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  • Active
  • Severity: High
  • Stealing programs
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · May 2017

How to remove Yoursafesearch.com virus

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

Yoursafesearch.com – a bogus search engine that promotes suspicious software

Yoursafesearch.com is a browser hijacker[1] that pretends to be a legitimate search tool. Surprisingly, this potentially unwanted program (PUP) aims at Mac users. It’s quite uncommon because the majority of hijackers are designed to attack Windows OS. Developers of this search tool claim that it provides a better browsing experience and delivers improved search results. However, in reality, Yoursafesearch.com might deliver altered results and include sponsored third-party links. Thus, instead of finding useful information, you might explore through questionable websites that do not provide useful information but offer to purchase suspicious software or other products. The hijacker might enter the system bundled with free programs that you can download from various online sources. Freeware helps it to get into the system silently and hijack web browsers. After the installation, it might change settings of the Safari, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox. As a result, you might find this search engine set as your default one and be unable to switch it to Google or other preferred search providers. It might happen because PUP is capable of altering shortcuts and causing other system changes in order to make Yoursafesearch.com removal slightly complicated. However, with the help of reputable anti-malware program, such as FortectIntego, it is not hard to get rid of this tool.

The image of Yoursafesearch.com

This fake search engine promotes suspicious software that offers to install Mac cleaning program. However, installing this or other programs promoted by the hijacker is not recommended. Such software is usually useless and might cause more problems that benefit. What is more, so-called Yoursafesearch.com virus might also be capable of tracking information about users. For instance, it might be collecting data about your frequently visited sites, search keywords, clicked ads, IP address, information about browser’s and operating system’s type, etc. Aggregated details are often used for behavioral marketing. However, it might also be shared with unknown third parties. Based on analyzed data, developers, third parties, and advertising networks might deliver an excessive amount of online ads that diminish browsing experience significantly. As you can see, the authors of YourSafesSarch are not interested in providing quality services for the users. Instead of that, they are interested in generating advertising-based revenue. Your clicks on misleading search results and ads are worth particular sum of money. Thus, the more you click, the richer developers become. However, some of the commercial content may lead not only to irrelevant but also to potentially dangerous websites. Hence, you should not risk to encounter some cyber threat and remove Yoursafesearch.com from your browser immediately.

The image of Yoursafesearch.com virus

Hijacker enters the system silently

Yoursafesearch.com hijack usually occurs when users download and install free programs. Freeware and shareware[2] often come up as a software bundle. Thus, it includes lots of additional components that are usually are potentially unwanted programs. Inattentive and incorrect installation of these programs may lead to hijacked web browser and infiltration of other undesired software. Thus, in order to prevent it, you have to install new programs under Advanced/Custom setup instead of Recommended/Quick. The latter method does not openly inform about third-party apps and install them by default. Meanwhile, the second one reveals the list of such components and allows rejecting the installation by deselecting them. Thus, if your browser has been hijacked, probably, you have overlooked an important statement agreeing to make Yoursafesearch.com your default search engine. Next time you should be more careful.

Solving Yoursafesearch.com redirect problems

As you already know Yoursafesearch.com works as an online advertising tool and does not enhance the browsing experience. Seeing an excessive amount of online ads, being redirected to suspicious sites and being constantly spied on are annoying and not tolerated activities. Thus, you need to get rid of the hijacker. In order to remove Yoursafesearch.com from the browser, you have to find this PUP installed on the system and uninstall it together with suspicious browser extensions. The instructions below will help you to terminate hijacker-related entries effectively. However, if you want to speed up Yoursafesearch.com removal, you should opt for the automatic method. All you have to do is to install a reputable anti-malware program and scan the computer with an updated tool.

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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