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  • Active
  • Severity: High
  • Stealing programs
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Nov 2018

How to remove Searchpage.com

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

Gabriel E. Hall · Passionate web researcher

Searchpage.com is a browser hijacker that redirects all searches to Yahoo

SearchPage.com infects Mac users

Searchpage.com is a search engine designed by Iron Mountain Technology Limited and operates as a browser hijacker. It is usually installed together with other freeware or shareware when users fail to pick the correct installation method and skip important steps, and spreads as a browser extension SearchPage. Unsurprisingly, users find their homepage on Google Chrome, Safari, Mozilla Firefox or Internet Explorer got swapped to searchpage.com, and all their searchers are redirected to Yahoo. The browser hijacker is also known to cause numerous unwanted activities on victims' computers, such as the collection of non-personally identifiable information and its usage for marketing purposes. It goes without saying that there is no need for any user to keep Searchpage.com hijacker on their machines, so please follow the below instructions for system cleanse.

Name Searchpage.com
Type Browser hijacker/PUP
Browser extension SearchPage
Developer Iron Mountain Technology Limited
Infiltration Software bundling, third-party websites
Symptoms Altered search engine and home page, redirects to questionable sires, modified search results, etc.
Elimination Use out guidelines below; after removal, you can scan your PC with FortectIntego to retrieve its normal operation

What is more, recently this browser hijacker started bothering Mac users and causing redirects on Safari web browser, so Windows users are not the only targets of this potentially unwanted program (PUP). Mac users complained that, once Searchpage.com takes over the homepage, they are unable to remove it from Safari:[1]

I am unable to edit homepage from safari as well. Here is the screenshot. Please help!

Some of the external sites SearchPage virus seeks to promote may be just regular websites that seek to sell their products. However, you should also beware that sometimes results generated by this search site may redirect you to an insecure domain, which spreads malware[2] via malicious JavaScript. Developers of Searchpage.com search engine mainly focus on generating pay-per-click revenue, so they are unlikely to endorse the content of sites they advertise.

Besides, do not be fooled by the line saying “Results by Yahoo!” because you are not dealing with the real Yahoo search engine. Because the search query was initiated via Searchpage.com, the search results are different from legitimate Yahoo's ones, as you can see multiple sponsored links provided as ads. Due to this, some security experts identify Search Page virus as a variant of Yahoo redirect virus.

Searchpage.com virus

Please be aware that Searchpage.com hijacker collects non-personally identifiable information, i.e., anonymous information. While it cannot identify you personally, it can disclose anything about your online activities, and technical data of your machine. As stated in SearchPage Privacy Policy:[3]

The Non-Personal Information collected includes:

  • technical information transmitted by your device such as type of operating system, default browser;
  • your aggregated use of the Software, basically if we know if you installed the software or not;
  • usage statistics;
  • language and the time stamp;
  • approximate geographical location;
  • browsing usage including, Internet Protocol address (IP). Note that, in some jurisdictions some of this data might be considered as “Personal Information”.

All this data is aggregated with the help of cookies and other tracking technologies. Third-party Cookies can remain on your browser for as long as their provider configured it,[4] even after SearchPage.com removal on your machine. Therefore, it is vital to reset each of the installed browsers as explained below.

After elimination, we suggest you download and install FortectIntego. With the scan made by this software, you will be able to completely fix the damage done by SearchPage.com hijacker, be it Mac or Windows computer.

Prevent browser hijackers from affecting your device

The described PUP is promoted with a help of shareware and freeware as a free addition. This method is quite unfair because you can easily miss this sentence that notifies about installation of this search site. If you want to avoid PUPs, you have to uncheck all the checkboxes that allows developers to install bloatware on your machine. That can be done via Custom or Advanced installation mode, so make sure you do not opt for Default or Standard one.[5]

Comprehensive security software should also be installed on each computer for the full protection. It can secure your device from not only most PUPs but also various malware, such as ransomware or trojans.

SearchPage.com redirect virus

Remove Searchpage.com from Mac or Windows

Users trying to remove Searchpage.com virus from Mac should carefully read the instructions provided below. The screenshots and in-detail explanations we provided should guide your through the removal process and help you clean the compromised computer easily. The instructions are balanced to help you remove Searchpage.com from Safari and other web browsers installed on your computer.

Windows users can use the comprehensive Searchpage.com removal guide for Windows OS users. Additionally, we recommend checking for suspicious programs automatically. The list of recommended programs is provided below. If you are unsure which program to use, consider reading software reviews on Software page.

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

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