How to remove i.search.metacrawler.com

What is i.search.metacrawler.com?

i.search.metacrawler.com (also known as Metacrawler Search) is a questionable search engine, which we don’t recommend using for browsing. The main reason why we say so is that this website is closely related to questionable developer and its product Funmoods. Besides, it has been promoted using unfair distribution methods (known as bundling), so there are hundreds of people who have been tricked into downloading this browser hijacker without knowing that. As soon as it enters the system, this program may start causing various system changes. Typically, it alters the start page and the default search engine on each of web browsers. However, it may also try to change the new tab page or bookmarks list, so you should avoid this program if you want to avoid these changes. After doing so, i.search.metacrawler.com hijacker may start blocking Google, Yahoo, Bing and other search engines for tricking PC users into using it for their search sessions. We don’t recommend trusting this search engine and its search results because the most of them may be filled with questionable links. After clicking them, you may be rerouted to unknown websites that may also be insecure. Finally, you may notice unwanted i.search.metacrawler.com pop-up ads and slow downs on all web browsers (Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, etc.) that are installed on your PC system. If you don’t want to deal with such annoying and suspicious activities, you should remove i.search.metacrawler.com from your computer and go back to reputable search engines, such as Google, Bing or Yahoo. If you need a help to remove this questionable search site without leaving its leftovers, please run a full system scan with Fortect Intego.

metacrawler

How can i.search.metacrawler.com hijack my computer?

i.search.metacrawler.com is mostly promoted using freeware and shareware where it is hidden in optional components. If you want to avoid discovering unknown applications on your computer after installing freeware, you should always monitor installation process of the freeware and remove free additions and similar components. In order to get ability to do that, you should select Custom or Advanced installation option. After doing so, you should try to find the check mark, which agrees to make i.search.metacrawler.com your start page, the default search engine or a new tab page. If you would miss this check mark, you would agree with the installation of this search engine on your computer. After successful installation, it may try to initiate several system changes in your computer’s settings and then may start its annoying routine, which is typically based on redirections.

How to remove i.search.metacrawler.com virus?

If you have just discovered i.search.metacrawler.com instead of your start page and/or the default search engine, it means that your machine is hijacked. In this case, you should avoid this questionable search engine because it may show you altered search results. These results are typically used for promoting affiliate parties but there is no guarantee that each of these sites is safe. If you want to remove i.search.metacrawler.com browser hijacker from your PC, you should follow a guide below or scan your computer with the reliable anti-spyware.

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.

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.