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

How to remove 99tab.com virus

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

99tab.com browser hijacker alters the way your browse the web

99Tab.com virus in a web browser

99tab.com is a program that meddles with the browser’s settings without clearly notifying the user first. It is deemed to be a browser hijacker[1] related to nova.rambler.ru virus. It seeks to convince the user to use a particular search engine; therefore, it sets its own settings immediately after infiltration.

While it reminds of Google's main page (it has the same shortcuts to Gmail, Images, Video, and +Me, which points to Google+ page), the rest of this looks entirely different and provides numerous articles from MSN, links to YouTube videos, and more. To say the least, these search results are far from ideal and would ultimately change which websites you are likely to visit. Besides, the app might also start collecting various user-related data to profit from targeted advertising more.

Name 99tab.com
Type Browser hijacker
Distribution Software bundles, third-party websites
Operation Changes the homepage and new tab of the browser to 99tab.com, tracks various information about users' browsing habits, and exposes them to ads thanks to altered search results it provides
Elimination Uninstall PUPs by following our manual guide or employ antivirus program
Browser fix Don't forget to delete web data and cookies from your browsers – FortectIntego can help you do that efficiently

The most suspicious thing about this search tool is that it doesn’t provide Privacy Policy or Terms of Use documents, which are essential to have because they are documents that contain a lot of legal information about the website, how it gathers user data, set the rules for using the website, and similar information[2]. Since 99tab doesn’t feel the need to provide these documents, it instantly creates an image of an untrustworthy Internet site, and we can not know how it gathers information about visitors, how it stores or shares it.

Therefore, we do not think using this page is a laudable idea, especially because it provides nova.rambler.ru search results. This search engine is considered to be untrustworthy because of methods used for its distribution and results that mostly point to affiliate websites rather than the ones that provide useful information. That is one of the reasons why we recommend users remove this app immediately. That can be done using anti-malware software like FortectIntego or removal instructions that are given below the article.

99tab.com virus

After typing a search phrase into the described search engine, you will notice that it firstly delivers images related to your search query, but then these will be pushed down by a column of sponsored search results[3]. Although these will be marked as “ads by Google,” we do not recommend trusting them.

They can be modified and point to particular dangerous websites, and in fact, statistics show that sponsored search results tend to have more dangerous URLs than organic ones. After clicking on these ads, you might be forced to visit highly suspicious Internet websites that have all kinds of goals, for instance, some of them might be interested in your name and email address[4], while others can ask you to provide even more sensitive information. We suggest keeping it for yourself.

What is more, do not let suspicious websites convince you to install highly suspicious free software because we are sure that you are going to regret doing so. Usually, dangerous websites advertise ad-supported or browser hijacking programs that you definitely do not need in your life. Also, you might start thinking about 99tab.com removal if you do not want to come across highly dangerous websites without trying to do so.

Avoid installing browser hijackers

To avoid installing browser hijackers[5], users should be attentive to details that software installers provide. Usually, they suggest adding a couple of extra third-party applications to the system, such as “new tab pages,” “search tools” and other programs that ostensibly can enhance user’s browsing experience.

Sadly, such programs typically appear to be useless. To drop them off and install only the program that you need, we recommend choosing Standard or Custom settings for software installation. These settings are likely to provide a list of additional programs and allow you to deselect the unneeded ones. We suggest you deselect all of them and proceed with the installation.

Remove 99tab.com hijacker to block browser redirects

To remove the app that forces you to experience unwanted redirects, use the instructions provided down below or run a system scan using an anti-malware program. Using an automatic spyware/malware removal tool will allow you to eliminate suspicious software components more precisely and safely.

However, if you are not interested in security software, you can try to find and uninstall it manually. 99tab.com removal tutorial is already prepared by our team – we hope that you will quickly remove the infection with the help of it.

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

Did this guide help?

3 comments

  1. jord

    99tab is stuck in my browser. I dont know how did it get inside my PC. it confuses me...

  2. Loewe

    Uninstalled the virus - hopefully, my browsers wont get hijacked ever again. Gotta admit, thats annoying!

  3. Wills

    Got rid of it like a pro

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