Skip to content
  • Active
  • Severity: Medium
  • Browser Hijackers
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Jan 2021

How to remove WSearch

A step-by-step removal guide for affected devices. Follow the verified procedure below — most readers complete it in under 10 minutes.

Ugnius Kiguolis · The mastermind

 Wsearch – a fake search tool that constantly inserts ads into your searches

WSearch is a potentially unwanted application that belongs to the category of ‘browser hijackers.’ Such programs are capable of modifying the part of the system’s settings and then interrupting PC users with their misleading pop-up ads, redirects, slowdowns, and similar unwanted activities.

Beware that these activities may interrupt you whenever you start your browsing sessions on the following browsers:

  • Google Chrome;
  • Mozilla Firefox;
  • Internet Explorer;
  • MS Edge.

One of the main WSearch hijack signs is that the homepage and new tab address is set to wisersearch.com. Each time users attempt to search via the appended search tool; they will quickly notice that the results are filled with sponsored links and ads. This disruptive activity is also accompanied by user tracking for marketing purposes, so privacy risks might occur.

Name WSearch
Type Browser hijacker, potentially unwanted program
Related process wsearch.exe runs in the background
Distribution Software bundles, fake updates, third-party websites
Associated URLs wisersearch.com
Risks Installation of other potentially unwanted programs, privacy risks, financial losses
Removal To delete potentially unwanted programs, you can follow the manual guide below or use security software to perform the elimination procedure automatically
Optional steps Computer infections can cause significant damage to system files or disrupt normal settings. To revert these changes and remediate the OS, perform a full system scan with FortectIntego repair software

Such sites may lead you to the infiltration of other potentially unwanted applications, such as adware and browser hijackers. Also, not everyone knows that browser hijackers may start tracking PC users and may collect information, which is related to their browsing habits.

In most cases, they collect people's search terms, mostly visited websites, data that they enter when visiting them, etc. Please, do not ignore such facts!

No matter that such information is considered to be personally non-identifiable, its loss may lead you to an increased amount of spam and similar issues.

To sum up, you should avoid all programs that belong to ‘adware,’ 'browser hijacker,' and similar categories. They may try to infiltrate computers in a bundle with freeware and shareware, so you may discover them on your computer even if you don't think about their installation.

After infiltrating their target PC system, these programs may start causing continuous pop-up advertisements that may be filled with commercial links and similar content. However, they may also start initiating redirections on each of your web browsers and track you for getting more data about your browsing habits.

If you noticed its annoying pop-up ads when browsing on the web, you should scan your PC with updated anti-spyware and remove WSearch. For that, we recommend using SpyHunterCombo Cleaner or other security software. After that, a scan with FortectIntego would ensure your system runs smoothly and does not crash, lag, or delivers errors.

Avoid browser hijackers, adware, scareware, and other PUPs

WSearch is distributed using quite unfair distribution techniques. In most cases, you can unnoticeably download it in a bundle with free software and shareware. This is done for the only reason – monetization.

If you want to prevent infiltration of WSearch or other freeware, you must carefully monitor the installation process of the software you need to download and also read every sentence, which is displayed on installation windows. Also, eliminate all unknown entries and conditions that may show up. If

This program gets inside the system; it leaves its own BHO that affects Internet Explorer’s work. It starts showing its commercial pop-up ads every time you reboot your computer. If you see pop-up ads that belong to WSearch, you should check your PC for this application. Security experts recommend eliminating WSearch from the system without any delay.

WSearch removal should not be a difficult task with this guide

While browser hijackers are generally not considered to be malicious, unexpected web browser changes should never be ignored. As already explained, such apps might prevent you from finding relevant information easily, fill your searches with ads, and cause privacy issues due to information tracking practices. Thus, you should remove WSearch virus from your system immediately, and you have two options for that:

  • manual
  • automatic.

Manual WSearch removal should not be complicated as long as you follow the steps we provide below. Don't forget to access your web browser settings, uninstall suspicious extensions, and then clean web data and cookies. Alternatively, PUps can also be removed with anti-malware programs, so you can try that instead if you do not want to proceed with the manual option.

Uninstall from Windows

Uninstall from Windows 10/8:

  1. Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
  2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 10/8

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:

  1. Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
  2. In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 7/XP

Remove the unwanted program:

  1. In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
  2. If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.Uninstall the unwanted program from Windows

Delete from macOS

Remove the unwanted application:

  1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
  2. In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).Uninstall from Mac

Delete leftover files and folders:

  1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
  2. Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
  3. Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.Delete leftover files from Mac
  4. Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.

Reset Internet Explorer

Remove dangerous add-ons:

  1. Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
  2. Pick Manage Add-ons.
  3. You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.Remove add-ons from Internet Explorer

Change your homepage if it was altered:

  1. Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
  2. Select Internet Options.
  3. In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
  4. Click Apply and then select OK.Reset IE homepage

Delete temporary files:

  1. Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
  2. Under Browsing history, click Delete...
  3. Select relevant fields and press Delete.Clear temporary files from Internet Explorer

Reset Internet Explorer:

  1. Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
  2. Select Reset.
  3. In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.Reset Internet Explorer

Remove from Microsoft Edge

Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:

  1. Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
  2. From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
  3. Click Remove.Remove extensions from Edge

Clear cookies and other browser data:

  1. Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
  2. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  3. 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.Clear Edge browsing data

Restore new tab and homepage settings:

  1. Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
  2. Then find On startup section.
  3. Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.

Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:

  1. Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
  3. Select Details tab.
  4. 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.Reset MS Edge

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge

Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):

  1. Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
  2. Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.Remove extensions from Chromium Edge

Clear cache and site data:

  1. Click on Menu and go to Settings.
  2. Select Privacy, search and services.
  3. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  4. Under Time range, pick All time.
  5. Select Clear now.Clear browser data from Chroum Edge

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. On the left side, pick Reset settings.
  3. Select Restore settings to their default values.
  4. Confirm with Reset.
  5. This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.Reset Chromium Edge

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

Remove dangerous extensions:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
  2. Select Add-ons.
  3. In here, select the unwanted extension and click Remove.Remove extensions from Firefox

Reset the homepage:

  1. Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
  2. Choose Settings.
  3. Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.

Clear cookies and site data:

  1. Click Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Go to Privacy & Security section.
  3. Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
  4. Click on Clear Data...
  5. Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.Clear cookies and site data from Firefox

Reset Mozilla Firefox

If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
  2. Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.Reset Firefox 1
  3. Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
  4. Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.Reset Firefox 2

Remove from Google Chrome

Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

  1. Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
  2. In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.Remove extensions from Chrome

Clear cache and web data from Chrome:

  1. Click on Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
  3. Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
  4. Click Clear data.Clear cache and web data from Chrome

Change your homepage:

  1. Click menu and choose Settings.
  2. Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
  3. 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:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
  3. Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
  4. Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
  5. Confirm with Reset settings.Reset Chrome 2

Delete from Safari

Remove dangerous extensions:

  1. Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
  2. Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.Remove extensions from Safari

Clear history and website data:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
  2. Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.Clear history from Safari

Reset Safari:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
  2. Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
  3. From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.Reset Safari

1 comment

Spyware news
Privacy preferences

We use cookies to improve your experience and analyze traffic. Some cookies enable embedded content like videos and social posts. Choose what you allow — you can change this anytime.