Norton - Utilities Ultimate (10 Device) - Android, Apple iOS, Windows [Digital]

Verdict: The Norton Utilities Ultimate program adds convenience to cleaning, organizing, optimizing, and reducing demand for your computer. To be clear, most of the features the program offer are available in some form on most computers or devices… but a lot of users just don’t know how to find them and use them. This program consolidates all these tools to be convenient and user-friendly – and it does that VERY well. When someone complains about their slow computer, I install the program and show them how to use it, and it’s quite magical how this simple step gives people peace-of-mind (control). The program does improve some performance on devices, but it’s not a miracle cure when a computer is just too old, or doesn’t have enough RAM or processing power for someone’s required daily tasks. I did not install this program on every computer we have, just the ones that needed the most help and had the most vocal users. Installation. The digital delivery option is one of my favorite aspects of Norton products. I have purchased many of their offerings in the last few years because I needed something quickly and I knew I would get access delivered within a few seconds in my email. I also LOVE that you can easily requests one-time login pins in case you can’t remember your password, or don’t want to type your password on someone else’s machine (while installing programs for users for example). Sharing the included 10x licenses is just as easy, with the ability to share through email, text, link, or QR code. Installation for Utilities Ultimate took maybe 1 minute on both the computer and iPad (it’s meant for a smart phone but works on the iPad too). Of note, during install, “Track Activity” is on by default, and you can’t opt out; you have to turn it off later in the settings, which I significantly dislike – it’s inconvenient and most people will forget to do it, unknowingly sharing some information about their activities in the app. During install, I wondered if this program would interfere with Norton 360, which I have installed on several computers. And (of course) there are no issues running both programs at the same time since they perform different functions. Once the program is installed, users have the opportunity to “take a quick tour” to see how the program works – useful for unfamiliar users. Features. To be clear, you can do all (or most) of these things with existing tools in Windows, MAC OS, and smart phone operating systems, but… you do need to know how to find them and remember to run them. - On computers, Norton Utilities Ultimate offers four primary capabilities: clean “System Junk” (computer files, browser data, and cloud storage), manage programs (view and turn-off processes, and run an uninstall simulator), Optimize Disks, and Manage Data (recover lost data or “shred” data so it’s not recoverable). - For smart phones and tablets (I only tested this on iPad), it offers: Optimizer for photos and videos to free up space, Clean Share to safely share media without revealing location time and other data, Secret Files to keep sensitive items in a "private locker", and Contacts Cleaner to remove duplicates and fix incomplete contacts. I did not activate any of these tools on my iPad because I don't want to take a chance on my privacy or risk downgrading the quality of my media to save space (not sure if it does, but my media is high-quality and large, and I want to keep it that way). Results. - The features on the computer are VERY intuitive and convenient to use, including for basic computer users. It also provides the impression of control over the computer, which comforts many users who get frustrated with computer performance. I was impressed at first… 37.2GB cleaned, 36,000 items removed, and 16 processes turned-off (also labeled “issues fixed”). My RAM utilization reduced by at least 40%, which was impressive. Then I decided to run another scan; it found another 100 files to clean. Then I ran another scan and it found another 100 files! I did this 10 times, and each time it found about another 100 files to clean… weird. I stopped at 10, but I suspect that it would just keep finding about 100 more endlessly. I appreciate that you can inspect the files found after a scan to assess if these are things you want to delete. Optimize disk didn’t do anything for me except “scanned, No issues found”; no defragment (if that was ever actually helpful) or other optimization that I can tell. I suspect it’s just checking for any compromise on the disks. Removing junk and web browsing data seems to work very well actually. - After 24 hours, my RAM use is back to 80% while just running Chrome (11x tabs), Word, Task Manager, and Norton (uses from 1% (normal) to 4% (scanning) of RAM). Almost all programs I can turn off in Norton Utilities are off, but task manager still shows some 200 processes running, most at 0%, but adding up to a chunk of my RAM in the end. This is what I was really wishing this program would do… help manage all the vampire processes that eat up RAM and performance. Some things I turned off in Norton Utilities are still showing as running in Task Manager – probably not Norton’s fault… There is stuff I can’t get to stop even in Task Manager (time to uninstall them). After 24 hours, another 700 junk files to remove?? Since I generally trust Norton, perhaps this just part of the daily bloat that slows computers down to a crawl. Upselling. What I dislike the most with Norton products is the constant upselling. It comes up regularly in both Norton 360 and Utilities. I noticed a warning in Norton Utilities: “Driver issues detected! Fix 21 drivers now.” That was very surprising to me, so I clicked on it… but then it asks me to pay $59.99 to subscribe to Driver Updater… No! I do appreciate that auto-renewal was off by default for Norton Utilities, but you should check your account when you setup. Things I like: - Digital delivery upon purchase - Very easy installation - 10x licenses - Gives users control (or impression of control) over their computer - There are quite a few features in this package - Use of the program and features are very intuitive and convenient – really well done! - Some features work well, some are still TBD Things I don’t like: - Upsell attempts, like all Norton Products. It’s a bit annoying, but I understand - I think Norton should position itself as a Privacy Champion. Instead of “Track Activity” being on my default (and not being able to opt out during install), the company should lean heavily into “security without privacy compromises.” Maybe they already do, but that was not readily apparent for me - It’s not clear to me if I can remove devices and add others to maximize my 10 licenses. For other Norton products, I can “Manage Devices” in my Norton account to add or remove computers. I am not able to do that with this tool. There is a chance that the 10 licenses will be static. For a product like this, static licenses makes sense from a business perspective, so I would understand Overall, this is a good package with enough value from the features, plus 10 licenses! Good value at retail, and excellent value if you can buy it on sale. It’s not something that I put on all our computers, especially since I think the licenses are static. Instead, I manage my licenses to use them on the most problematic computers and users, and that is working out well right now. I love that it gives me a bunch of time back from handling really slow computers and difficult people - for this I give 5-Stars!

The more we use our electronics by adding/deleting programs or pictures the more digital clutter. This is where Norton Utilities Ultimate comes in, it’s is a one click solution to help you declutter your devices by helping perform some regular maintenance. The program is super easy to use, click a button and everything is scanned and you get a nice breakdown of the findings. Norton’s Ultimate helps you remove clutter and broken Registry keys which might slow down your devices. On my personal device it cleaned up about close to 200 GB of data. One of the best things about deleting is Norton makes a backup of the things you deleted in case you accidentally remove something, this is wonderful in case you remove something important. Not only does Norton remove files it helps the performance of your devices but reviewing the installed programs and showing you how much of an impact they have on your device. From there you can make the decision to turn on/off programs and even uninstall them. Norton includes a unique feature when uninstalling programs, a uninstall simulator. This simulates uninstalling a program to see how it will affect your device. Norton does more than just help you declutter your devices, you can also recover deleted pictures/videos and documents from other devices. While recovering deleted things is an option it did not work for me on my USB drive or older a NVMe I have laying around. Overall this is a good program, its not a resource hog and its easy to use. My only complaint with the program is I’m unsure if recovering deleted things from other devices works.

--- SETUP --- After getting the product code, all I had to do was to go to the indicated Norton Setup website, enter my code, and download the automatic software to my PC. For multiple PCs, including Macs and iPhones, the process was the same. --- PERFORMANCE AND EXPECTATIONS --- Norton has been a trustworthy household name with my family for over a decade. Though I subscribe to their anti-virus software, this is the first time I try their utilities software. Keep in mind that this is not to remove/prevent viruses. Instead, it optimizes your PC from clutter that all PCs inevitably get. Ever wonder why your PC is starting to slow down? It’s because of clutter that builds up from software that you have installed to it over time. What this Norton Utilities (NU) software does is, it removes the unessential parts of those softwares without breaking the apps that you use. And that’s just the main feature of the software, as it does so much more, and it does it very well. This version can be activated in up to 10 devices, which can be a combination of a PC, a Mac, and Android/iPhone devices. This review will focus mainly on the PC experience with a touch of the iPhone. On the PC side, I installed this software on my gaming rig. After doing a quick scan, it found a lot of broken shortcuts that lead to nowhere. Since I install a lot of games, and then uninstall them when I am done, sometimes, the game shortcuts stay behind. NU made it a breeze to remove those shortcuts. Next, I targeted the system junk and was able to remove over 43,000 items, freeing up 14 gigabytes of space. After doing that, I looked at the software that automatically opens up at the startup of my PC, and turned a lot of those off, as I don’t use them every single time I turn on my PC. I tested the data recovery for accidental deleted files. I did find success recovering a few, but not all, files. Still, it’s a good option to have, should I ever need it, especially because I also use this PC to edit videos/photos as a side hustle that I have. Finally, I optimized my OS (C:) drive and my PC now runs noticeably faster, especially at startup. All of these actions were mostly just single-click actions with explanations of what you were about to do to your PC before taking action. Very user friendly to people who don’t normally understand all PC functions. A feature that I really enjoyed was doing a similar type of clean up, but with my Google Drive (or other cloud storage). I was able to log in to Google Drive through Norton to clean up my cloud space, allowing duplicate files to be combined into one, and taking a look at older large files that haven’t been opened in a while. Now, using this software on my phone was also a great experience. After downloading the app for the iPhone app store, I was able to log in using the same username and password as the PC version. It immediately recognized that I had an active subscription and began recommending things I could do on my phone. Among my favorites, I like that I was able to merge duplicate contact info, delete contacts that had no information on them, and merge duplicate photos. An additional feature that was a welcoming surprise was that it has its own vault. What this means is that, if you have photos/videos that are sensitive in nature, you can store them in the Norton app under password instead of on your regular photos app. This way, when you open your photos app, there is no risk of accidentally opening sensitive photos that you may have forgotten to delete/hide. --- APPROVAL --- This NU app is very useful and user friendly. I would recommend this to anyone who has multiple devices to optimize and wants a stress-free user experience.

Norton - Utilities Ultimate for 10 devices. Norton Utilities Ultimate is the updated version of Norton Utilities Premium. It works on Android, Apple iOS and Windows devices. It is a computer management utility platform. It pulls together scans and information into one place so you can take action to speed up your computer or phone, address faults, and clean up file remnants and leftover junk. Pros: 1. Ten devices, including phones 2. Features: • Nice Functional UI • All-in-one PC cleanup • Registry Cleanup • Application Accelerator • DriveScrubber® • Search & Recover • On-Demand Boost • CPU Optimizer Cons: 1. Driver Updater is not included and is an additional subscription for an Ultimate Utility this is a surprise that it is missing from the package. But the product does reference this and pushes it with a hard sell. I will be addressing the Windows tools in this review as my primary focus. First, let me say that there are a lot of built-in tools in Windows and free tools out there that can do similar things to Norton Utilities Ultimate, but when you have a bunch of computers and throw in some phones and tablets, that can take up a bunch of time. Plus, not everyone in your household enjoys or understands maintenance issues or how to deal with them. It doesn’t take long for a new PC to get clogged up and stop delivering that first-day performance. With 10 licenses, you can speed up and automate a lot of your cleanup and optimization chores for all the machines that you have. And it simplifies your life, allowing you to help everyone in your household, keeping things fast and clean. Norton Utilities brings many tools into one place and has an excellent User Interface (UI). A computer management utility platform could be the most feature-rich in existence and completely unusable due to poor UI choices. This is not the case with Norton Utilities Ultimate, which provides information and options simply and clearly, using a tabular interface that reduces on-screen content at any time. For example, when Norton Utilities Ultimate first opens, it shows a very clean layout with functional groups on the left and more detailed option tabs in the center of the screen. One of the main features of the product that attracts most users is the All-in-one PC cleanup. It helps identify and remove junk files, private data, registry issues, browsing data, and more to boost device performance and safeguard your privacy. It cleans internet files to improve your device's privacy and free up disk space. You can just do the suggested clean-ups or schedule for automatic cleaning. Then, for those who want more control or want to check what is being cleaned, you can drill down, and it has a nice layout of the various areas of ‘Clean up the Junk.’ There is a Manage Programs Tab that allows you to manage background programs easily, selecting programs that you may want to turn off that utilize the background processes or are automatically started when your computer is turned on. These also have drill-downs for fine-tuning and seeing their impact. There is a nice tool that simulates the impact of uninstalling programs. And an uninstaller program that uninstalls and cleans up when uninstalling programs that you determined you don’t want. Each of these has drill-downs. There is an Optimize Disk tab, which is usually not necessary if you have an SSD (Solid State Drive). unlike the necessity of optimization on standard mechanical hard drives. The Manage Data Tab has two features, one of which is Data Recovery to help retrieve accidental or entries that may have been lost through corruption. And a Data Shredder, which will permanently delete selected files, folders, or entire drives. This has three algorithms to select depending on the level of security and speed you wish to use for data deletion. A Random single-pass overwrite. The Gutmann Algorithm and a DoD 5250.22-M algorithm. There is also a Help tab (which also has an undo center) and a Settings Tab to customize various aspects of the program, which is quite extensive. In addition, one can run this on your phone, which is a big plus because phones get pretty clunky and laggy pretty fast without a good cleaner. I found this to be a useful utility that would be fully equipped if it included the Driver Updater component. It becomes even more useful the longer the computer and OS have been installed.

So, you're tired of your computer feeling like it's dragging its feet? Yeah, me too. That's where Norton Utilities Ultimate comes in. It's basically a digital cleanup crew for your devices – promising to give your slow PC, phone, or tablet a bit more pep in its step. What It Does (And How It Feels): The big selling point is it tackles the digital clutter. Think of it like spring cleaning for your tech. It hunts down junk files, cleans up the registry (that's the deep, messy part of your computer), and tries to make things run smoother. The interface is actually pretty friendly – you click a button, it does its thing, and you don't need a tech degree to figure it out. It's like having a helpful assistant tidying up your digital space. The Good Stuff: * Multi-Device Magic: If you've got a bunch of gadgets (PC, phone, tablet), this lets you manage them all from one place. That's a big plus if you're juggling work and personal stuff. * Windows Wins: On a PC, it feels most powerful. It really digs into the system and can make a noticeable difference if things are bogged down. * Easy Peasy: The one-click cleanup is super simple. Perfect if you just want to hit a button and feel like things are better. The Not-So-Great Stuff: * Not a Miracle Worker: Don't expect it to turn your ancient laptop into a brand-new machine. It helps, but it's not magic. Free tools can often do similar things for basic cleaning. * Mobile Limitations: On phones and tablets, it's functional, but not as deep as the PC version. You might still need other apps for serious mobile optimization. * Pricey Question: It costs money, and honestly, free alternatives exist. Is it worth it? Well, if you value the convenience of one tool for everything and managing multiple devices easily, maybe. But if you're on a tight budget, you might feel like you're paying for simplicity. The Bottom Line: Norton Utilities Ultimate isn't going to revolutionize your tech life. It's more like a reliable, user-friendly cleaner that does a solid job. It's great if you want something simple, cross-platform, and you've got several devices to look after. But if you're a tech whiz looking for cutting-edge optimization or on a tight budget, you might find better value elsewhere. It's a decent tool, especially if you're already using other Norton products and want everything integrated.