Remove HDQPlayer ads (Virus Removal Guide)

Why HDQPlayer is a questionable application:

Online users use the term “HDQPlayer virus” to describe this program, even though its creators, the SoftForce LLC, introduce it as a multi-functional and almost revolutionary application for video streaming and editing. If you are not sure which side you should trust, continue reading this article and, hopefully, it will help you make up your mind. If you are willing to remove the program immediately, you should obtain a reputable anti-malware utility, such as Fortect Intego and use its sophisticated scanner to detect and eliminate this app. You can also skip to the end of this article to find manual HDQPlayer removal instructions.

An image of HDQPlayer official download website

The first thing that causes major concern to the users as well as the computer security experts is that HDQPlayer hijack computers without the user’s permission. This means that this program may appear on your system even if you were not even thinking about installing it. The truth is, that even though this program is free, it is actually ad-based and is monetized through the promotion of the affiliate websites. Therefore, the users who have found this software on their computers also report a major ad problem. The software is said to inject numerous pop-up ads, in-texts ads, auto-play video with slogans such as “Ads by HDQPlayer,” “Brought by HDQPlayer” or “HDQPlayer Ads.” These advertisements may offer bargain products, coupons, price comparison tools, etc., but none of these ads will overtly disclose to what websites you will be actually sent after clicking on them. It has been found that HDQPlayer redirect the users to questionable sites which can often distribute infectious content as well. So, you should think very seriously whether you need this application installed on your PC. We must warn you that if you do not remove HDQPlayer from your computer and allow it inject ads into your browser, it may diminish your computer’s susceptibility to infections and draw even more malicious threats.

How did this program end up on your computer?

HDQPlayer has its official website, from which you can download the product directly. The website features a trendy design and presents the product in a comprehensive and attractive way. Consequently, it is not surprising that the users often download this application voluntarily. Nevertheless, more commonly HDQPlayer appears on the users computers without a warning, but not without the user’s interaction. Usually, this potentially unwanted program is installed together with other freeware or shareware applications, when the user chooses to skim through the installation using “Quick” or “Recommended” settings. In reality, these settings hide the additional installs, so, to see what they are and to manage them, you have to choose “Advanced” or “Custom” modes instead.

Is HDQPlayer removal difficult?

HDQPlayer removal is not difficult as it is not technically a virus. Your antivirus utility may not even detect this application, but it is also worth giving a try. Besides, other malware could have entered your computer the same way HDQPlayer did. If the virus-fighting utilities do not detect any threats upon scanning the system, you should follow the steps indicated below to remove the HDQPlayer from your computer.

For Windows users:
1. Click “Start” button
2. Enter “Control Panel”
3. Find “HDQPlayer” and select “Uninstall” function
4. Finish the process by clicking “OK”

For Mac OS X users:
1. Click “Go” button and select “Applications”
2. Find the “HDQPlayer” in the list
3. After selecting the program, choose “Move to Trash”.

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.

How to remove HDQPlayer ads

Why HDQPlayer is a questionable application:

How did this program end up on your computer?