Reasons not to trust Search.searchptp.com search engine

Search.searchptp.com is a bogus search engine created by Polarity Technologies Ltd. It spreads with Package Tracker Pro application which is usually included in freeware downloads. Once it enters the system, users might find a changed homepage, default search engine, and even new tab URL address.
However, it might not be easy to revert all the changes caused by search.searchptp.com virus. It might modify Windows registry and alter browser’s settings to prevent users from uninstalling it. But the good news is that this cyber threat can be removed.
Technically speaking, this search tool is not a virus, but a potentially unwanted program (PUP) that works as a browser hijacker.[1] Therefore, you can remove search.searchptp.com with or without security software. If you choose manual elimination option, you will need to find all hijacker-related entires and revert its changes.
After the search.searchptp.com hijack, users might suffer from these problems:
- inability to set their preferred Chrome, Firefox, Explorer or other browser’s startup page;
- being forced to use search.searchptp.com search engine as default one;
- seeing an increased amount of online ads that are based on the browsing history;
- redirects to sponsored websites;
- browser slowdowns or crashes.
The appearance of the search.searchptp.com seems legit. It offers quick access to popular websites and allows tracking parcels directly from the home page. Additionally, all the search keywords are redirected to Yahoo results page.
However, you should be aware of suspicious search.searchptp.com redirect tendencies. The hijacker might trigger redirects to third-party sites once you click on the Yahoo result link. Indeed, the PUP wants to control your browsing habits. Why? In order to generate income.
The real purpose of the program is to profit from online advertising. Thus, when you click on ads or visit affiliate’s site, developers generate pay-per-click revenue. This form of online advertising is legit. However, when it is applied by a browser hijacker, there’s a risk to end up on a malicious website.[2]
Thus, after the hijack, you should not test this tool or tolerate its appearance. The program might not only increase your chances to get infected with ransomware or data-stealing trojan but collect information about you as well. Thus, uninstall the program immediately! If you want to speed up search.searchptp.com removal, take advantage of FortectIntego.

Suspicious program infiltrates the system in software bundles
The reason why search.searchptp.com hijacks browser’s homepage is an installation of Package Tracker Pro which is widely distributed in software packages. You can find it offered to download together with various free programs that you can download from file-sharing sites or torrents.
When you need to install freeware or shareware, you have to be careful in order to avoid unintentional installation of third-party software. According to Les Virus[3] team, users often rely on “Quick” or “Recommended” settings when they install new programs. However, it’s a bad habit because this setup does not reveal about “additional downloads.”
For this reason, you always have to choose “Advanced” or “Custom” settings that disclose and allows rejecting installation of third-party apps.
The correct way to uninstall search.searchptp.com
Only uninstalling Package Tracker Pro is not enough to remove search.searchptp.com entirely. You have to get rid of other suspicious programs, browser extensions and other hijacker-related components that might be capable of bringing back the hijacker.
You can follow manual search.searchptp.com removal guide presented at the end of the article. However, if you are afraid of missing some components, you should opt for the automatic elimination method.
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.

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