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  • Active
  • Severity: Low
  • Browser addons
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · May 2017

How to remove MetroWhiz Toolbar

A step-by-step removal guide for affected devices. Follow the verified procedure below — most readers complete it in under 10 minutes.

Lucia Danes · Virus researcher

MetroWhiz Toolbar offers traffic watch services but threatens users‘ privacy

MetroWhiz Toolbar is another browser extension developed by famous software developer Mindspark Interactive Network. It supplies the online market with various supposedly practical toolbars: GetFormsOnline Toolbar, GetCouponsFast Toolbar, ConvertDocsNow, etc. However, popular products and well-known brand name may also contain questionable and doubtful aspects or features. Luckily, the privacy policy and EULA terms are quite informative providing explicit information how the toolbar operates and what kind of operation it collects. It mentions that the plug-in may collect both, non-personal and personal information, and share it with third parties. The company also includes third-party content in their toolbars. Furthermore, some security applications label their software as potentially unwanted applications[1]. As a result, they might terminate your attempt to install and, later on, alarm about the detected PUP. If you are wary of your online privacy, you might consider performing MetroWhiz removal. For that purpose, use FortectIntego or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes.MetroWhiz Toolbar example

Mindspark Interactive has gained popularity not only for its popularity for its products but for its campaign to hire people with autism for software testing.[2] Despite such kind intentions and a wide choice of supposedly useful products, their production also sparks questions and doubts among cyber security specialists and vigilant users. When you install either of their toolbar or browser extension, it leaves quite a number of registry keys. For reliable browser extensions, such behavior is not common. Speaking of Metro Whiz Toolbar, its design of the official web page may attract users as it does not only include flickering download buttons but also includes an integrated audio message which encourages installing the browser extension. However, users make a fatal mistake by omitting to read EULA and Terms of Use. In the document, provided by MetroWhiz, it mentions that gathered information about netizens may be used not only for service improvement but for transferring it to third parties. Only if you deliberately contact the developers of this toolbar via an indicated address, they may cease collecting information about you. Moreover, Mindspark employs a variety of tracking tools to gather such information. They also mention that affiliated third-parties and partners may spy on your browsing habits, collect personal information and use to for the purposes not bound by the current privacy policy. Furthermore, they may as well transfer this information to partners registered in other countries. Likewise, MetroWhiz redirect issue might cause bothersome effects. In overall, such collection of data bothers users, who are especially conscious of their privacy. You may be bombarded not only with personalized commercial offers but with spam emails which harbor an ominous attachment – ransomware.[3]The picture showing MetroWhiz Toolbar

The promotion of Mindspark products

Usually, all of their products have their own official web pages. There, you can download or install one or another browser extension. Though it is unlikely that other their products may be promoted via another, so-called “bundling” technique, be wary that a number of PUPs spread as attachments attached to freeware applications. In order to spot questionable add-ons on time, opt for “Advanced” settings. Then, you will be able to deselect optional attachments. Only when you are sure that no unnecessary applications are installed, start the installation. Thus, you may proceed to the final section which instructs how to remove MetroWhiz.

MetroWhiz Toolbar uninstallation

You can remove MetroWhiz Toolbar manually or automatically. If you are in a hurry, you may opt for the automatic elimination. For that purpose, you will benefit from FortectIntego or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes. They will detect all elements of the toolbar and eliminate them. You may also perform manual MetroWhiz Toolbar removal. Keep in mind that such method also requires attention and precision. You may also combine these two methods for another warranty.

Recently, the developer of this program contacted us asking us to remove this post from 2-spyware.com website. We believe that we shouldn’t do that as long as programs that we offer for the removal of MetroWhiz Toolbar can detect it and help users to remove it from the system. As it is mentioned under each of download buttons, we ARE affiliated with these anti-malware programs, and while some of them are free, others can remove a virus only after purchasing them. These mentions fully fulfill each of the requirements of FTC.
Nevertheless, we have recently decided to make a revision of this and other posts that are related to this developer. We claim that all of them are described properly.

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.

Reset Internet Explorer

Remove dangerous add-ons:

  1. Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
  2. Pick Manage Add-ons.
  3. You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.Remove add-ons from Internet Explorer

Change your homepage if it was altered:

  1. Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
  2. Select Internet Options.
  3. In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
  4. Click Apply and then select OK.Reset IE homepage

Delete temporary files:

  1. Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
  2. Under Browsing history, click Delete...
  3. Select relevant fields and press Delete.Clear temporary files from Internet Explorer

Reset Internet Explorer:

  1. Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
  2. Select Reset.
  3. In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.Reset Internet Explorer

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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