Mobisearch.co search engine may not perform its primary function properly

Mobisearch.co is a search service that is supposed to enhance browsing experience by offering to receive results from Google and Bing databases. This website is created by AirFind – a company which is known for developing another similar site Websrch.net. Both of them are known as potentially unwanted programs (PUPs)[1] and browser hijackers.
On the main page, you won’t find an offer to install a browser extension or set Mobisearch.co as default search provider. However, its appearance might surprise users. The PUP might hijack Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or other browsers after incorrect installation of freeware or shareware.
After the Mobisearch.co hijack, users might have to deal with these issues:
- modification homepage, search engine or/and new tab page;
- alteration of search results;
- an increased amount of online ads;
- redirects to questionable websites;
- inability to remove Mobisearch.co from the browser.
Despite the fact, developers claim that this search engine can deliver results from credible search providers, it’s better to use their services directly. This search tool mostly works as an advertising apparatus that generates revenue for its developers. Thus, while some of the provided links are organic; others are sponsored.
Finding needed information using this tool might be hard. However, Mobisearch.co redirect problems are bigger than that. Some of the paid links and ads might lead to high-risk websites where users might suffer from phishing attacks[2] or other cyber crimes.
So-called Mobisearch.co virus might also collect various information about users, including personally identifiable information. According to the Privacy Policy, aggregated details might be not only used for advertising purposes but also shared with third-parties. Hence, you might receive lots of commercial content or even allow cybercriminals access sensitive information.
Nevertheless, this search engine looks credible; it has lots of negative features. It goes without saying that you should not use it or let it stay on your browser. We highly recommend completing Mobisearch.co removal with FortectIntego or another anti-spyware.

Inattentive computer users are in the target eye of the browser hijacker
The hijacker is promoted in software bundles. Users who rely on Standard/Quick freeware installation setup might accidentally agree to make Mobisearch.co their default search tool. The same problem might happen if users rush through Advanced/Custom settings.
We want to remind that it’s important to pay proper attention to freeware installation. Users should always choose Advanced settings and carefully follow each of the steps. Once the list of “additional downloads” shows up, it’s important to unmark all ticks to avoid installation of undesired apps.
The hijacker has been noticed actively spreading in the United States and the United Kingdom.[3] Thus, users in these countries should be careful when installing new programs to avoid this PUP.
Explanation on how to uninstall Mobisearch.co entirely
It may not be possible to remove Mobisearch.co simply. Browser hijackers usually make various changes on the system and browsers’ settings. What is more, they might install additional components that strengthen its presence. For this reason, users are not allowed to set their preferred their desired homepage or search engine.
Therefore, Mobisearch.co removal requires either scanning the system with anti-malware software and let it eliminate all hijacker-related entries or locating these files manually. The instructions below will give more information how to perform manual removal successfully.
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.

Was this guide helpful?
Be the first to comment