Shall I install PDFConvertTools Toolbar or not?
PDFConvertTools Toolbar allows converting documents to PDF files. The developers of this tool probably are well-known for many of you – Mindspark Interactive Network, Inc.[1], that are already known as IAC Applications. The company is famous for developing toolbars and software that often receives negative feedback. This time we also received many complaints about this toolbar. Users claim that it appeared on their computers out of the blue. For this reason, they entitled it as “PDFConvertTools virus.” We want to point out that it’s not a virus. Cyber security specialists agree that this application can be called as potentially unwanted program[2] due to its controversial distribution technique. Even though it has an official website, it also spreads with freeware and shareware[3] as an optional component. This feature allows getting inside inattentive users’ computers. However, it is possible to prevent unwanted applications from being installed on the PC. Users just have to get used to installing new programs using secure settings. Though, if you made a mistake and let this toolbar inside, you have two options – to let it stay or uninstall it. We recommend the second option because we do not believe that programs should sneak inside computers without directly asking users’ permission. That’s why we recommend PDFConvertTools removal. You can easily uninstall this app manually; however, we suggest scanning you PC with FortectIntego or another reputable anti-malware program because some potentially unwanted applications might be hiding in the system as well.
Furthermore, after PDFConvertTools installation or infiltration, this app might modify browsers’ settings. It may replace current homepage and default search engine to hp.myway.com. If you haven’t installed this app intentionally, you might think that your browser was taken over by the browser hijacker[4]. Fortunately, you can remove PDFConvertTools from the computer and reset browser’s settings. However, there’s another issue why we do not recommend installing or keeping this toolbar on your PC. According to the Privacy Policy, developers may collect both non-personally identifiable and personally identifiable[5] information about the users, such as “your name, address, email address, and telephone number and anonymous Information, such as the number of your page views, link clicks, and login times.” There are many ways how collected data might be used; one of them is sharing it with unknown third-party businesses.

How is it possible that it managed to get inside the computer without my knowledge?
Some computer users claim they haven’t installed this program themselves and have no idea how it ended up on their computers. Even though, PDFConvertTools Toolbar has an official website that offers to direct download; it’s not the only way how this tool might get inside your computer. The developers use shady software marketing technique called “bundling.” This method allows adding extra applications to the software packages. Furthermore, when a user installs this software package using Basic/Quick settings, he or she can expect PDFConvertTools hijack. It might happen because this installation setup does not inform about additional applications and install them by default. For this reason, you should not rely on this setup and always opt for Custom/Advanced mode. It reveals all extra apps and allows rejecting their installation.
How to remove PDFConvertTools from the PC?
You can remove PDFConvertTools Toolbar from the computer just like any other regular program straight from the Control Panel. However, you should not forget to uninstall browser extension from your browsers as well. If you haven’t installed this toolbar yourself, you should carefully investigate all recently installed programs because there might be other potentially unwanted applications as well. Additionally, you can leave PDFConvertTools removal for the reputable anti-malware program. Automatic elimination method is quick and simple even for inexperienced computer users. This technique requires scanning the computer with your chosen security software.
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.

Did this guide help?
3 comments
Jimmy
I was surprised finding this program on my PC... Fortunatelly, its gone now!
PDF
I thought I was the only one who thought that its a usefull app...
Me
What other PDF converters can you recommend instead of this?