WebSearch.com: how to remove the WebSearch hijacker and toolbar
WebSearch.com is a browser hijacker that pretends to be a search engine, replaces the home page and default search and pushes the WebSearch Toolbar. The address did not answer in our test, so remove the toolbar, extension or program that changed the settings and set your own search engine.
Facts checked October 14, 2026. Removal steps tested on Windows 11 (26H2) and checked against Microsoft's and the browser makers' current documentation.
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WebSearch.com: summary
| Type | Browser hijacker (home page, search and toolbar); potentially unwanted program, not a virus |
|---|---|
| Risk | Medium: results with advertisements above them; whatever installed it may have added more |
| Symptoms | Home page and address-bar search open websearch.com (now an error page); results with ads on top; a WebSearch toolbar or extension you did not choose |
| How to get rid of it | Remove the toolbar and extension, set your own search engine and start page, uninstall programs added the same day, then scan |
| Our check (6 October 2026) | The address did not answer from our test point, so no behaviour could be tested; the toolbar was not tested either |
| Running since | In the Internet Archive from January 2017 (footer 2017); our report 17 March 2021; an expired-hosting page there in March 2025 |
| 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 10 more facts
| Installed on the PC | Nothing from the website itself. Only what you add: a toolbar, an extension or a program that changes the settings |
|---|---|
| Detection | No Microsoft detection name is known to us: the page installed nothing by itself |
| Damage | No harm to files; changes the home page and search; searches and clicks may be counted by others |
| Distribution | Free-software bundles, according to our 2021 report; not confirmed by a test |
| Evidence | Our connection test, two Internet Archive captures, the registration record and the screenshots in our 2021 report |
| Name | WebSearch.com |
| Search page | websearch.com |
| Browsers | Chrome, Edge and Firefox |
| First seen | 17 March 2021 |
| Facts checked | 6 October 2026 |
Facts checked on 6 October 2026 against one connection test from Europe (no route to the host), the domain's registration record, and two Internet Archive captures (5 January 2017 and 27 March 2025). Not tested: any installer, toolbar or extension, and the privacy and terms pages, which we could not load.
What WebSearch.com is and what it does to a browser
WebSearch.com is a start page with a search box that sets itself as the home page and search engine of a browser, usually together with a toolbar. It is a browser hijacker and a potentially unwanted program, not a virus: it does not copy itself or damage files. The address does not open from our test point today, but the toolbar or extension that pointed your browser at it may still be installed, and that is the part to remove.
- What it was
- A search page called WebSearch: a logo with a magnifying glass, one search box with an orange Search button, tabs for Web, Local and Rebates, and footer links to Home, About, Privacy Policy, Terms of Use and Help. The footer read © 2017 WebSearch.com
- What it changed
- The home page and the default search engine, according to our 2021 report. It named Firefox, Chrome and Internet Explorer as its main targets and said Edge and Safari on a Mac could be hit as well, which we could not test
- Where the results came from
- Our 2021 report said the search ran through search.yahoo.com. Our own screenshot shows results with an advertisement block at the top ("Ads related to hijacker") and the words "Search Results" below it, so the page was a front for ads and for another company's search, not a search engine of its own
- What it pushed
- The WebSearch Toolbar extension: buttons for search, Wikipedia, weather, movies, games, maps and music, as in our 2021 picture
- Who stood behind it
- Our 2021 report said Newark-based developers, which we could not confirm. The domain was registered on 11 April 1995 at GoDaddy.com, LLC (registration data read on 6 October 2026), so the name is much older than the hijacker and the registration says nothing about who ran the search page
- Where it stands now
- websearch.com still has an address (64.135.77.85) but did not answer our test on 6 October 2026. The Internet Archive saw an expired-hosting page there in March 2025
Is WebSearch.com dangerous? What it collects
Our test on 6 October 2026
We tried to open websearch.com as a visitor would, from one network in Europe, looked up its address and registration, and read what the Internet Archive kept from 2017 and 2025.
websearch.com · one connection test · Europe · 6 October 2026
- Does the address openNo, not from our test point. The name resolves to 64.135.77.85, but our connection failed on ports 80 and 443 ("No route to host"). A second try through an outside fetching service also failed with a proxy tunnel error, which on its own proves little. We cannot say whether the site is down for everyone or only unreachable from here.
- Notification request, pop-ups, redirectsNot testable: no page loaded. Nothing in our records shows that WebSearch.com asked to send notifications, but if your browser lists it under notifications, remove it.
- When it stopped workingThe Internet Archive holds working search pages from January 2017. Its captures of 19 and 27 March 2025 show a different page, titled "Expired DNS Hosting Services", saying the domain's DNS hosting services have expired. We do not know the day the search page went away.
- What the 2025 page wasA notice from a DNS hosting company, with no search box. It is not the hijacker.
- RegistrationRegistered 11 April 1995, last changed 12 April 2026, expires 12 April 2027, registrar GoDaddy.com, LLC. A domain this old can change hands, so the name does not tell you who is behind it today.
- The toolbar or extension that set itNot tested. We had no installer and could not identify the extension, so we cannot say what is still on a PC that was hijacked.
Medium risk The search page cannot hurt you today if it does not answer, but we could not tell why from one place. The risk is what was installed to point your browser at it, which this test could not see. One connection test, one country, one date: a quiet or empty result clears nothing, and a domain can start answering again or be passed to someone else.
How the page looked and what changed
January 2017
A plain search page in the Internet Archive
The earliest captures we read, from 5 January 2017, show a page titled WebSearch with one search box and a footer.
March 2021
Our report: a hijacker with a toolbar
We called it a browser hijacker that replaced the home page and search engine and showed results with advertisements at the top, next to a results page for the word "hijacker". The footer in the picture reads © 2017 WebSearch.com.
From our 2021 report: the WebSearch start page and a results page for "hijacker" with advertisements above the results. The footer reads © 2017 WebSearch.com. March 2021
The toolbar
The report also showed the WebSearch Toolbar: a search field with buttons for Search Web, Wikipedia, Weather, Movies, Games, Maps and Music. The woman in the picture is a stock illustration.
From our 2021 report: the WebSearch Toolbar over the start page. The woman is a stock illustration. 19 and 27 March 2025
An expired-hosting notice
The Internet Archive captured a page titled "Expired DNS Hosting Services" at websearch.com on both dates, with no search box.
October 2026
No answer from our test point
The name still resolves, but our connection failed. Browsers still set to open it show an error page instead of a search box.
The WebSearch Toolbar: what it promised
The toolbar is the part most likely to still sit in a browser, and the part this guide asks you to look for.
| What the toolbar was said to offer | What we could and could not check |
|---|---|
| Thematic buttons, a video downloader, a weather plugin, an RSS feed reader and a route planner, as the developers' description was quoted in our 2021 report | Our picture shows buttons for Search Web, Wikipedia, Weather, Movies, Games, Maps and Music. We did not install it, so we cannot say whether the features worked or were useful. Readers who installed it for those features would be disappointed if the search page was all they got, as our report said |
| A search field in the browser window | It sent searches to the same WebSearch results page with advertisements |
| A free download from developers described as based in Newark | We could not confirm who the developers were |
What can go wrong
A search hijacker is a nuisance more than a disaster. The concerns run from most to least serious, and the last one is about the unreachable address.
- Medium
Results chosen for the hijacker's income, not for you
Our screenshot shows an advertisement block above the results, and our 2021 report said the pages exist to promote affiliate products and services. You cannot rely on the order of results as an honest ranking.
- Medium
Whatever installed it may have installed more
A bundled installer can carry several extras, and a browser can end up with other unwanted add-ons (browser helper objects, in older Windows terms) next to the toolbar. Look for the other entries added the same day; removing one program alone may not be enough.
- Medium
Advertising sites can lead on to worse ones
Ads and redirects tailored to your interests can end on shops, scam pages or downloads that start by themselves. We saw no such case ourselves; it is a possibility of the ad route, not an observation.
- Low
Tracking of your browsing
Our 2021 report said the toolbar and the search engine are designed to collect browsing habits. We could not test that, so assume the usual for a search page: your words, IP address and clicks were counted.
- Low
A slower browser
Extensive advertising and extra add-ons can slow a browser down and can get in the way of security software. We did not measure it; the old claim that a hijacked PC runs "times slower" is not backed by a test, and we do not repeat the figure.
- Low
A dead address in your settings
If your browser still opens websearch.com and nothing loads, you get an error page, not a threat. It is still a sign that something changed the settings and may change them again.
What a search hijacker and its partners can see
- Your search words
- Your IP address and country
- Browser and device details
- Time of each search
- Which results and ads you click
- Pages you visit while the toolbar is on
The last item rests on our 2021 report's description of the toolbar; the others are true of any search engine.
How WebSearch.com got into your browser
WebSearch.com is a potentially unwanted program, not a virus, and it does not need clever tricks to get in. Our 2021 report said it hides in the installation settings of free programs and installs together with them without asking. We could not test an installer, so this is the likely route, not a proven one.
| Route | What you would see | How to check |
|---|---|---|
| A free program with the hijacker bundled in its installer | A new toolbar, extension or program installed on the day your start page changed | Settings > Apps > Installed apps on Windows, Finder > Applications on a Mac |
| A browser extension | Start page, new tab and search all changed at once | chrome://extensions, edge://extensions, about:addons or Safari Settings > Extensions |
| A misleading pop-up or fake update prompt | A download you did not start, or a prompt that appeared on an unfamiliar site | The Downloads folder and the browser's download list |
| A changed search or start-page setting | No extension, but the address bar searches through WebSearch | Browser Settings > search engine and start-up pages |
- 1
Bundling
The toolbar and the search change are offered as an extra in the installer of a free or shareware program. This happens when people click "Next" through the setup without opening the Advanced or Custom settings, where the pre-ticked extras are listed.
- 2
The browser is changed
Home page and search engine are pointed at WebSearch.com, and the toolbar is added. Our report named Firefox, Chrome and Internet Explorer as the main targets. Internet Explorer was retired on 15 June 2022; Edge and Safari are covered in this guide because a hijacker can be written for any browser, and the same steps apply.
- 3
You search
The words go to the WebSearch page, which showed advertisements above the results, as in our screenshot.
- 4
A result or an advertisement is clicked
Our report said the toolbar and the search page exist to collect browsing habits and to target ads and redirects at your interests. We could not follow a link today because the page does not load for us.
How to remove WebSearch.com
How to remove WebSearch.com and get your search engine back
Remove the extension first.
The search settings only stay fixed once nothing on the PC can change them again.
Which browser shows the ads?
Set another search engine
Open Settings > Search engine, click Change next to the search engine used in the address bar and pick the one you want. Then open Manage search engines and site search and delete any entry you did not add.
Remove extensions you do not recognise
Paste
chrome://extensionsinto the address bar and click Remove on anything you did not install yourself, especially anything added around the day the start page changed. Go-search.me gave no extension name we could confirm.Full procedure with screenshots: Remove a browser extension
Clear the site data
Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete (Cmd + Shift + Delete on a Mac), choose All time, tick Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files, and click Delete data.
Reset Chrome
Open Settings > Reset settings > Restore settings to their original defaults and confirm with Reset settings. This resets the start page, search engine and pinned tabs and turns off extensions; bookmarks and saved passwords stay.
Full procedure with screenshots: Reset a browser and fix a hijacked search engine
Set another search engine
Open Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Address bar and search and choose the search engine used in the address bar. Check Manage search engines for entries you did not add.
Remove extensions you do not recognise
Paste
edge://extensionsinto the address bar and click Remove under anything you did not install yourself.Full procedure with screenshots: Remove a browser extension
Clear the site data
Open Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Delete browsing data > Choose what to clear, set All time, tick Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files, and click Clear now.
Reset Edge
Open Settings > Reset settings > Restore settings to their default values and confirm with Reset. Extensions are turned off and the start page goes back to default; favourites, history and saved passwords stay.
Full procedure with screenshots: Reset a browser and fix a hijacked search engine
Set another search engine
Open Settings > Search and pick another engine under Default Search Engine. Under Search Shortcuts, remove any entry you did not add.
Remove add-ons you do not recognise
Paste
about:addonsinto the address bar, open Extensions, and choose Remove from the three-dot menu of anything you did not install yourself.Full procedure with screenshots: Remove a browser extension
Clear cookies and site data
Open Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data > Clear Data, tick both boxes and click Clear.
Refresh Firefox
Open the menu > Help > More troubleshooting information and click Refresh Firefox. Add-ons and custom settings are removed and the home page goes back to default; bookmarks, history and passwords stay.
Full procedure with screenshots: Reset a browser and fix a hijacked search engine
Set another search engine
Open Safari > Settings > Search and choose a different Search engine. Then check Settings > Extensions for anything you do not recognise and click Uninstall.
Remove extensions you do not recognise
In Safari > Settings > Extensions, select anything you did not install yourself and click Uninstall. Move any program you did not install on purpose from Finder > Applications to the Bin.
Clear the site data
In Safari > Settings > Privacy > Manage Website Data, remove the site's data, or use History > Clear History > all history. To empty the cache as well, turn on Show features for web developers in Settings > Advanced and choose Develop > Empty Caches.
Check the Mac for apps from the ads
Search hijackers can arrive on a Mac with fake players, "cleaners" and other free downloads. In Finder > Applications, move anything unknown to the Bin. In System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions, remove unknown items. Then use Go > Go to Folder to check
/Library/LaunchAgents,~/Library/LaunchAgents,/Library/LaunchDaemonsand/Library/Application Supportfor folders and files with the same unknown names, and empty the Bin.
Then, whichever browser you use
Step 1: Uninstall programs you did not mean to install
Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps in Windows 11, or Settings > Apps > Apps & features in Windows 10, and sort the list by install date. Look at what appeared around the day the problem started and uninstall every program you do not recognise or did not choose.
Free converters, PDF and video tools, "system optimizers" and unknown browsers are the usual carriers of WebSearch.com. If a name is unclear, search for it before you remove it, so you do not uninstall a driver or a Windows component.
Full procedure with screenshots: Uninstall a program or app in Windows On uGetFix
Step 2: 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
After removal: keep your search engine and start page
If it came with a program, a toolbar or an ad
The browser steps are enough if only the settings and an extension changed. If you installed something just before the start page changed, do these as well. The program is the part to delete, together with the files it left. A scan helps, but do not rely on it alone: uninstalling WebSearch may not be enough to remove everything if the hijacker has been on the computer for a long time.
- 1
Uninstall the program (Windows)
Go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps (Windows 11) or Apps & features (Windows 10). Sort by install date and uninstall anything called WebSearch or added on the day your home page changed. Click Yes if User Account Control asks (Uninstall a program or app in Windows On uGetFix).
- 2
Look through the Mac
In Finder > Applications, drag programs you did not choose to the Bin, and remove unfamiliar entries in System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions. Then open Go > Go to Folder and check
/Library/LaunchAgents,~/Library/LaunchAgents,/Library/LaunchDaemonsand/Library/Application Supportfor items with the same strange names. Empty the Bin. - 3
Scan the computer
On Windows start a Microsoft Defender Full scan and then the Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan), which can reach programs that hide while Windows is running. On a Mac use a scanner from a maker you trust, downloaded from its own site. Other unwanted software may have arrived with the hijacker, so remove every item the scan reports, not only WebSearch.
- 4
Check the system and the browser again
Restart and reopen the search engine and start-up settings. If WebSearch returns, something is still rewriting them, and the install-date list is where to look. If Windows or the browser misbehaves after the clean-up, run Settings > Windows Update and scan once more before blaming something else.
How to keep it from happening again
Do
- Open the Custom or Advanced option of a setup program and read every line; clear the boxes that add a toolbar, a home page or a search engine.
- Get software from the publisher's own site or from the Microsoft Store and Mac App Store; download portals often wrap installers with extras.
- Ignore pop-ups, banners and "your player is out of date" prompts, and links to a search page you never picked.
- Add toolbars and extensions only from the browser's official store and only from publishers you can name.
- Once a free program is installed, look at your browser's home page and search engine settings straight away.
- Leave Microsoft Defender switched on, with Chrome's Enhanced protection or Edge's SmartScreen, and install browser and system updates.
- Back up your documents (File History or OneDrive on Windows, Time Machine on a Mac) so that cleaning or reinstalling never costs you files.
- A VPN hides your IP address from the sites you visit; it does not remove a hijacker.
Don't
- Keep pressing "Next" through a setup, or pick Quick or Recommended without reading it.
- Assume you are safe because you use Edge or Safari: a hijacker can be adapted to any browser.
- Agree to "make this your default search" in a program you did not mean to install.
- Search from a start page you do not remember choosing.
Questions about WebSearch.com
How do I remove WebSearch.com from Chrome?
Open chrome://extensions and remove any extension or toolbar you did not install yourself, especially one added the day your start page changed. Then open Settings > Search engine and choose the engine you want, and check Settings > On startup and Home button for websearch.com.
Clear cookies and cached files for All time, and restart Chrome. On Windows, also open Settings > Apps > Installed apps and uninstall anything named WebSearch or added the same day; on a Mac, check Finder > Applications. If the setting returns, a program is still changing it, so look for what was installed around that time.
Is WebSearch.com a virus?
No. WebSearch.com is a browser hijacker and a potentially unwanted program, not a virus, because it does not copy itself or damage files. It sets itself as your home page and search engine and shows results with advertisements, as in our 2021 screenshot, and it pushes the WebSearch Toolbar.
The risk is in what comes with it: bundled installers can carry several extras, and ads lead to sites you did not choose. We could not test an installer, so we cannot say what any given PC received. If your browser still points to it, treat that as a sign that something changed your settings.
What is the WebSearch Toolbar?
It is a browser add-on that our 2021 report described as offering thematic buttons, a video downloader, a weather plugin, an RSS feed reader and a route planner.
Our picture shows buttons for Search Web, Wikipedia, Weather, Movies, Games, Maps and Music. The same report said the toolbar and the search page mainly collect your browsing habits and target you with ads and redirects.
We did not install it and its own page is not in the Internet Archive, so we cannot confirm what it did. If it sits in your browser and you did not choose it, remove it and check the installed-programs list too.
Does websearch.com still work?
Not from our test point. On 6 October 2026 the name resolved to 64.135.77.85, but our connection failed on ports 80 and 443 with "No route to host", and a second try through an outside service also failed.
The Internet Archive captured a page titled "Expired DNS Hosting Services" on 19 and 27 March 2025, so the search page had gone by then. One test from one place does not show whether the site is down for everyone, and a domain can start answering again or change owners, so check your settings anyway.
Why did WebSearch.com become my start page?
Something on your computer changed the setting; the website cannot do that to a browser by itself. Our 2021 report said the usual route is bundling: the installer of a free or shareware program carries the toolbar and the search change as pre-ticked extras, and clicking Next through the setup accepts them.
A browser extension can also set both and put them back each time you open a new tab. Check the extensions list and the installed programs sorted by date, and remove what you do not recognise.
How do I remove WebSearch.com from Firefox, Edge or Safari?
In Firefox open about:addons, remove extensions you did not install, then pick another engine under Settings > Search. In Edge open edge://extensions, remove unknown ones, and set the engine under Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Address bar and search.
In Safari open Settings > Extensions and click Uninstall, then pick another engine under Settings > Search and remove website data under Privacy. If the setting returns, reset the browser: Refresh Firefox, Reset settings in Edge. On a Mac, also check Finder > Applications and the LaunchAgents folders.
WebSearch.com keeps coming back after I remove it. What now?
Something is still putting the setting back, usually a toolbar, an extension or a program installed with the same free software. In Chrome or Edge open the extensions page and remove anything you do not recognise.
On Windows sort Installed apps by date and uninstall everything added the day it began, then run a Microsoft Defender Full scan and the offline scan. On a Mac check Applications, Login Items and the LaunchAgents folders. Finally reset the browser's settings, which turns off extensions and returns the start page and search to default while keeping bookmarks and passwords.
Does WebSearch.com spy on you?
Our 2021 report said the toolbar and the search page are designed to collect your browsing habits and then target you with ads and redirects. We could not test that: we did not install the toolbar, and the privacy pages are not reachable for us.
A search page can see your search words, IP address, browser details and which results you click, and a toolbar can see more, so assume that was counted. Remove the toolbar, change your search engine, and do not type your name, e-mail or phone number into a page you reached through a search you did not choose.
How can I avoid browser hijackers like WebSearch.com?
Read the installer. Choose the Custom or Advanced setup and untick pre-ticked lines such as "I agree to install ..." or "set ... as my start page". Download programs from their makers' sites or official stores rather than portals, and install extensions and toolbars only from the browser's own store.
After installing free software, open the search engine and start-up settings once and make sure they are still yours. Keep Microsoft Defender on, and do not click offers or update prompts on unfamiliar sites. A VPN hides your IP address but does not remove hijackers.
Will Fortect remove WebSearch.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 WebSearch.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
- Our own test of websearch.com: one connection test from Europe, no route to host on ports 80 and 443 (64.135.77.85) (read October 6, 2026)
- Internet Archive: websearch.com captured 5 January 2017 (a plain search page titled WebSearch) (read October 6, 2026)
- Internet Archive: websearch.com captured 27 March 2025 (page titled Expired DNS Hosting Services) (read October 6, 2026)
- Registration data (RDAP) for websearch.com: registered 1995-04-11, registrar GoDaddy.com, LLC, expires 2027-04-12 (read October 6, 2026)
- Our 2021 report on the Websearch.com virus (screenshots, toolbar description) (read October 6, 2026)
- Google Chrome Help: Change your default search engine (no longer online) (read October 6, 2026)
- Microsoft Support: Change your default search engine in Microsoft Edge (read October 6, 2026)
- Mozilla Support: Change your default search settings in Firefox (read October 6, 2026)
- Apple Support: Change your search settings in Safari on Mac (read October 6, 2026)
- 2-Spyware: Remove Wow Search (browser hijacker guide) (read October 14, 2026)