Remove Search1 (Free Guide) – Removal Instructions

Search1 is the browser hijacker developed to generate money from the online activity

Search1 Search1 is another browser hijacking tool that focuses on creating advertisements and redirecting users' online traffic to questionable websites. This is another potentially unwanted program brought to you by Safer Browser which also is a browser hijacking program. Search1 hijack is associated with tons of applications developed by the same provider, so you should be aware that this PUP can install additional add-ons, browser extensions or toolbars to your Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, or any other browsers without your permission.

Name	Search1
Alternative name	Search1.search101sweets.com
Type	Browser hijacker
Related	Safer Browser virus
Category	Potentially unwanted program
Symptoms	Delivers intrusive commercial content, changes the appearance of the new tab, homepage, in-browser search engine
Possible danger	Exposes to malicious content and collects information about the user
Distribution	Deceptive advertising, software bundling
Elimination	Clean the system from Search1 and other PUPs with Fortect Intego

Search1 PUP is another browser hijacker that changes victims' search engine and sets it to Search1.search101sweets.com or even another fake online search provider. The website is not giving improved search results as it may promise in promotional ads. It also doesn't improve the experience at all since all it causes are tons of pop-up ads and redirects to other suspicious pages.

The primary purpose of the program like Search1 virus, in most cases, is to generate pay-per-click revenue for the advertiser or sponsor. Most of these potentially unwanted programs are designed for that reason.^[1] This is achieved by redirecting search results, clicks on the browser or pop-up window, banner to affiliated pages filled with more commercial content.

Once you get exposed to possibly harmless online content, visiting those pages continuously can lead to more severe cyber infection than this Search1 browser hijacker. Also, the initial distribution technique of potentially unwanted program indicates that the user shouldn't be surprised by additional tools or applications installed on the machine without the permission.

Other Search1 symptoms may include:

web browser not launching properly;
extensions, add-ons or plugins installed without permission;
pop-up ads filling up the screen;
commercial content banners injected into commonly visited pages;
useless search results;
redirect causing new windows to pop-up;
new tab and homepage, search engine set to Search1.search101sweets.com.

Search1 gets on your system without you knowing because it gets installed as an additional piece during third-party freeware installations. This method is widely used to distribute potentially unwanted programs and is called software bundling.^[2]

Search1 virus

Search1.search101sweets.com is the domain of a fake search engine otherwise known as a browser hijacker. All searches on your web browser get redirected to this questionable domain, and results show up altered and filled with advertisements or misleading content.

However, since this is a product from SaferBrowser tons of different programs may get added to the browser or device in general. You need to remove Search1 for this reason alone but remember that every PUP is responsible for data tracking and collecting.

You should employ automatic anti-malware tools for Search1 removal and clean the system thoroughly so that all unwanted threats can get deleted at once. We recommend using Fortect Intego or a similar tool afterward to clean the machine further and eliminate virus damage.

Third-party installations help deliver hijackers without your knowledge

When you install freeware from the internet, you may get a software bundle with a potentially unwanted program inside. Additional components in this package get install automatically by default when you skip through steps and choose Quick or Default options.

Experts^[3] note how important it is to choose Advanced or Custom installations when installing any software. To prevent automatic installation of all packed applications you need to pay more attention than hitting the Next button over and over.

When you opt for Advanced installation, you get the opportunity to see all packed programs and remove them from the download list by un-checking the selection. However, the best tip we can give you is to avoid questionable software providers and sources of a freeware online.

Terminate all processes and programs related to Search1 virus

To get back to the safe browsing online and pleasant time on the computer, you need to remove Search1 from the machine completely. You can do so by relying on the antivirus programs and performing the full system scan on the affected device. This procedure takes little time but gives great results.

During a thorough system check with anti-malware programs, automatic Search1 removal is performed, and all corrupted files, malicious programs get indicated as malicious or possibly dangerous. Then you only need to follow the steps that your tool suggests and clean the PC completely.

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.

How to remove Search1

Search1 is the browser hijacker developed to generate money from the online activity

Third-party installations help deliver hijackers without your knowledge