Remove Comet Search (Easy Removal Guide)

Comet Search is a browser hijacker that inserts ads into your searches

Comet Search is a potentially unwanted program that is typically distributed via software bundle packages, which results in unintentional installation. Once inside, the app modified web browser settings of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, or MS Edge in a way that would allow it to perform its deceptive activities. For example, the PUP sets find.cometsearch.info as the homepage and new tab address of the web browser and appends a customized search engine to it.

As a result, users who browse via the Comet Search hijack affected browser would quickly notice that all their searches are redirected to Yahoo. While this might seem like not a big deal, most would not be satisfied that their default search engine has changed. By far, the bigger issue is that the browser hijacker injects sponsored links and ads into search results and spies on users with the help of data-tracking technologies.^[1]

Name	Comet Search
Type	Browser hijacker
Distribution	The extension can be downloaded from official sources, although most users install it through software bundle packages downloaded from third-party sites, as well as deceptive advertisements encountered online
Symptoms	An unknown browser extension installed on the web browser; all search results redirected to Yahoo or another engine; sponsored links and ads shown at the top of the results; overall increased amount of advertisements
Associated risks	Installation of other unwanted programs/malware, information disclosure to unknown parties (privacy risks), financial loss
Elimination	To get rid of the browser hijacker, you should access the settings of your web browser and delete the extension; in case browser changes do not disappear, you might want to search for unwanted programs installed on your system – do it manually as per instructions below or scan the machine with anti-malware such as SpyHunter Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes Malwarebytes
Further steps	If you found additional unwanted programs or malware installed on your system, you should also reset your web browsers and then attempt to fix virus damage with Fortect Intego

Potentially unwanted programs such as browser hijackers can be encountered in various places, although the most common trait that unites them is that they are mostly installed without asking users for direct permission. This happens due to deceptive techniques that the developers of such apps use, and Comet Search is not an exception – software bundles, deceptive ads, suspicious websites, and other methods can be used.

Browser hijackers are generally not perceived as a high security threat. Indeed, the main goal of Comet Search is to change web browser settings and use the built-in resources to deliver sponsored links in search results. By clicking on these links, users provide financial benefits for the developer. Unfortunately, there is so much more to it.

First of all, CometSearch would redirect all searches to Yahoo – a renowned search engine that is legitimately used by millions of people worldwide. Despite this, the tech giant has nothing to do with the hijacker, and the search results that are filtered through the hijacker are not genuine, so users might struggle to find relevant information.

These ads are not random, however, as Comet Search tracks’ user online behavior with the help of cookies and other technologies:

We may use standard Internet technology, such as web beacons, cookies and other similar technologies, to track your use of the CometSearch Services (see our cookies policy). Web beacons are small pieces of data that are embedded in images on the pages of sites.

The collected data includes the following:

Provided personal data (name, email, phone number, username and password, etc.);
Browser-related information (type, language settings);
Software installed on the device and all the connected devices;
IP address
Search information (links clicked, keywords, time stamp, pages viewed, search history, etc.).

Another potentially malicious trait of this browser hijacker is that it might set the “Managed by your organization” setting on the web browser, which might significantly reduce the chance of a successful Comet Search removal. In other words, the PUP abuses built-in settings in order to keep the app installed on the system for as long as possible – a trait that is common to malware and prompts the “Comet Search virus” description from many.

This is why PUPs should not be treated lightly – some of them can cause major browsing inconveniences, reduce the security of the computer, and prevent users from eliminating them. For that reason, security experts^[2] highly advise users to remove Comet Search from their browsers as soon as possible. If you are unable to do so, you should reset the web browsers as explained below, look for other suspicious programs and then scan the machine with security and optimization software – we recommend using Fortect Intego, SpyHunter Combo Cleaner, and Malwarebytes Malwarebytes.

Ways browser hijackers sneak into computers and methods of prevention

As previously mentioned, potentially unwanted programs such as browser hijackers typically show up on users’ machines seemingly out of nowhere. If that happened to you, you should check what applications from third-party websites you have recently installed on your computer, as PUPs are mostly distributed via software bundle packages.

Freeware websites are extremely popular, as users are keen to download applications that they believe are free. However, most of such apps (unless they are open-source) use various alternative methods for monetization; these include advertisements, pay-per-install schemes, and others. As a result, each user who installs such programs becomes a monetization vector, and many apps attempt to abuse that fact.

While showing advertisements is a legitimate way to monetize, potentially unwanted programs use various deceptive claims to make users believe that the program is useful, promising “enhanced searches” or “discounts and coupons.” In reality, users are fed with ads and get no value out of the installed programs of such type.

To avoid browser hijackers, adware, scareware,^[3] and other potentially unwanted software, you should follow these tips:

If possible, download apps from official sources and avoid third party sites;
During the installation, always pick Advanced mode instead of Recommended one to stay in control of the process;
Decline all the deals and offers;
Remove ticks from checkboxes (unless it is ToS agreement);
Read the fine print;
Install powerful security software that would warn you about PUPs.

Uninstall CometSearch and check for other unwanted apps and malware

Typically, users can uninstall browser extensions easily – all they have to do is access the settings of their web browsers. CometSearch removal would not be a difficult process as well if the browser hijacker would not use persistence mechanisms, which render the browser immune to user inputs. Luckily, there are several ways how to bypass this.

To remove CometSearch successfully, you should first do the following:

Navigate to C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome and delete everything
Reset Google Chrome (or another) web browser as explained below.

Finally, you should also check your computer for other potentially unwanted programs and malware by scanning it with powerful anti-malware software. You can also look for unwanted apps manually – you can find detailed instructions below.

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 Comet Search

Comet Search is a browser hijacker that inserts ads into your searches

Ways browser hijackers sneak into computers and methods of prevention