SearchAlot is a fake search engine that delivers numerous ads on the hijacked browsers

SearchAlot is a suspicious and very questionable search engine, which may show you untrustworthy search results. Beware that they may be filled with various links, banners, and pop-up ads that should never be clicked. Once installed, the app sets the homepage, new tab address to search.alot.com, and appends a customized search engine, which delivers altered search results.
| Name | SearchAlot |
|---|---|
| Type | Browser hijacker, potentially unwanted program |
| Distribution | Software bundles, deceptive ads, third-party websites |
| Symptoms | Unknown extension or application is installed on the system; homepage and new tab address are set to search.alot.com; all search results are delivered via a customized search engine and are filled with sponsored links and ads |
| Risks | Installation of other potentially unwanted programs, privacy risks due to information gathering practices, financial losses |
| Removal | You can uninstall potentially unwanted programs manually as we explain below. Additionally, you should also perform a full system scan with security softawre |
| Additional steps | Computer infections can cause significant damage to system files or disrupt normal settings. To revert these changes and remediate the OS, perform a full system scan with FortectIntego repair software |
By returning these modified search results, SearchAlot hijacker seeks to promote its affiliate parties and help them to increase their page rank or sales. However, there is no guarantee that each of these parties is safe and harmless.
Beware that you may be tricked into visiting a questionable site that may be used for spreading questionable programs. In addition to that, we have to warn you that SearchAlot may also try to block such known search sites as:
- Yahoo
- or Bing.
Also, it may alter your start page, and the default search engine without your permission asked, so you may find out that you can't search the web without this search engine. Researchers who analyzed this search hijacked said the following:
This program may start tracking your browsing on the Internet and may collect your search terms, mostly visited websites and other data that could additionally reveal what ads would user try to click.
We also have to mention pop-up ads that may be displayed by SearchAlot to you right after their appearance n your computer. Beware that they are used for the same reason, just like its altered search results.
If you have already noticed that your browsers redirect you to search.alot.com and other search sites, it's a sign that the SearchAlot virus is already hiding inside your computer. You may also notice that you can't use Google, Bing, and Yahoo anymore.
In this case, you should check the instructions for SearchAlot removal below – we provide methods on how to clean the most popular browsers effectively. Alternatively, you can perform a full system scan with FortectIntego to eliminate all the leftovers of the program.
PUP authors use deception to spread their creations around the internet
SearchAlot is mostly distributed with the help of freeware and shareware. If you want to avoid such unexpected downloads when downloading other programs, take time, and monitor their installation process.
Typically, you should select Custom or Advanced installation of the freeware and then find the check mark that says that you agree to install SearchAlot or Alot Toolbar, make search.alot.com your homepage, and similar.
The clearest sign showing that this program is inside your machine is changed in browser settings. Typically, you can notice changes in your start page and default search engine. In this case, follow these instructions and remove SearchAlot from the system:
SearchAlot hijack elimination steps
SearchAlot is not a virus. It is categorized as a 'potentially unwanted program' due to its deceptive distribution techniques and the ability to alter browser settings without permission. You should be really careful with it because it may be involved in the promotion of questionable parties.
Its infiltration may lead you to system slowdowns, redirects, and other problems that can be fixed only by removing this PUP from the system. If you want to remove SearchAlot or any other potentially unwanted program from the system, you can choose one of the two methods:
- manual
- automatic.
If you want to perform a quick SearchAlot removal, you should go for the latter method and scan the device with powerful anti-malware. Alternatively, you can look for PUPs yourself as per the guide we provide below.
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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