Question: I have just installed SonicSearch application for searching the web. Now I see that all my favorite websites are covered with links. Could this be because of this Sonic Search? If your answer is yes, then I am ready to get rid of it..
What is Sonic Search and what it can be used for?
Sonic Search is a browser extension that is promoted as a “best free search app”. Unfortunately but you may be disappointed after installing it on your machine. In fact, several security experts have already added it to adware and a potentially unwanted program categories. While it doesn't prove the statement that this program is dangerous, you should keep in mind that Sonic Search may track you while you are browsing on the web. Such programs are capable of collecting people's search terms, mostly visited websites, data that is entered when registering on different sites and so on.
After collecting required amount of needed data, Sonic Search adware starts showing its ads. This program is compatible with Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, and other web browsers, so there is no surprise that people report that its commercial pop-up notifications can hardly be avoided. Besides, they may totally ruin your browsing experience by causing redirects to unknown websites and similar issues. To sum up, although this app promises to enhance your browsing experience by making your online searches much better, we are not so sure that continuous appearance of Sonic Search ads can somehow improve your experience on the web. That's why you should waste no time and run a full system scan with FortectIntego to make sure that all questionable programs and related components are gone.

How does Sonic Search hijack computers and start showing its ads?
This questionable application is promoted thru its official website. You can easily download Sonic Search just like any other program and make sure what it is all about. Moreover, it is possible to add this extension when installing unfamiliar freeware. This unfair tactic is commonly called “bundling” and has been actively used while promoting adware and similar potentially unwanted programs (PUPs). Luckily, we can give you a couple of useful tips on how to install freeware and avoid Sonic Search add-on. The first thing that you should do is always check whether your desired programs are safe enough. For that, read comments and reviews from people who have already downloaded them. Secondly, read the end-user license agreement (EULA) section in order to find more information and then select Custom or Advanced installation option. If a program is filled with optional components, you should opt out of them.
How to remove Sonic Search pop-up ads?
If you have even the slightest suspicion that Sonic Search virus is hiding in your PC system, you should check it with the reputable anti-spyware. That's because this is the easiest way to see whether the computer is filled with its components or not. All programs that can be used for that are given right bellow. Of course, you can also remove Sonic Search virus manually by checking your recently installed programs and then fixing each of your web browsers. For that, you should follow this simple step-by-step tutorial that can be found bellow as well.
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.
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.

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