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  • Active
  • Severity: Medium
  • Browser Hijackers
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Apr 2021

How to remove Search.sweetpacks.com

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

Jake Doevan · Computer technology expert

Search.sweetpacks.com – a web address you may see on your browser after PUP intrusion

Search.sweetpacks.com is categorized as either a browser hijacker – a type of a potentially unwanted program. This means that this program may infiltrate your computer behind your back and may initiate various changes on each of your web browsers. Some of them my lead you to browsing-related problems, such as redirects to unknown websites, computer operation slowdowns, unexpected ads in search results, etc.

The main goal of a browser hijacker such as Search.sweetpacks.com is to monetize on users' clicks, all while recording their online activities. This data can later be traded or sold to third-parties, posing privacy risks to users. If you have found that the app showed up on your system unexpectedly proceed with the removal instructions below.

Name Search.sweetpacks.com
Type Browser hijacker
Distribution Software bundle packages, deceptive ads, third-party websites
Risks Installation of malware or potentially unwanted programs, information disclosure to unknown parties, monetary losses
Uninstall process You can look for unwanted apps manually as per instructions we provide below or employ anti-malware software as automatic solution
Further steps Don't forget to clean web browsers accordingly – use FortectIntego for a faster solution 

Just like any other browser hijacker (for example, VideoSearchz, Ctcodeinfo.com, or TheStreamSearch), a potentially unwanted app may hijack each of web browsers, including:

  • Internet Explorer
  • Google Chrome
  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Safari
  • MS Edge, and other web browsers.

Besides, this PUP may install the Sweetpacks toolbar on your computer without any permission asked.  As a result, you may find out that your start page or a default search engine was changed without your approval.

In addition, you may start suffering from annoying ads and in-text links that, after being clicked, are trying to redirect you to unknown websites. No matter how trustworthy this search engine looks, you should be careful with it because it may show you altered search results.

Additionally, it may start tracking your browsing on the Internet. It may collect such information as your search terms, mostly visited websites, data that you enter when visiting them, your computer's IP address, its location, and so on. If you have just discovered that this search engine infiltrated your computer, you should not fall for Search.sweetpacks.com misleading looks!

It may seem like Google, but it's definitely not as effective as this search engine. In this case, you should install reputable anti-spyware, such as SpyHunterCombo Cleaner, and remove this browser hijacker. If you need to find a quick solution for your browser cleaning, we highly recommend FortectIntego – it can keep your privacy by deleting web data and cookies automatically for you.

Potentially unwanted applications are not usually installed on purpose

A browser hijacker may come bundled with other software, which is usually downloaded by users without thinking. Typically, such software is free games, program updates, and other downloads that always have some components that are listed in the components list or License agreement.

Of course, you can avoid downloading this program by unchecking it from this list, so do that whenever you decide to download something for free. As soon as it gets on the system, it modifies the browser's settings and changes the user's homepage, search engine, installs its toolbar, and does similar things that are not normal for legitimate programs.

Basically, such viruses are used to help site owners to get some pay-per-click money. In the meantime, users are bombarded with ads whenever they open their web browsers.

PUP removal steps

In order to remove Search.sweetpacks.com from your PC system, you should uninstall each of its components. You should get rid of the Sweetpacks Toolbar and its Search engine that may be appearing on each of your web browsers, including Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox web browser.

For that, you can either use an updated anti-spyware (that's the automatic removal method of this hijacker) or rely on manual removal steps. In this case, you should be especially careful because each of these steps should be performed in the right order. Otherwise, you may remove useful applications.

As already mentioned, you should also not forget to clean your web browsers accordingly, as the PUP might return if you fail to do that. Besides, third parties may continue tracking you thanks to cookies that were inserted in your browser once the hijacker was installed.

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.

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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