What is Coupilation?
Coupilation is a browser plug-in that is officially listed as an ‘adware’ and ‘potentially unwanted program’. If you PC got infected by it, probably you are wondering how that has happened since you have an anti-virus installed and haven’t visited illegal websites or something. Adware-type programs are usually spread bundled with freewares/sharewares and, keeping in mind the fact that they are commonly updated and does not feature malicious traits, an old anti-spyware may not recognize it as a threat. Not to mention, it is not spread via illegal websites, spam or other means that are used for spreading viruses.
As we have already noted Coupilation is an adware. It means that its sole purpose is to display advertisements. When presenting this tool, its developers may try to convince you that “Ads by Coupilation” are useful since they contain information about the items and services that you have recently been looking for. Therefore, you get the chance to get information about the lowest prices and biggest deals. However, each of the Coupilation ads is sponsored by third parties and the content that they are filled with is predetermined. Therefore, you should better avoid clicking on them unless you don’t care whether you are visiting reliable websites or not. However, you should keep in mind that third parties may employ Coupilation redirects to spread other potentially unwanted programs, so do not fall for grabbing the offers to update software, check the Internet for free or install various PC optimization tools. In addition to ads and redirects, this doubtful tool is also blamed for misusing PC’s resources, diminishing its performance, spying on users, collecting data without requiring user’s authorization, and sharing it with affiliate parties. Therefore, counting all the inconveniences and issues that this adware may cause, we strongly recommend you not to keep it installed. In order to remove Coupilation virus, we would recommend using FortectIntego.
How did Coupilation get on my computer?
It’s very easy to understand when Coupilation adware infiltrates the system because it starts generating tons of advertisements, slows down the system, and initiates other irritating activities. If you wonder how adware-type programs are capable of infecting PC’s sneakily, then you have probably never heard about ‘bundling’. This distribution method allows filling freewares/sharewares with third-party apps (add-ons, plug-ins, toolbars, extensions) that are always spread as default components. Therefore, if you install freewares not attentively enough, you may be tricked into installing Coupilation or any other unreliable browser add-on. To prevent this from happening, always take your time when installing freewares, check Advanced/Custom settings and opt out of additional components that you are not familiar with.
Coupilation FAQ
Question. Is it possible to remove Coupilation virus without using the additional software?
Answer. Since Coupilation is an adware, not a virus, it can be removed manually. If you are determined do to that by yourself, the guide below can be very helpful for you. Nevertheless, keep in mind that adwares usually spread bundled not only with freewares but also with other potentially unwanted programs. If you want to get rid of them for good, our recommendation is to check the system with a reliable anti-malware anyway.
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.
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