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

How to remove TopGameSearch browser hijacker

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

Lucia Danes · Virus researcher

TopGameSearch is the potentially unwanted program that targets specifically web browsers

TopGameSearch

TopGameSearch browser hijacker operates on the browser, so the site is promoted and other sponsored pages can receive views, visits. The intruder changes the default search engine, homepage, new tab settings, so the user is exposed to other content than intended. Your browser sessions become filled with ads and redirects that constantly reroute you to possibly malicious pages and lead to direct PUP[1] downloads. The continuous browsing on such pages can lead to problems with speed and performance because you cannot control those redirects, pop-ups, exit the suspicious window safely. Especially, if these ad-supported pages appear on your mobile devices.

The intruder is not choosing the particular OS that gets affected, browser hijackers as many PUPs can appear on mobile devices, Android, iOS, Mac computer, and Windows machines. The distribution of the PUA allows the program to spread further and across platforms, systems because the deceptive sites and misleading ads can result in the installation of the useless application pretty quickly. This is the intruder falling into the bag with other intrusive browser hijackers like: GreatSearchSport, GetMovieSearch, ProMusicSearch, which reroute searches through nearbyme.io.

Name TopGameSearch
Type Browser hijacker, PUP, redirect virus
Symptoms  Homepage, new tab, default search engine preferences get changed to this site, and all search attempts include advertisements, redirects
The URL portal.topgamesearch.com is the main search site that your browser gets redirected to
Distribution Deceptive material online, freeware installations, other programs, misleading pages
Damage Tracking functions can lead to issues with privacy, ads that are displayed reroute to malicious pages online
Removal The system can get cleaned when the anti-malware tool scans the computer to find all pieces of unwanted apps
Repair Tools like FortectIntego can help with additionally affected system parts and improve the overall performance

TopGameSearch can spy on users because the PUP easily accesses browsing history, commonly searched items, viewed pages. However, these tracking functions are not only present with browser hijackers. Any ads, redirects, banners provide such details to sponsors and commercial content creators. It means that your privacy is possibly at risk.

Ad-tracking is focused on non-personally-identifiable data, but additional scams and malvertising campaigns can target you later on and fall for a scam of any sort, possibly results in expose to malicious sites. Such questionable ways of distribution and functionalities make this browser-based program a potentially unwanted or even dangerous app.

When you notice that the browser looks different and performance, speed issues create more issues, you need to immediately see what else there is installed on the machine without the TopGameSearch browser hijacker issue. Such intruders can easily lead to direct installs of browser toolbars, extensions, system tools and cause more issues for you.

This is why we recommend getting a tool like the anti-malware program as soon as possible. This way, you can run the proper system scan and find all pieces related to the cyber threat. SpyHunterCombo Cleaner or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes can find more dangerous threats too, so this procedure only improves the performance and the security of your machine.

TopGameSearch browser hijacker

TopGameSearch alters the most important settings on the browser because it changes the default homepage, search engine, and new tab settings to its page, so every search online can be redirected through its engine. The issue with performance comes from here. You need to reset those preferences. The most important ones are listed here step by step, but follow the guide below that shows how to fully reset those browsers.

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 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.

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 plugin 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 Options.
  3. Under Home options, enter your preferred site that will open every time you newly open Mozilla Firefox.

Clear cookies and site data:

  1. Click Menu and pick Options.
  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, as well as Cached Web Content, and press Clear.

Ways to avoid these annoying browser-based threats

TopGameSearch browser hijacker is only one of many threats that can alter settings on the browser. Google Chrome, Safari, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, any other browser can start performing poorly, and the speed of the internet suffers significantly since the PUP is using many resources.

There are additional issues with the browser hijacker like this because the intruder can launch various processes and add applications, browser-based programs on the system without permission. We already mentioned the data tracking issue, but you should also be concerned with the system itself, besides the browsing experience.

The intruder makes changes in the registry, directories, alters files and settings to launch the PUP without having to ask for permission or the need to have the web browser started. Also, since the intruder is related to another site, you may see promotional ads pushing other sites than TopGameSearch.

There are many ways to spread these PUPs, but such deceptive promotional content is one of the more common techniques. Experts[2] always note about pre-packing and freeware bundling is yet another method that PUP developers rely on because users have this habit of skipping through steps during the installation of software and various applications. 

It becomes a serious issue when the source chosen for the software or applications is not trustworthy and malicious or misleading instead. Torrent pages, pirating platforms, free download sites can be one of the questionable pages where all the PUPs spread. You can avoid TopGameSearch browser hijacker and other viruses by choosing Advanced or Custom options during any install, so you can see the full list of the included programs and de-select any unwanted pieces.

Keep this in mind and never go for the installation from a random advertisement. That can lead to more issues than the PUP infiltration because the internet is filled with scams, and due to malvertising,[3] ad-tracking techniques, you can easily become a target.

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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