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

How to remove Ad.directrev.com

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

Julie Splinters · Anti-malware specialist

Ad.directrev.com is a redirect virus guided by adware

Ad.directrev.com is a legitimate marketing platform, which is not malicious and can hardly pose harm to any computer. However, it seems that scammers have started using it for promoting potentially unwanted programs, such as adware and browser hijackers around. How do they do that?

In most of the cases, they misuse Ad.directrev.com for getting the ability to display misleading pop-up ads that mostly report about missing updates. After informing the user that he/she has to update Java, Flash Player, FLV Player, and similar programs, they also offer to download them for free by clicking buttons like:

  • 'Download Now'
  • 'Install'
  • 'I Agree'

Of course, you should never believe such ads because you may be tricked into installing adware, browser hijackers, and other potentially unwanted programs. Besides, you may also be tricked into visiting a suspicious website seeking only to increase its page rank or sales.

The appearance of Ad.directrev.com ads should make you concerned because they are displayed on a computer's desktop only after affecting it. Typically, these pop-up ads are caused by a specific browser plugin, which is spread on the Internet with freeware and shareware. If you want to avoid it, you need to double-check each of the freeware before downloading them to your computer.

As soon as Ad.directrev.com-related browser add-on reaches its target PC system, it may try to modify each of the web browsers that are installed these. After doing so, it starts displaying continuous pop-up notifications that appear whenever a user opens Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, or other web browsers.

This browser plugin affects all web browsers, so switching from Google Chrome to Mozilla Firefox can hardly help you avoid its ads. For that, you will have to remove it from the system. If you want to fix your computer and start using it as you did before infiltration of this adware, you should waste no time and scan your computer with a reputable anti-malware solution, such as SpyHunterCombo Cleaner.

Security software can help you eliminate suspicious programs and malware from your system. If you want to get rid of cookies and other web data automatically to protect your privacy, we suggest using FortectIntego.

PUP developers use deceptive distribution technique known as bundling

Ad.directrev.com browser plugin is distributed with the help of freeware and shareware. This distribution method is legitimate, but it still initiates various doubts because people are hardly warned about its installation. In order to avoid such downloads, you should keep an eye on the installation process of such programs:

  • video recording programs
  • video streaming software
  • download managers
  • fake system optimizers
  • PDF creators, etc.

Additionally, don't forget to deselect check marks that say that you agree to install this and other 'optional download.' If you see Ad.directrev.com ads, you can be sure that you have already been tricked into downloading this plugin on your computer. However, you can remove it from the system with a help of these steps:

Remove Ad.directrev.com pop-up ads from your computer for good

Ad.directrev.com is not malicious. However, you should remember that scammers may also try to hire this company to show their ads for you. That's why you should be very careful with pop-up ads and remove Ad.directrev.com virus before it manages to cause any harm to your computer or your online safety.

Before you proceed with Ad.directrev.com removal, it is important to note that there could be other potentially unwanted programs hidden on your system. Therefore, even though you can eliminate PUPs manually (we provide instructions below), we also recommend scanning the device with powerful anti-malware software. After that, remember to clean each of the browsers carefully to eliminate cookies and other web data.

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

Did this guide help?

1 comment

  1. Good Advice FREE

    The simplest way to remove Ad.directrev.com, or any other pop-ups is as soon as the pop-up(s) appear:

    1) Start Task Manager. (Ctrl-Alt-Del).
    2) Click the Process Tab.
    3) Select Iexplore.exe and click: end-process.
    4) Repeat for every instance of Iexplore.exe

    Note: If you click, or already have clicked the pop-up without closing your web-browser - run the 4 steps above... If the browser is closed with the pop-ups still installed: Restart start in SAFE-MODE and run AV on ALL hardisks

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.