What is winad.exe? Should I remove it?

The winad.exe file might be responsible for flooding the browser with ads

winad.exe (or Win Advert Client) is related to adware or ad-supported application. Therefore, if you have noticed an increased amount of ads on the browser, you might also see this process running in the Task Manager. Users are advised to remove it from the system because this file might put the computer at risk.

Just like the majority of ad-supported applications, the winad.exe adware might enter the system in the software bundle. Once inside, the potentially unwanted program (PUP) might alter browser’s settings, make several system changes and start displaying annoying pop-ups, banners, in-text and other types of online ads.

Apart from making browsing the web unbearable, the winad.exe might also work as spyware. Thus, it might collect various information about the user. Indeed, adware needs to know about user’s browsing habits, preferences, and interests to display targeted ads.

Targeted ads might convince people to click more. As a result, developers of the adware generate pay-per-click revenue. However, the problem is that interacting with commercial content displayed by adware might end up problematically. For instance, you might be redirected to malicious or phishing website.

Therefore, if you found an unknown winad.exe process running in the Task Manager, you should not tolerate it. Even though it does not use lots of CPU, it still might negatively affect computer’s performance. This process might start running with system startup and cause system slowdowns.

Additionally, the appearance of this process might be related to the increased amount of computer error that might pop up on the screen when you try to launch particular programs or files. Thus, you should remove winad.exe to prevent or stop undesired activities on the computer.

For winad.exe removal, we recommend choosing automatic elimination method to terminate the process safely and entirely. Thus, you should obtain FortectIntego or another anti-malware and run a full system scan with updated software.

Software bundles might bring the PUP into the computer

Previously we mentioned that winad.exe file arrives on the system in a software bundle. It means that during the installation of freeware or shareware, you missed “optional downloads” and accidentally installed an undesired app. This situation is most likely to happen when you rely on Quick/Recommended settings.

To avoid unintentional installation undesired apps, you should:

• Choose reliable software download sources;
• Read EULA, Terms of Use and other provided documents by the developers;
• Use Advanced/Custom installation settings;
• Unmark all pre-selected entries that are offered to download along with the primary program.

Remove winad.exe from the system safely

Manual winad.exe removal is not recommended. This process might be associated with many other components that belong to the ad-supported application. Thus, if you delete this process only, other components might be left on the system or re-install missing EXE file.

To remove winad.exe entirely, you should employ reputable security software, such as FortectIntego, and perform automatic virus removal. The security software will identify a cyber threat and delete it together with the suspicious executable.