How to remove DomalQ

DomalQ – adware that meddles with your web browser settings without permission

DomalQ is a potentially unwanted program, which can infiltrate your machine unnoticed and then initiate various system changes. Such programs can easily download unwanted toolbars, change the start page or the default search engine, drop their own browser add-ons on each web browser, and so on.

However, one of the most obvious signs showing that your computer was affected by one of such applications is annoying pop-up ads that may interrupt each of your browsing sessions. DomalQ ads may be set to inform you about various discounts, price comparisons, deals, and similar things that have been attracting PC users.

Please, do not fall for these ads because they may redirect you to unknown or even unsafe websites. Unfortunately, but this is not the end. It seems that DomalQ adware may also start tracking PC users and may collect various information, which is related to their browsing habits, for example:

search terms
mostly visited websites
IP address
approximate location
device information, etc.

No matter that it is considered as personally non-identifiable, you should be very careful with programs that are capable of collecting them. In many cases, adware creators share these details with additional parties to maximize profits.

Security experts summed up the app well:

DomalQ is a suspicious application, which may cause annoying pop-up ads that may try to redirect you to affiliate websites. Also, it may collect personally non-identifiable information and may cause other issues on your computer.

Please, be careful with this adware and always think about the trustworthiness of its ads. Beware that this program is compatible with Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome web browsers, but there is no guarantee that it is not capable of hijacking other browsers as well.

If you can't avoid its ads because it has infiltrated your machine behind your back, you should remove it from the system as soon as possible. You can rely on a powerful anti-malware software scan, followed by system inspection with Fortect Intego.

Adware authors use software bundling for effective distribution

You can download DomalQ from various websites. However, many PC users call this program a virus because it infiltrates computers unnoticed. If you want to avoid such unexpected programs, you must remember one secret:

DomalQ spreads in a bundle with freeware and shareware, which is typically filled with various optional downloads and similar stuff.

You should always uncheck these check boxes that agree to install them, and you will prevent their infiltration. Otherwise, be prepared to follow these steps because this is the only way to remove DomalQ from the system.

DomalQ virus removal steps

Technically, DomalQ is not a virus. It is a potentially unwanted application, which can be avoided by choosing a custom or advanced installation procedure when installing freeware on the system. If you have just failed to choose any of these methods and allowed adware, you should remove DomalQ from your system either manually or automatically.

If you would like to pick the former, you can use the instructions we provide below. Not only do we explain how to remove DomalQ from Windows and Mac systems, but we also offer effective methods on how to clean the affected web browsers properly to ensure the unwanted redirects stop for good. Alternatively, you can rely on security software that would find and delete all the adware's components automatically.

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.