norton’s tech support experts will analyze your problem and, if necessary, remote control your Mac for a hands-on battle against the persistent malware. In the unlikely event that malware wins the fight, you can apply for a refund. McAfee Total Protection for Mac offers a similar guarantee.
The macOS edition of Norton AntiVirus has some serious security chops that you can’t see. According to the company, all drivers and components support the platform’s new security standards, and all kernel modules have been replaced with more robust System Extensions. It also supports the M1 through M4 chipsets natively—no emulation required.
