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  • Active
  • Severity: Medium
  • Adware
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Oct 2018

How to remove GreatZip ads

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

Linas Kiguolis · Expert in social media

GreatZip – a highly annoying PUP which can slow down your browsing activity

Ads by GreatZip

GreatZip is a highly annoying program that is classified as an adware[1]. It does not only display ads itself but is also advertised by other adware programs that launch initiate redirections to hxxp://GreatZip.com/adv1/ that suggests installing “Your Download Software Manager.” The installer of this software contains additional programs that might belong to the spyware category. In other words, the virus is meant to convince you to install highly suspicious software bundles that can contain spyware or, in the worst case, malware type programs. 

Name GreatZip
Type Adware
Sub-type PUP
Possible dangers Ads can convince you to install virus-related content
Annoying features Redirecting, advertising
Browsers affected Chrome, Edge, Firefox, etc.
Distribution Bundling, rogue pages
Prevention Use Custom mode, avoid dubious websites
Elimination Install FortectIntego to scan the system and look for threats

GreatZip is advertised as the “best file compressor” that helps to zip and unzip files instantly. Unfortunately, this software is known to be promoting additional software alongside itself and present it as “recommended” to a computer user. Sadly, we are afraid that these programs can add no additional value to your computer and might even start to annoy you on a daily basis.

It is highly likely that these potentially unwanted programs[2] are ad-supported, meaning that you will have to encounter pop-up and banner advertisements during your daily browsing sessions. Such problems are highly bothersome, to say at least. Nevertheless, advertising posts can be not only annoying, but they also might slow down your browser's performance. For this reason, you should remove GreatZip virus along with all other spyware from your computer immediately.

GreatZip ads appearing on your screen can also pose a big threat to your security and privacy. Adware that generates them usually seeks to provide targeted offers to increase the probability that the user clicks on them. Therefore, it collects information such as your search queries, visited websites, ads clicked and even more. Usually, having such information allows this adware comprehend what kind of content interests the user.

GreatZip

If you click on such ad, you activate a link that is hidden behind it, and such move triggers an URL redirect leading to a specific external site. Although technically adware is not malicious[3] itself, it can lead you to sites that might be highly dangerous. For this reason, we do not recommend you to attempt to explore content behind “ads by GreatZip” pop-ups.

If you receive advertisements leading you to unfamiliar sites, it means that you are infected with an adware program that needs to be deleted immediately. For GreatZip removal, you can employ programs like FortectIntego or delete the infection yourself using the instructions we added to this article.

GreatZip virus

Bypassing sneaky attempts to lure you into installing potentially dangerous software

According to researchers from Virusai.lt[4], many free programs attempt to lure victims into installing additional software, promising that it can benefit the user somehow. Sadly, the functionality of such programs is usually hardly reliable because besides of providing some simple function, such as file format conversion, these programs track computer users and display dozens of ads brought by certain ad networks[5].

Luckily, it is not hard to prevent such programs from acting this way. The user simply has to stay attentive and do not let some suspicious programs trick him into installing unwanted software. Therefore, we recommend you to check what installation settings are pre-selected when you attempt to install a new computer program. We are positive that the Default or the Standard option will be the chosen one. Your task is to switch the selection to Custom or Advanced option and then deselect all additional applications/extensions/plug-ins offered to you.

GreatZip adware

Removing GreatZip ads from the system

It is highly recommended that you remove GreatZip virus right now. This program is hardly reliable, and it can significantly diminish your browsing experience. To prevent this program from causing system slowdowns, redirects and displaying pop-up ads, perform the elimination or simply clean your computer system using the anti-spyware or anti-malware software.

You can also perform the GreatZip removal by using the manual technique. We have displayed such method below this article. What you will have to do is clean infected web browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, or others. Make sure you carry out this method with big care as one missed dubious component might easily renew the adware.

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

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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