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  • Active
  • Severity: High
  • Stealing programs
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Aug 2018

How to remove Search.searchgmfs1.com

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

Ugnius Kiguolis · The mastermind

Search.searchgmfs1.com – a browser hijacker which provides quick navigation to trick naive users

Search.searchgmfs1.com hijack

Search.searchgmfs1.com is a browser-hijacking application[1] which provides driving navigation to trick users into adding it to the web browser. This potentially dangerous search engine has been actively spread together with the “Get Directions Quick” browser extension and other freeware. Once installed, it starts providing fake search service which can be stopped only if you remove the virus from the system. In addition, Search.searchgmfs1.com virus causes misleading redirects to sponsored websites, and gathers non-personal information without warning its victims clearly. 

Name Search.searchgmfs1.com
Type Browser hijacker
Sub-type PUP
Browsers affected Chrome, Firefox, Explorer, Edge, Safari
“Useful” features Quick driving navigation
Symptoms Continuous redirects to query.searchgmfs1.com andSearch.searchgmfs1.com, annoying pop-up ads and sponsored content on your favorite sites
Deletion Install FortectIntego

Search.searchgmfs1.com virus can be recognized from such signs:

  • You are automatically redirected to a predetermined search provider;
  • You are forced to use the new fake search engine query.searchgmfs1.com each time you browse the web;
  • You are interrupted by numerous redirects taking you to unknown sites;
  • When you use query.searchgmfs1.com, search results come from yahoo.com.

Be careful and do not get tricked by this browser hijacker due to its appearance alone or ability to provide “useful features” such as quick driving navigation. Truly, this unwanted app brings more negative affects than anything valuable.

We should also add that Search.searchgmfs1.com browser hijacker has an ability to collect information that is based on your browsing activity and includes various details such as pages you visited, pictures viewed, IPs, various bookmarks, and other. Such data is gathered to bring revenue to the developers.

We advise performing the Search.searchgmfs1.com removal once you notice an unexpected redirect to some questionable website. You can choose to do it either manually or automatically. If you decide to do it on your own, you should look through the manual elimination instructions that are provided below the article. If wanting to go for the automatical way, install FortectIntego or any other similar computer fixing tool.

If you fail to remove Search.searchgmfs1.com virus from your computer, you might run into further consequences. Be careful with various redirects that can take you to dubious-looking pages which are promoted by third-parties. Such sources lack protection and possibly include harmful content. Once clicked, a suspicious link might secretly install a serious ransomware[2] or Trojan infection into your PC.

Search.searchgmfs1.com PUP

Avoid PUPs by taking some steps

According to IT specialists[3], PUPs are widely spread throughout all kinds of sources. However, the most common browser hijacker spreading techniques are:

  • Bundles. A PUP can come together with regular software. It is recommendable to use only original installers for your software. However, if you still are likely to use other ones, pick the Custom or Advanced option and deselect all downloads that you did not request for;
  • Dubious pages. A browser-hijacking app and other unwanted programs can hide in various sites. Such pages might contain a link which will redirect you to a promoted site or even start the downloading process of the PUP. If you ever encounter a questionable website – be quick to close it and never return;

Some piece of advice would be to download and install an antivirus program. These computer security and fixing tools should be updated regularly to function properly. If you run such a tool, your PC will be protected from various infections automatically. However, that does not mean that you do not have to take precautionary measures by yourself.

Delete Search.searchgmfs1.com from your computer and browsers

If you overcome Search.searchgmfs1.com hijack on your browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, or Microsoft Edge, you should strongly consider deleting it as it will not bring anything good neither to you nor to your computer system.

If you decide to remove Search.searchgmfs1.com virus, you can choose to do it on your own or with the help of an anti-malware tool. You can pick a program from our suggested ones or any of your own. Notice that this method is faster, the entire process will take no longer than a few minutes.

Perform the Search.searchgmfs1.com removal by deleting all suspicious browser-extensions, apps, add-ons, and browser plug-ins. Make sure that you get rid of all PUP-related content that was brought into the system and browsers to make the infection vanish permanently. After that, reset browsers that were affected by the browser-hijacking app.

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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