How to remove BestPDFConverterSearch browser hijacker

BestPDFConverterSearch changes your browser settings

Having your browsers' settings changed without your knowledge is annoying as well as having to navigate a different search engine. All of this can be confusing for not so technologically-savvy people as extensions like BestPDFConverterSearch usually do not get added by users themselves.

They get spread through freeware installations,^[1] potentially unwanted programs,^[2], and deceptive ads. Users should be more careful while browsing the internet and pay attention when downloading something to their machine.

The hijacker tries to appeal to people by offering some basic functions like a PDF and currency converter, calculator, and the ability to save websites. These are easily accessible with a click of a button on any browser or even your system so it is useless and just not worth it.

This hijacker is a clone of many others, just with a different name. Some examples that we already wrote about include BestStreamSearch, FreeSearchMusic, BestADSBlock, WebSearchSport. Their purpose is to monetize you by showing you ads and collecting data about your browsing behavior. It is a potential security risk to continue to use BestPDFConverterSearch so read the article to find out how to remove it.

While having BestPDFConverterSearch on your browser, you will experience a difference in search results. This is because a different search engine is applied. Usually, hijackers do not create their own search engines but use already existing ones to make them functional. Hijackers from this same family use a few of them:

• Bing
• Yahoo
• nearbyme.io
• searchlee.com

The search results could be injected with sponsored content, so what comes up is not always what you were searching for. It makes it difficult to use and navigate through the web. There is nothing beneficial you will get out of this, so we suggest removing it as quickly as possible. Hijackers are using you to generate revenue by clicking links through their portals.^[3]

If you use it for some time, your machine can become slow because of cookie and cache collection via portal.bestpdfconvertersearch.com or feed.bestpdfconvertersearch.com. A statement in their privacy policy:

By Using the Product, you may enable us or third parties to access, use, and collect a variety of information, regarding your Internet Browser, your browsing habits, and information about your computer including by usage of cookies.

This means that they can provide information gathered about you to third parties and not be responsible for what they do with it. Data collected about your browsing behavior, habits, purchases can be provided to advertisers to further display ads to you.

Now, usually, cookies are a good thing. They help websites know your preferences for a better user experience. But having this information passed on to unknown sources is not a welcome feeling. Having basic functions that are easily accessible is just not worth to trade in for shady search engines, having all your settings changed, and possibly your information exposed.

Removal of BestPDFConverterSearch browser hijacker

The application could have gotten into your browser because you added the extension yourself accidentally or knowingly. Be it a deceptive ad, a redirect from a shady website, and so on. In this case, the removal should be easy by accessing your browser settings.

First, you can change your homepage back to normal.

1. Click the 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.

Next, you will have to remove the add-on manually via your browser settings. We have guides for the most popular ones like Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari.

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 the suspicious plugins that might be related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.

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 on Uninstall at the bottom.

MS Edge (Chromium)

• Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
• Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.

Mozilla Firefox

• 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 unwanted plugin and click Remove.

Safari

• Click Safari > Preferences…
• In the new window, pick Extensions.
• Select the unwanted extension and select Uninstall.

Internet Explorer:

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.

It is recommended to use FortectIntego maintenance tool to clear your browsers completely, increase the speed and fix any damaged files.

Potentially unwanted programs come disguised as handy tools

If it is not a simple extension and you have not added it yourself, the process could be a little more complicated. The second possibility is that you downloaded a potentially unwanted application on your system which is performing tasks in the background without your knowledge. Software bundling is the common method to spread apps like this.

Which program is responsible for acting as a hijacker can be difficult to tell if you do not have experience. If you are unsure of yourself it is best to use anti-malware tools that will scan your machine, locate it, eliminate it, and prevent such infections in the future. SpyHunterCombo Cleaner and MalwarebytesMalwarebytes are great and trusted options for the task. If you still want to accomplish this manually, we have instructions for Windows and macOS users:

Instructions for Windows 10/8  machines:

1. Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
3. From the list, find the entry of the suspicious program.
4. Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.
5. If User Account Control shows up, click Yes.
6. Wait till uninstallation process is complete and click OK.

If you are Windows 7/XP user, proceed with the following instructions:

1. Click on Windows Start > Control Panel located on the right pane (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
2. In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.
3. Pick the unwanted application by clicking on it once.
4. At the top, click Uninstall/Change.
5. In the confirmation prompt, pick Yes.
6. Click OK once the removal process is finished.

Instructions for Mac machines:

1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
2. In the Applications folder, look for all related entries.
3. Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)

To fully remove an unwanted app, you need to access Application Support, LaunchAgents, and LaunchDaemons folders and delete relevant files:

1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
2. Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
3. In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries and then delete them.
4. Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files.

For additional options check the instructions below this post.