Skip to content
  • Active
  • Severity: High
  • Stealing programs
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Jan 2018

How to remove Search.hwatchingnewsonline.com

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

Alice Woods · Likes to teach users about virus prevention

Search.hwatchingnewsonline.com might disturb browsing sessions and compromise your privacy

Search.hwatchingnewsonline.com browser hijacker

Search.hwatchingnewsonline.com by Polarity Technologies (also known as Watching News Online) is a questionable application which lets users enjoy free News and Weather forecasts directly from their browser. However, according to PC security experts, it’s a potentially unwanted program (PUP), and a browser hijacker.

It usually comes into the system bundled with freeware downloads. Once inside, Search.hwatchingnewsonline.com virus changes user's browser settings without users' permission. However, these potential modifications are clearly explained in program’s terms and conditions:

“<…>Such changes may include, without limitation, the following: 


1. Change of the default search engine in your Internet Browser, including your Browser's built-in search box, if applicable, and address bar; 

2. Change of the default home page and/or new tabs of your Internet Browser; 

3. Addition of alternative error page functionality, such as “Page Not Found”, if applicable; 

4. Additional search-related services; 

5. Allowing software updates of the Software once a new version is released and the ability to send you notifications; 

6. Allow first-party publisher or Partner Cookies to be installed in your Browser. These Cookies can be controlled through your Settings on your Browser Controls.”

When trying to revert these settings, Search.hwatchingnewsonline.com will simply continue to reassign browser options, resulting in redirects and misleading pop-ups which can significantly decrease browsing experience. Security researchers from NoVirus.uk[1] also report that these activities might increase chances to suffer from other cyber threats, such as ransomware.

Additionally, it will track users' browsing habits and also record various information. Keep in mind that there is no guarantee that it won’t be sold to third parties to create profits for the developer. Search.hwatchingnewsonline.com might also use machines' resources to run various background processes (lowering overall system performance), often not noticeable for a standard user, such as mining of crypto-currencies.[2]

Watching News Online virus is one of many browser hijacker applications that are, in fact, almost identical and have a very similar functionality – they trick users into believing that the application is useful and easy to use, while it brings no value to a user. Its only goal is to generate profits for the developer by displaying ads on the homepage or other visited websites.

If you think that you are infected, you are highly advised to remove Search.hwatchingnewsonline.com from your computer. Otherwise, you will have to deal with unwanted ads and redirects to suspicious web domains. As you already know this activity increases your chances to suffer from infiltration of malware.[3]

Thus, if you are dealing with this redirect virus, make sure you take care of search.hwatchingnewsonline.com removal without wasting your time. We suggest opting for the quickest solution and get rid of the hijacker using FortectIntego or another anti-malware.

Image of Search.hwatchingnewsonline.com virus

The hijacker might invade users' systems without their consent

Watching News Online is available to download on various free download sources. However, this browser hijacker usually finds its way into users' machines without them being informed. Usually, the success of the Search.hwatchingnewsonline.com hijack hides in deceptive software marketing method bundling.

With the help of this strategy, developers hide these unwanted applications in “Recommended” settings within the application installation which most of the users skip. Intruders like Watching News Online are then installed on users' machines without them knowing.

However, PUPs can be avoided by being cautious when installing free software on the system. While installing freeware or shareware, never skip any steps and always use “Advanced/Custom” modes, carefully analyzing all the data. Bear in mind that “Quick/Recommend” settings do not have this feature, so they should not be used.

Using two methods to remove Watching News Online from the system

To remove search.hwatchingnewsonline.com from your computer, you can use a step-by-step guide prepared to you by our experts. They will help you remove the virus manually.

If you are not ready to take care of search.hwatchingnewsonline.com removal manually, you can also use automatic removal option. In this case, we highly recommend updating the security software before running a full system scan. Then, make sure you get rid of all suspicious entries detected after the scan.

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

Be the first to comment

Spyware news
Privacy preferences

We use cookies to improve your experience and analyze traffic. Some cookies enable embedded content like videos and social posts. Choose what you allow — you can change this anytime.