Fantastigames Toolbar – a browser hijacker that places misleading ads on your homepage

If Fantastigames Toolbar has appeared on your browser, and you are sure you did not install it, it means that a browser hijacker has slithered into your system. If you are interested in what it is and how to eliminate this PC intruder for good, continue reading – because the 2-spyware team has prepared the answers for you.
Fantastigames Toolbar is one of those sneaky toolbars that we categorize as a browser hijacker (similar to Babylon Toolbar, Startnow Toolbar). The reason our research center does so is the unwanted/misleading activity caused by these toolbars.
They get inside the system without any notification, cause adverse changes to the browser's homepage – it will be replaced with search.fantastigames.com. Besides, this browser hijacker may cause system slowdowns, monitors your browsing habits and steals this information, which can additionally be used for marketing purposes.
Commonly tracked data by browser hijackers includes:
- search queries
- downloaded files
- visited websites
- clicked links
- installed applications, etc.
As you can see, keeping Fantastigames Toolbar means hard search sessions because they will always be flooded with various advertisements. These advertisements may contain redirecting links to domains that have nothing to do with users’ search queries.
Furthermore, some of these links can lead to risky web pages that promote infectious software. No wonder why so many people look on the Internet for a way how they could remove Fantastigames Toolbar. So if you wish to avoid Fantastigames Toolbar redirects, you should remove this potentially unwanted program (PUP), using a proper security tool, for example, FortectIntego security program.
PUPs gain access to computers without asking for a direct permission
Typically, Fantastigames Toolbar gets inside the system together with free gaming software. For that, distributors of PUPs use the bundling method, including several programs into one software package. Commonly spread software components include:
- adware
- browser hijackers
- plug-ins
- add-ons
- browser extensions.
As most of the users fail to study the installation agreement, they do not get information about the activities and liabilities of this toolbar. To avoid PUPs and to ensure your computer's good performance, you should be careful when you install new applications, especially free ones.
Always carefully investigate Terms of Use and Privacy Policy forms, and find out what is the aim of the program and what are its agreements with third-party companies.
Later, make sure you choose safe installation settings – and that does not mean choosing the “default” or “standard” option. You should prefer “custom” or “advanced” mode because it allows you to review and manage installation components. So reject any unfamiliar statements by unticking them.
Uninstall Fantastigames Toolbar from your system
If you are determined that you do want to remove Fantastigames Toolbar virus, you should waste no time and do it immediately. With the help from our team, it will be easy – because we have provided step-by-step instructions on how to do it. You can find the guidelines below this article.
However, we strongly recommend installing a professional security tool, which will ensure your system's safety in the future. You should make sure that the database of the software is up-to-date before performing a system-wide scan, however. Also, remember – always be attentive and do not rush when you install freeware or shareware.
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.

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.
Reset Internet Explorer
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.

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.

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge
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.

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.

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.

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