Skip to content
Spyware news
  • Active
  • Severity: Medium
  • Browser Hijackers
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Mar 2020

How to remove Encryptedsearch.org

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

Julie Splinters · Anti-malware specialist

Encryptedsearch.org – a privacy-offering engine that can easily be replaced by a legitimate search provider such as Google

Encryptedsearch.org PUP

Encryptedsearch.org is marked as a browser hijacker[1] that offers to browse the web in a safer way. Even though the app claims to encrypt search results and delete browsing history after 30-minute sessions, you can also successfully employ a legitimate web browser such as Google and search privately via the Incognito mode. However, some users quickly get attracted to the offered features and install Encrypted Search extension on their web browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, or Safari. 

Encryptedsearch.org is available on the official Google Chrome web store,[2] however, this does not add a better reputation as the product is still mostly bundled with other packages of software from secondary downloading pages such as softonic.com, download.com, and cnet.com. When the PUP ends up on the targeted web browser, it starts modifying the default search provider, homepage, and new tab URL to its own. Afterward, users are forced to use Encrypted Search services unless they get rid of the browser hijacker as soon as they spot that their search engine has turned to  https://www.encryptedsearch.org/.

Name Encryptedsearch.org
Type Browser hijacker/potentially unwanted program
Danger level Low. Does not act as dangerous malware but still can cause indirect damage by rerouting the user to a potentially malicious website or swindling some money/personal information through ads that include various questionable offers
Feature The developers of this browser hijacker claim to offer a completely private search engine by encrypting search query results and deleting web browsing experience after 30 minutes of online activity. However, this type of feature is provided as a way to attract a bigger number of users
Target(s) You can receive the Encrypted Search extension and experience search engine, homepage, and new tab URL changes on any type of web browser app such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, and Microsoft Edge
Activities The suspicious app will perform unwanted changes on your web browser's search engine, homepage, and new tab URL. Additionally, you can start receiving intrusive redirects to affiliate domains and start experiencing intense advertising during browser sessions, get your browsing-related information collected, receive other potentially unwanted programs on your PC
Spreading This questionable product can be downloaded from the Google Chrome web store, however, it is the most possible that you will receive such an app through bundled products that come from secondary websites such as cnet.com, download.com, and softonic.com
Elimination If you have been dealing with this browser hijacker lately, you should get rid of it from your computer system and web browsers. For proper elimination, we recommend employing reliable antimalware software or using the manual step-by-step guidelines that have been added to the end of this article
Fix software If you have discovered any compromisation in the computer system after the browser hijacker attack, you can try recovering all of the affected areas with the help of a tool such as FortectIntego

Encryptedsearch.org virus claims that it does not collect any personally-identifiable information about the user, including the IP address. However, the browser hijacker can still spy on data such as search queries made, hyperlinks and adverts accessed, the most popular offers searched, and so on. The developers might not admit this fact but they can end up sharing the gathered data with other parties. However, the Privacy Policy claims that some information regarding the Encrypted Search extension is stored by the app:

When using a browser extension built by Encrypted Search, we collect the extension version, browser user agent, url referrer, extension platform identifier, and a setting for if remote searches should be encrypted. As part of encryption within the extension, the encryption version date, encryption key, and an expiring encryption search token are stored locally

Encryptedsearch.org can engage in advertising activities also. The app can start loading various sales offers and deals straight on your search page in order to catch your eye. You might also be provided with suggestions to subscribe to some types of monthly services, win non-existing prizes, and participate in surveys. Whatever you do, do not provide complete strangers with your financial information or personal details, including contacts as you can get yourself in big trouble.

If some hackers decide to abuse Encryptedsearch.org and its functionality, your personally-identifiable information can fall in the hands of complete criminals. This way you can get money swindled straight from your bank account, experience identity theft, etc. If you reveal your email address, mobile phone number, or other contact information, you might start receiving unwanted offers and deals straight in your email box or find rogue numbers dialing you constantly.

Encryptedsearch.org browser hijacker

Furthermore, Encrypted Search can initiate redirecting activities to affiliate domains. The browser hijacker can start rerouting you to developer-sponsored places that are filled with more annoying ads. However, here comes a big risk of catching a dangerous malware infection if you land on a potentially malicious website. Your computer system can easily get infected with a ransomware virus, Trojan horse, spyware and suffer from severe unrepairable machine damage.

Even though Encryptedsearch.org is not a dangerous malware form such as ransomware or a Trojan virus, it still can bring indirect damage to the computer system and its components and redirecting is only one way how the browser hijacker does it. Furthermore, some cybercriminals can find PUPs as handy intermediaries when wanting to install a piece of malware to a computer system. This way you can receive a malicious infection completely unexpectedly.

However, browser hijackers can even bring other potentially unwanted programs to the computer system, so you might see more than one suspicious process running in the Windows Task Manager section. If you have been bothered by a lot of intrusive activities lately, you have to remove Encryptedsearch.org together with all of the questionable components that have been causing misunderstandings lately. For compromisation cleaning, try using FortectIntego.

If you want to speed up the Encryptedsearch.org removal and make sure that every suspicious product has been successfully terminated from your computer system, you should get rid of the browser hijacker with the help of antimalware software. However, if you do not mind spending some time reviewing instructions and cleaning both your OS and web browser, you can check out the manual step-by-step guidelines that have been added to the end of this article.

Encryptedsearch.org virus

Browser hijackers get delivered by bundled software

Even though a lot of third-party products have their own downloading sources or can even be received from official e-shopping platforms such as Google Chrome web store, AppStore, and similar places, PUPs are most likely to appear on the user's computer system by employing deceptive techniques and taking advantage of the software bundling technique that includes bringing the suspicious product into the computer system as an additional component.

Most of the time, you can download bundled software[3] from third-party downloading websites such as cnet.com, softonic.com, or download.com. The browser hijacker or another type of PUP usually settles on computer systems that have the Recommended or Quick installation settings opted as default. If you also have the same configuration, you have to change it to the Custom or Advanced option that allows deselecting all the unwanted objects to prevent them from downloading on the computer.

However, browser hijackers are capable of distributing by employing other methods also. For example, the potentially unwanted program can come injected into an unsecured hyperlink or advertisement, pretend to be a fake software update, etc. According to Virusai.lt specialists,[4] if the user clicks on such content while browsing the Internet, there is a big chance that he will execute the downloading process of the browser-hijacking application. 

If you want to keep yourself protected from such cyber threats, you should avoid entering websites that are marked as deceptive or unsafe to proceed with. Furthermore, if you have been provided with a prompt to update your Flash Player or another program, do not upgrade your software before checking the official update releases. Also, you should purchase a strong antimalware product that includes the safe browsing function.

Accomplish Encryptedsearch.org removal within a few steps

There are two ways in which you can remove Encryptedsearch.org from your Windows or Mac computer system. First of all, you have to measure your own skills and capabilities to know if you are able to remove Encryptedsearch.org on your own. If you find yourself an advanced user, you can definitely continue with the manual elimination option that we have provided at the end of this article and is displayed to help you to clean both your operating system and web browser apps.

However, if you think that you will be struggling with the Encryptedsearch.org removal process, you should employ reliable antimalware software that will help you to get rid of the cyber threat within a few clicks. Download such type of product and save some time by letting it accomplish the task for you. However, do not forget to refresh your web browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Explorer, Safari, and Edge as they are likely filled with rogue components too.

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

Log in to post your comment
Log in to comment
Editor's pick · tested 2026

Fortect Intego

9.4 / 10 9.6 / 10 Best overall pick
  • Real-time ransomware shield
  • Free 14-day trial, no card
  • Cleans the threats listed above

Ad — we may earn a commission if you buy via this link.

Get protected →Get protected → Read our full review Read our full review

Still worried? Run a free check.

Scan a URL or domain in seconds — no install, no signup. Powered by 60+ engines.

Trusted by 2.4M+ readers this year.

Spyware news
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
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.