Search.incredibar.com: what it is and how to remove it
Search.incredibar.com is a really suspicious search engine that we highly recommend avoiding. No matter that it may look like a typical search site that can be used for looking for a specific information, you should get rid of it without any delay.
Facts checked October 7, 2026. Removal steps tested on Windows 11 (26H2) and checked against Microsoft's and the browser makers' current documentation. Sections marked as our earlier report are the original text: they describe the threat as it was then and have not been reviewed since. The 2026 status, the removal steps and the questions are current.
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Search.incredibar.com: summary
| Detection names | No Microsoft detection name is known |
|---|---|
| Distribution | Not recorded in the old report |
| Damage | Not recorded in the old report |
| Name | Search.incredibar.com |
| Type | Unwanted browser or VPN app |
| Symptoms | An unknown program in Installed apps |
| Removal | Scan the PC with security software to find and remove the malware and anything installed with it. Fortect scans Windows for malware and repairs the system files and settings it damaged. Remove it nowTo use the full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Fortect. The scan is free. |
Show 4 more facts
| Evidence | One write-up by a security site; details still limited |
|---|---|
| Program | Search.incredibar.com |
| First seen | 26 April 2021 |
| Facts checked | 7 October 2026 |
Is Search.incredibar.com safe? Why it is flagged
From our report of Apr 2021 · not reviewed since
What is Search.incredibar.com?
Search.incredibar.com is a really suspicious search engine that we highly recommend avoiding.
No matter that it may look like a typical search site that can be used for looking for a specific information, you should get rid of it without any delay. Otherwise, you should be prepared for unpleasant redirects to unknown websites because it may show you altered search results.
Beware that such redirects may easily end up with the infiltration of suspicious programs and similar problems, so you should never use this site for your searches. In addition, similarly to incredibar or Mystart.incredibar.com, Search.incredibar.com may start tracking your browsing on the Internet and collect various information.
According to its developers, it is especially interested in what sites people tend to visit, how much time they spend on each of them, what data they enter and similar details. However, it seems that it may also record your PC's IP address, location, email address and similar things, and share them with its developers without any clear permission asked.
We don't recommend ignoring this because you may run into privacy related issues one day. If you have already noticed Search.incredibar.com redirects, it's the most obvious sign showing that your computer was hijacked by this browser hijacker. Don't waste your time and don't wait until this questionable search site redirects you to unsafe website seeking to increase its page rank.
From our report of Apr 2021 · not reviewed since
How can Search.incredibar.com hijack my computer?
Search.incredibar.com and similar search sites can easily appear on your computer out of nowhere because it is spread in a bundle with various free applications.
This distribution method is known as bundling aad has been used to spread various browser add-ons, plugins, extensions, toolbars and similar programs behind people's back. Fortunately, you can avoid installing unwanted components when downloading free programs on your computer. For that you should opt for Custom or Advanced installation method at first.
Also, make sure you follow every installation step carefully and look for hidden attachments, such as Search.incredibar.com virus and similar hijackers. Please, prevent their installation by unchecking the check mark that agrees with that or simple stop installing this program.
Unfortunately, but sometimes such hijackers appear on computer without any sign, so you should also make sure that your machine is protected by a powerful anti-spyware. It will help you to spot all unwanted programs that may try to infiltrate your computer without an appropriate permission asked. If Search.incredibar.com has already howed up, this guide should help you fix your computer.
How to uninstall Search.incredibar.com
How to remove Search.incredibar.com
Uninstall it, then set your own browser and search engine back, because it changes both.
Step 1: Uninstall Search.incredibar.com
Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps in Windows 11, or Settings > Apps > Apps & features in Windows 10. Sort the list by install date and find Search.incredibar.com, then choose Uninstall from the three-dot menu next to it (in Windows 10, click the entry and then Uninstall).
Remove anything else installed on the same day that you do not recognise, because such programs usually arrive together in one installer. If the uninstaller opens a browser page with an offer or a survey, close it: the program is removed either way.
Full procedure with screenshots: Uninstall a program or app in Windows On uGetFix
Step 2: Remove it from startup
Whatever Search.incredibar.com installed usually starts with Windows. Open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc, go to Startup apps in Windows 11 or the Startup tab in Windows 10, and disable what you do not know, starting with entries that have an empty Publisher column.
Open file location on the right-click menu shows the file, which helps you decide and tells you what to delete later. Disabling is safe: if something you need stops working, switch it back on.
Full procedure with screenshots: Stop apps from opening at startup On uGetFix
Step 3: Delete the folders left behind
What the uninstaller leaves behind is usually in the user folders. Open File Explorer, switch on View > Show > Hidden items (in Windows 10 View > Hidden items), and go through
%LocalAppData%,%AppData%, %ProgramData% and the two Program Files folders.Sort by Date modified and delete folders that appeared together with the problem and belong to no program you use. Folders with random names that hold
.exe,.dll, .js or .ps1 files are the strongest sign.Full procedure with screenshots: Remove what malware leaves behind in Windows
Step 4: Scan the PC, then run the offline scan
Open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options, run a Full scan and remove everything it finds. Then select Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan) and click Scan now: the PC restarts and scans before Windows loads, which finds files that hide while Windows runs.
Save your work first, because the offline scan takes about 15 minutes. Both scans are built into Windows 11 and Windows 10, and a second scanner from another vendor is a useful extra opinion.
Windows 11: Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options. Full procedure with screenshots: Run a Microsoft Defender Offline scan
Instructions for each browser and system
The detailed steps for every browser and system this guide covers. Open the one you use.
Uninstall from Windows
Uninstall from Windows 10/8:
- Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.
Remove the unwanted program:
- In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
- If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.
Remove from Google Chrome
Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
- Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
- In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.
Clear cache and web data from Chrome:
- Click on Menu and pick Settings.
- Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
- Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
- Click Clear data.
Change your homepage:
- Click menu and choose Settings.
- Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
- Click on Open a specific or set of pages and click on three dots to find the Remove option.
Reset Google Chrome:
If the previous methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the unwanted components:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
- Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
- Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Confirm with Reset settings.
Remove from Microsoft Edge
Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:
- Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
- From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
- Click Remove.
Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Select Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files. (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear.
Restore new tab and homepage settings:
- Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
- Then find On startup section.
- Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.
Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:
- Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
- Select Details tab.
- Now scroll down and locate every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right-click on each of them and select End Task to stop MS Edge from running.
Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):
- Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
- Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.
Clear cache and site data:
- Click on Menu and go to Settings.
- Select Privacy, search and services.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Under Time range, pick All time.
- Select Clear now.
Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- On the left side, pick Reset settings.
- Select Restore settings to their default values.
- Confirm with Reset.
- This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.
Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
- Select Add-ons.
- In here, select the unwanted extension and click Remove.
Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Settings.
- Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.
Clear cookies and site data:
- Click Menu and pick Settings.
- Go to Privacy & Security section.
- Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
- Click on Clear Data...
- Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.
Reset Mozilla Firefox
If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
- Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.
- Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
- Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.
Delete from Safari
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
- Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.
Clear history and website data:
- Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
- Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.
Reset Safari:
- Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
- Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.
Delete from macOS
Remove the unwanted application:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).
Delete leftover files and folders:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
- Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.
- Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.
Stream videos without limitations, no matter where you are
There are multiple parties that could find out almost anything about you by checking your online activity.
While this is highly unlikely, advertisers and tech companies are constantly tracking you online. The first step to privacy should be a secure browser that focuses on tracker reduction to a minimum.
Even if you employ a secure browser, you will not be able to access websites that are restricted due to local government laws or other reasons. In other words, you may not be able to stream Disney+ or US-based Netflix in some countries. To bypass these restrictions, you can employ a powerful VPN, which provides dedicated servers for torrenting and streaming, not slowing you down in the process.
Data backups are important - recover your lost files
Ransomware is one of the biggest threats to personal data.
Once it is executed on a machine, it launches a sophisticated encryption algorithm that locks all your files, although it does not destroy them. The most common misconception is that anti-malware software can return files to their previous states. This is not true, however, and data remains locked after the malicious payload is deleted.
While regular data backups are the only secure method to recover your files after a ransomware attack, tools such as can also be effective and restore at least some of your lost data.
From our report of Apr 2021 · not reviewed since
How to remove Search.incredibar.com virus?
Search.incredibar.com is a typical browser hijacker that is capable of taking over all web browsers, including Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, etc. Fortunately, you can get rid without a problem.
You just need to select one of these removal methods that are given below. Keep in mind that automatic Search.incredibar.com removal needs only on click and can help you to get rid of all potetnially unwanted programs from the system.
Questions about Search.incredibar.com
Can I safely uninstall Search.incredibar.com?
If you did not install Search.incredibar.com yourself and it is not part of your hardware or a program you rely on, yes. Uninstalling an unwanted program does not harm Windows. Before you do, search the exact name and publisher to be sure it is not a driver tool, a printer utility or a game launcher with an odd name.
Then remove it from Settings, Apps, Installed apps. Ignore any offers or warnings in its uninstaller about losing protection or performance. Afterwards check Startup apps and your browsers for leftovers, and restart once to confirm that it does not reinstall itself.
Search.incredibar.com came back after I uninstalled it. Why?
Something else is reinstalling it. Common causes are a second program from the same publisher, a scheduled task that downloads it again, or a browser extension that keeps prompting for it. Sort Installed apps by install date and uninstall each entry from the same day that you did not choose.
Then open Task Scheduler and look in the Task Scheduler Library for tasks with updater-style names that you do not recognise. Check Startup apps in Task Manager too. If Search.incredibar.com still returns, start Windows in Safe Mode, uninstall it there and run a Microsoft Defender offline scan, which looks for loaders that ordinary scans can miss.
Can I use Search.incredibar.com safely?
Yes, if you installed it on purpose and control its settings. Download it only from the publisher's own site, never through a bundle or a portal. After installing, disable automatic start, offers and telemetry, and check that it did not change your search engine or add extensions.
Watch for renewals if you bought a licence, and turn on PUA blocking in Windows Security so that anything it tries to add during updates is stopped. If Search.incredibar.com keeps pushing payments or offers, it is not worth the trouble.
Search.incredibar.com came back after I removed it. Why?
Something reinstalls it:
- another program from the same bundle
- a scheduled task that downloads it again
- a browser extension restored by sync
Look in Installed apps for anything from the same publisher or installed on the same date, and in Task Scheduler for tasks with the program's name or random names.
Remove extensions while signed in to the browser so sync deletes them on every device. Remove everything in one session and restart. If Search.incredibar.com still returns, a full scan and a Microsoft Defender offline scan usually find the part that brings it back.
Is Search.incredibar.com why my PC is slow?
It can be one reason. Programs of this kind often start with Windows, run updaters in the background and keep a process open all the time.
The sign reported, search.incredibar.com in the list of installed apps, means at least one such program is active. Open Task Manager, sort by CPU, memory and network, and see whether Search.incredibar.com or a related process is near the top.
If it is, removing it will help. If not, the slowdown has another cause, but removing a program you never chose is still worth doing. A restart after removal shows the difference best.
Is Search.incredibar.com harmful?
It is unwelcome rather than destructive, based on what has been reported: search.incredibar.com in the list of installed apps. Unwanted programs like this slow Windows down, use your connection, show offers or change settings, and they make money for their publisher at your expense. The bigger concern is what arrived with them.
Bundled installers often add two or three programs at once, and some of those change the browser or install updaters that fetch more software later. Remove Search.incredibar.com, then sort Installed apps by date and remove anything else from the same day. A full scan in Windows Security afterwards confirms that nothing more serious came along.
Can Windows block unwanted programs automatically?
Yes, with one setting. Windows Security has Potentially unwanted app blocking under App & browser control > Reputation-based protection settings. Block apps stops flagged programs from installing, and Block downloads works in Microsoft Edge.
On some PCs this was not switched on, which is how programs like Search.incredibar.com got through. It does not catch everything, so read installer screens, choose Custom setup and decline offers. Removing free tools you no longer use also helps, because their updates are a common route for new bundles.
Is my privacy at risk because of Search.incredibar.com?
A little, not dramatically. Unwanted programs tend to report what you install, which sites you visit or how you use the program back to their publisher. That data is sold or used for ads.
The sign people noticed, search.incredibar.com in the list of installed apps, is consistent with such a program, and nothing reported suggests access to your files, camera or passwords.
Remove it, delete its leftovers and clear the browser data if it touched the browser. From then on, keep Potentially unwanted app blocking switched on in Windows Security, which stops many of these programs before they install.
The uninstaller for Search.incredibar.com keeps asking me to stay. Is that normal?
It is a common tactic, not a technical requirement. Uninstallers of unwanted programs often show discounts, warnings that the PC will be at risk, or a choice between "repair" and "remove" designed to confuse.
Choose the option that removes the program completely and decline everything else. If the uninstaller closes without removing anything, end its processes in Task Manager and try again, or use Safe Mode. Check Installed apps afterwards; if Search.incredibar.com is still listed, the uninstall did not finish.
Will Fortect remove Search.incredibar.com?
Fortect scans Windows for malware and unwanted programs and repairs the system files and settings they change, and its free scan shows what it finds on your PC before you decide anything.
For Search.incredibar.com, follow the plan above as well: the browser steps take back permissions and settings that no scanner treats as a threat, and uninstalling the program that brought it removes the source.
Run Microsoft Defender's full scan and, if anything was found, its offline scan as a second opinion. If the symptoms are gone after the plan and both scans are clean, there is nothing more to do.
Sources
- FTC: How to recognize, remove and avoid malware (read October 7, 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Defender Offline (read October 7, 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: How Microsoft names malware (read October 7, 2026)