Yontoo Pagerage: what it is and how to remove it
Yontoo (can also be found as Yontoo PageRage) is a browser extension that showed up in 2015. At the moment, its official site claims that it was discontinued and provides its removal instructions.
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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Yontoo Pagerage: summary
| Detection names | No Microsoft detection name is known |
|---|---|
| Distribution | Not recorded in the old report |
| Damage | Not recorded in the old report |
| Name | Yontoo Pagerage |
| Type | Search hijacker extension |
| 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 | 6 write-ups by security sites; details still limited |
|---|---|
| Program | Yontoo Pagerage |
| First seen | 19 February 2018 |
| Facts checked | 7 October 2026 |
Is Yontoo Pagerage dangerous? What it collects
From our report of Feb 2018 · not reviewed since
Yontoo - a browser extension that floods browsers with ads
Yontoo (can also be found as Yontoo PageRage) is a browser extension that showed up in 2015.
At the moment, its official site claims that it was discontinued and provides its removal instructions. However, if you happen to see this app on your computer, note that its aim is to help users personalize their Facebook layouts by changing the theme, font, color, and similar things.
The main issue related to Yontoo is its additional activity on the system. As a result, this app was included to adware, browser hijacker, and potentially unwanted program (PUP) categories. That's why you can remove Yontoo with the help of various security software.
One of the most important reasons why this application has been included to PUP category is its ability to deliver annoying pop-up advertisements while people are browsing on the Internet. Also, Yontoo can also initiate unwanted redirects to suspicious websites, slow downs and other undesired activities on each of your web browsers. At the moment, it is compatible with Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Safari web browsers.
Finally, we should warn you about data tracking that is caused by Yontoo right after it hijacks the system and adds itself to each of web browsers. The only thing that sounds like a relief is that this potentially unwanted program has been discontinued and you can remove Yontoo with the help of simple steps.
Several years ago, this application was actively mentioned in various security forums as "Yontoo virus." The main reason why it got such name was its ability to infiltrate computers unnoticed. In reality, it had been distributed with the help of bundling technique that allows installing programs (various add-ons and extensions) together with other software.
Once inside the system, this program continued to deliver an excessive amount of online ads on Facebook and other websites. There's no doubt that unwanted advertisements can be really annoying and prevent users from browsing the Internet normally. However, it is not the end.
Beware that Yontoo ads and similar notifications that show up out of nowhere might also hide various dangers. For example, they might redirect you to malicious websites, infect your computer with ransomware or Trojans. Moreover, Yontoo Privacy Policy also declared other obnoxious features of this application.
It seems that it was used to collect non-personal information about users with the help of various tracking technologies, such as cookies, beacons, etc. The purpose of this activity is usually said to be improving services and providing interest-based ads. However, such data can also be sold to suspicious third parties.
All these negative features should motivate you to perform Yontoo removal on your computer.
How Yontoo Pagerage got into your browser
From our report of Feb 2018 · not reviewed since
Distribution strategies of adware and browser hijackers typically rely on two different methods.
The second one allows installing it without users' knowledge. Thus, the latter method is questionable and caused dissatisfaction for the users.
We already mentioned that this method is called bundling and it allows attaching programs to software packages and infiltrating them to the target system with the help of freeware and shareware. This mechanism is widely used in other PUPs dissemination; thus, you should learn how to install programs correctly in order to avoid them.
So-called viruses and similar apps might get inside the computer while installing programs under Quick or Recommended settings. These setups do not reveal additional downloads and install them by default.
In the meanwhile, Advanced or Custom settings show the list of third-party entries that are offered to download. Thus, if you do not rush the installation process of the freeware and avoid clicking the "Next" button, you will protect yourself and your computer.
How to remove Yontoo Pagerage
How to remove Yontoo Pagerage 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.
Step 1: Remove extensions you did not add
In Chrome open
chrome://extensions, in Edgeedge://extensions, and in Firefox the menu > Extensions and themes.Remove every extension you do not remember adding, especially search, new tab, coupon, PDF, weather or video downloader add-ons. Check every browser and every profile, because each keeps its own list.
If an extension has no Remove button or comes back, a browser policy holds it (see "Managed by your organization" in the procedure below). The pages are the same on Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Chrome on Windows 11: More > Extensions > Manage extensions. Full procedure with screenshots: Remove a browser extension
Step 2: Put the search engine back
In Chrome open Settings > Search engine > Manage search engines and site search, make an engine you trust the default, and delete entries you did not add.
In Edge type
search engineinto the search box at the top of Settings and open Manage search engines; in Firefox use Settings > Search. Then check the homepage and the new tab page in the same settings, because hijackers change all three.If the wrong engine is back after a restart, an extension, a program or a policy still sets it, so finish the other steps and check again. The settings are the same on Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Chrome on Windows 11: check Search engine and On startup. Full procedure with screenshots: Reset a browser and fix a hijacked search engine
Step 3: Uninstall Yontoo Pagerage
Yontoo Pagerage is removed like any other program, from the list of installed apps. In Windows 11 that is Settings > Apps > Installed apps, in Windows 10 Settings > Apps > Apps & features, and in both you can also use Control Panel > Programs and Features.
Select Yontoo Pagerage, click Uninstall and follow the uninstaller to the end. Then look at the entries just above and below it when the list is sorted by date: bundled programs install at the same minute.
Full procedure with screenshots: Uninstall a program or app in Windows On uGetFix
Step 4: Reset the browser
A reset removes what the steps above could miss:
- changed start pages
- site permissions
- hidden settings
In Chrome open Settings > Reset settings > Restore settings to their original defaults; in Edge Settings > Reset settings; in Firefox Help > More troubleshooting information > Refresh Firefox.
Tip: Bookmarks and saved passwords stay, while extensions are turned off and the search engine and start page return to the defaults.
Reset every browser on the PC, including Edge, which Windows 11 and Windows 10 always have.
Chrome on Windows 11: Settings > Reset settings. Full procedure with screenshots: Reset a browser and fix a hijacked search engine
Step 5: Scan the PC, then run the offline scan
A scan finds the parts of Yontoo Pagerage that the manual steps cannot see. In Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options, start a Full scan and quarantine what it reports.
Follow it with Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan) > Scan now, which restarts the PC and checks the disk while Windows and the malware are not running.
It takes about 15 minutes and works the same in Windows 11 and Windows 10. If either scan finds something, run the full scan again after removal until it comes back clean.
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
To get rid of this PUP from Windows, you need to uninstall this application via Control Panel. Here, check the list carefully and uninstall entries that could be related to Yontoo. We also recommend looking for other third-party applications that might be related to this intruder.
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
To uninstall the PUP from Chrome, go to the list of Extensions and delete unknown third-party applications. The last removal step requires resetting the browser. Follow the instructions below.
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)
Follow the instructions below to get rid of this suspicious browser hijacker fro Firefox. All you have to do is to find Yontoo in the list of Firefox extensions and delete it. Then, reset browser's settings in order to delete all hijacker-related entries.
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
To fix Mac OS X, uninstall all suspicious applications that you can't remember installing. For that use the following guide:
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.
Reset Internet Explorer
To start using IE again, check the list of add-ons and look for the suspicious entries. Delete them with the help of the following steps.
Remove dangerous add-ons:
- Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
- Pick Manage Add-ons.
- You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.
Change your homepage if it was altered:
- Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
- Select Internet Options.
- In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
- Click Apply and then select OK.
Delete temporary files:
- Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
- Under Browsing history, click Delete...
- Select relevant fields and press Delete.
Reset Internet Explorer:
- Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
- Select Reset.
- In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.
Do not let government spy on you
The government has many issues in regards to tracking users' data and spying on citizens, so you should take this into consideration and learn more about shady information gathering practices.
Avoid any unwanted government tracking or spying by going totally anonymous on the internet.
You can choose a different location when you go online and access any material you want without particular content restrictions. You can easily enjoy internet connection without any risks of being hacked by using VPN.
Control the information that can be accessed by government any other unwanted party and surf online without being spied on. Even if you are not involved in illegal activities or trust your selection of services, platforms, be suspicious for your own security and take precautionary measures by using the VPN service.
Backup files for the later use, in case of the malware attack
Computer users can suffer from data losses due to cyber infections or their own faulty doings.
Ransomware can encrypt and hold files hostage, while unforeseen power cuts might cause a loss of important documents. If you have proper up-to-date backups, you can easily recover after such an incident and get back to work. It is also equally important to update backups on a regular basis so that the newest information remains intact - you can set this process to be performed automatically.
When you have the previous version of every important document or project you can avoid frustration and breakdowns. It comes in handy when malware strikes out of nowhere. Use for the data restoration process.
From our report of Feb 2018 · not reviewed since
Removing Yontoo PageRage virus from browsers
You should remove Yontoo PageRage from the Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari web browsers just like any other browser extension.
Go to the list of add-ons and uninstall it from the list of current applications. However, this application is also installed on your Windows computer. Thus, you need to uninstall it via Add/Remove feature in Windows.
However, sometimes it may fail because it is known that this program drops registry entries and other components on the system that can't be eliminated like that. If you haven't installed this extension manually, you should think about scanning your computer with updated anti-spyware. It will perform automatic Yontoo removal and help you to get rid of all suspicious programs and files related to it.
Questions about Yontoo Pagerage
Can I safely uninstall Yontoo Pagerage?
If you did not install Yontoo Pagerage 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.
How do I stop programs like Yontoo Pagerage from being installed again?
Most unwanted programs arrive through installers, so the fix is in how you install software. Download programs from their official sites or the Microsoft Store, not from download portals or ads above search results. During setup, choose Custom or Advanced installation and untick every extra offer, including browsers, toolbars and optimizers.
Decline update prompts that appear inside other programs unless you know them. In Windows Security, turn on reputation-based protection and potentially unwanted app blocking. These steps would most likely have stopped Yontoo Pagerage before it reached the app list.
Is only one browser affected?
Often not. Programs that install hijackers tend to change every browser they find, and sync can carry the extension to other computers signed in to the same browser account. Check Chrome, Edge and Firefox, even the ones you rarely use, and look at the shortcut targets on the desktop and taskbar for each.
If you use sync, remove the extension while signed in so the removal syncs too. Also check the On startup setting and the new tab page, because hijackers change those as well as the search engine.
What do I lose if I reset Chrome or Edge?
Less than you might think. A reset turns off all extensions, which you can turn back on one by one, restores the default search engine, home page, new tab and pinned tabs, and clears cookies, so you are signed out of most sites.
Bookmarks, history, saved passwords and autofill data stay. Firefox's equivalent, Refresh Firefox, keeps the same essentials but removes add-ons completely. Before you reset, make sure you know your main passwords or have them saved, since you will need to sign in again.
Why can't I change my search engine back?
Because something keeps setting it. If an extension controls the search engine, Chrome and Edge show a note that an extension is controlling this setting, and your change is reverted. If a policy controls it, the field is greyed out and the browser shows Managed by your organization.
Remove the extension first, then the policies, and only then change the search engine; the change will stay. If it still reverts, look for a program in Installed apps or a scheduled task that reinstalls the extension.
What is Yontoo Pagerage?
Yontoo (can also be found as Yontoo PageRage) is a browser extension that showed up in 2015. At the moment, its official site claims that it was discontinued and provides its removal instructions.
The summary table at the top of this guide lists the type, the detection names, the symptoms and the damage of Yontoo Pagerage. Reading it first helps you decide whether your computer shows the same signs. The removal plan below it works in order, from the safest step to the more thorough ones.
How did Yontoo Pagerage get on my computer?
In reality, it had been distributed with the help of bundling technique that allows installing programs (various add-ons and extensions) together with other software. Software of this kind often comes bundled with free programs, fake updates or downloads from unofficial sites.
It can also arrive through a browser extension or a notification you allowed on a spam page. Think back to what you installed or allowed just before the first ad or redirect appeared.
Will my antivirus detect Yontoo Pagerage?
Not always, because our check found no Microsoft Defender detection name for it. Our check found no Microsoft Defender detection name for it, so a scan may not name it. Update the security program first, then run a full scan instead of a quick one.
Also scan with a second on-demand scanner, because one program can miss what another finds. A clean scan does not prove the signs are gone, so check the browser extensions and installed programs by hand too.
Will Fortect remove Yontoo Pagerage?
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 Yontoo Pagerage, 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
- TechTerms: Adware (read October 7, 2026)
- 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)