Remove Adaware secure search (Removal Instructions)

Adaware is a questionable search engine that is spread with other freeware

Adaware secure search is a plugin designed by Lavasoft security company and can be downloaded from official sources, such as the Chrome web store. However, most users find the extension installed right after the installation of shareware or freeware – this marketing technique is dubbed software bundling and is often used to distribute a variety of potentially unwanted programs.^[1]

Besides questionable installation techniques, the search virus can alter the search engine of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, or other browser and set it to Secure Search. This action consequently changes the way users find information based on their search queries, as the genuine results are often replaced with sponsored links.

To remove Adaware secure search from Windows 10 or other operating systems, you will have to uninstall the plugin and reset the web browsers to make sure all the elements of the hijacker are terminated. Please check the bottom section of the article for more details.

Name	Adaware secure search
Type	Browser hijacker, PUP
Related	Web Companion
Developer	Lavasoft
Distribution	Official sources, software bundling
Symptoms	Changed web browser settings, sponsored links, etc.
Risk factors	Installation of potentially unwanted programs, data leak to unknown parties
Termination	Delete the plugin with the help of our manual instructions below or use security software
Optimization	To remove the suspicious search engine, uninstall it first and reset your web browser. Then, make sure your machine is running at its best by using Fortect Intego

Just as its sister application Web Companion, Adaware secure search might serve users various ads, such as pop-ups, blinking windows, banners, offers, deals, and other intrusive content. Besides, redirects might occur as well, and users might end up on questionable websites where other PUPs might be installed.

Another unwanted activity of the potentially unwanted application is related to information gathering. The infection of the unwanted program and the direct web browser hijack might mean that a variety of information is being tracked, for example:

IP address;
ISP;
Technical data;
Geolocation;
Search queries;
Sires visited;
Links clicked, etc.

Adaware secure search developers gather this data with the help of web beacons^[2] and cookies in order to serve you a targeted advertisement. This activity influences which sites you browse and even which products or buy online.

The potentially unwanted program might be promoted on unsafe websites that are related to adware.^[3] In such a case, Adaware secure search removal is not enough to stop ads, redirects, and other unwanted activity on your browsers. Besides, if you are unaware of where the browser plugin came from, it might also be a malicious/hijacked version of the program.

The best way to make sure that your device is PUP-free is to scan it with reputable anti-malware software. While Lavasoft is a security firm itself, we would recommend using other sources instead. After you perform the full system scan with a security tool, we also advise you use Fortect Intego to recover from any unwanted consequences due to the PUP.

Forget about skipping through installation steps

Software bundling is a widely used practice, even though it is not entirely fair, as it usually fails to adequately disclose what is offered within the installer of the application. Developers often use a variety of tricks, such as grayed-out buttons, pre-ticked boxes, misleading button placements, etc. Unfortunately, even the most respectable firms use the practice, although the level of deception dramatically varies.

In general, the practice should work well for both, developers and the users, as the latter get to try programs for free. Unfortunately, many of such apps feed users with ads, and user experience is entirely forgotten. Besides, some bundled apps (especially from unknown sites) might be straight out malicious: secretly farm cryptocurrency on your device, spy on your activities, or even enable the installation of additional applications without your permission.

Therefore, to avoid being tricked by the practice, make sure you always follow the installation instructions carefully and never skip steps. Most importantly, you should always opt for Advanced or Custom settings instead of Recommended or Quick ones, as potentially unwanted programs often are hidden there.

Adaware secure search may be related to many unwanted programs, so remove all of them

In most cases, Adaware secure search removal can be performed by merely uninstalling the plugin from Mozilla Firefox, Chrome, or another browser. However, in some cases, the program has to be uninstalled. For that, you will have to reach the list of the installed applications, look for the unwanted app, and terminate it that way.

However, it might be a little bit complicated to remove the questionable search bar if additional programs got installed alongside it (especially if you are not sure what they are). Therefore, the best action would be to scan your computer with security software – it would eliminate all the unwanted apps automatically. After that, you should reset each of the installed browsers as explained below.

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.

How to remove Adaware secure search

Adaware is a questionable search engine that is spread with other freeware

Forget about skipping through installation steps