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  • Active
  • Severity: Medium
  • Adware
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Jan 2015

How to remove Ads by KMPlayer

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

What is KMPlayer and why does it cause ads on its sidebar?

KMPlayer is a widely used multimedia player which is also known as K-Multimedia Player and KMP. It is not a virus and can be downloaded from its official website or other reputable download sources. However, no matter how useful it is, its developers have been set it to show sponsored ads in its window. This app can cause the sidebar which is filled with “recommended fixers”, various mobile apps, games, browser extensions and similar notifications. Beware that the more ads you click, the bigger amount of money their creators earn. However, the biggest problem is related to the fact that “ads by KMPlayer” have been noticed to be slightly malicious, i.e. they may contain links to the questionable websites that may be filled with misleading content. In the worst case scenario, you may be rerouted to a website that is used for spreading viruses or malware. Make sure that you stay away from pop-up ads that claim:

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To avoid these misleading notifications, you can either remove KMPlayer from your computer or disable its sidebar. For the first option, we recommend using a reputable anti-spyware, such as FortectIntego. This option is especially recommended if this potentially unwanted program has infiltrated your computer in a bundle with other software. If you need a player, you cal always switch to VLC Media Player.

As we have just mentioned, KMPlayer can be installed without expecting that. If you can’t remember installing it on your computer manually, it is very likely that this application infiltrated your machine as an optional component. Due to the fact that it travels along with freeware as additional component and people don’t remember downloading it themselves, they have started calling it “KMPlayer virus”. As we have already mentioned, it is just a potentially unwanted program (PUP) that causes ads on its sidebar. If you want to prevent them, make sure you follow a guide given below the picture. In fact, we highly recommend doing that because some of these ads belong to questionable parties who seek to flood their users with appealing advertisements and trick them into downloading useless software. KMPlayer removal guide can also be found in the end of this article. However, let’s discuss its distribution methods first.

 The picture showing KMPlayer ads

How can this player enter my computer?

You can download KMPlayer multimedia player from its official website. It is a RELIABLE application which has nothing in common with viruses. However, recent researches of security experts have revealed that this player has also been actively distributed using “bundling” method. It means that you can find this multimedia player on your computer right after downloading another program. No matter how useful it seems, you should never fall into accepting the installation of KMPayer along with another freeware because it can be filled with additional components. That’s why it has been categorized by some of security vendors as a PUP and an adware. The problem is that people do not pay enough attention to the installation of the freeware and skip notifications that are displayed during this process. Consequently, they start seeing “Ads by KMPlayer” and similar notifications on their computer. Beware that clicking them can lead you to suspicious websites! In order to avoid that, you must opt for Advanced or Custom installation option and monitor the entire installation process of such free programs as download managers, PDF creators, video streaming software and similar programs. Besides, make sure you use official websites instead of third-party download sites to prevent unwanted changes on your computer. Otherwise, you may get tricked into installing the whole bundle of programs instead of one.

How can I disable KMPlayer ads and remove this player?

To disable KMPlayer ads that appear on your screen while using this program, use these steps:

  • Open Notepad by typing Notepad in Start menu. To open it as administrator, right click on it and select Run as administrator. 
  • Click Ctrl+O at the same time to open the dialog box.
  • Go to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc folder and change file type to All files.
  • Open the Hosts file and go to its end. Type in: 127.0.0.1 player.kmpmedia.net
  • Click Ctrl+S to save your changes. 

Beware! You are not running as administrator if the Notepad asks you to create a new file!

In case you have decided to remove KMPlayer from your computer, you can use two options. Firstly, you can remove this player with programs that are given below. In this case, you need to select the security app, update it and run a full system scan. If you want to preform manual KMPlayer removal on your computer, you should follow a guide which is given below. Keep in mind that pop-up ads that are caused by this player must be ignored! 

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.

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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