Ads by PushOK. How to remove? (Uninstall guide)
Whenever I open my browser window, a few pop-up advertisements show up. Also, it happens every time I open a new page on the Internet. The advertisements have a particular text above of below them – ”Ads by PushOK ”, ”PushOK ads”, ”powered by PushOK ” or ”brought to you by PushOK ”. I do not want to see them anymore! How can I get rid of them for good?
Firstly, let us explain what PushOK is.
To be clear, PushOK is an adware application. It is also labeled as a potentially unwanted program (PUP), and such classifications do not sound positive. You should know that adware programs mostly are free, so instead of collecting money from PC users, developers of PUPs gain revenue from third-party sponsors, who want to advertise their web pages. So how does this advertising system work?
First of all, by the moment the adware software enters your system, it configures registry settings and installs its extensions to your browser. After that, it gains access to review your browsing history. Also, it can record search terms that you enter in search boxes. This information allows to make conclusions about your interests on the Internet. Based on them, PushOK application generates particular advertisements for you. Although it may sound that this program wants to treat you exceptionally, the reality is different. The only aim of this PUP is to trick you into clicking on its advertisements. Moreover, you should remember that PushOK advertisements may link you to questionable websites. Such PushOK redirects may lead you to web pages that suggest installing suspicious software, and we strongly recommend avoiding such unreliable offers, as some of these downloads may contain infectious files. To prevent such surprises and to ensure the safety of your computer, we recommend using Reimage.
How can PushOK hijack my system?
Questions about Ads by PushOK
PushOk adware, just like any other potentially unwanted program is spread via bundling method. This particular technique allows to distribute optional software together with one of few legitimate programs. This marketing method is an excellent way to spread questionable applications because most likely the PC user will not notice their existence and install them without realizing it. However, there is a way to prevent it.
If you were wondering how PushOk could enter your system without your permission, you might be surprised by the fact that you did give authorization for it. How? By being quite incautious. Do you think that by choosing ”default” or ”standard” installation options, you select the best possible choice? In fact, these two options are misleading, because they conceal the agreements to install all possible optional downloads. To avoid such misunderstandings and to reject the optional downloads, you should opt for ”advanced” or ”custom” installation mode. Then just untick the statements that sound unfamiliar to you, and you are done.
How to delete/uninstall this PUP?
Although PushOK virus is not a very harmful app, it has its negative effects – it causes PC slowdowns, collects information about your browsing habits and also tracks search terms that you used. If you wish to remove PushOK, you can do it either automatically(with a help of an anti-malware application) or manually. For the manual method, follow the guidelines below this article:
You can remove virus damage automatically with a help of one of these programs: Reimage, Malwarebytes MalwarebytesCombo Cleaner, Plumbytes Anti-MalwareMalwarebytes Malwarebytes. We recommend these applications because they detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.
To remove PushOK ads, follow these steps:
Erase PushOK from Windows systems
-
Click Start → Control Panel → Programs and Features (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
-
If you are Windows 10 / Windows 8 user, then right-click in the lower left corner of the screen. Once Quick Access Menu shows up, select Control Panel and Uninstall a Program.
-
Uninstall PushOK and related programs
Here, look for PushOK or any other recently installed suspicious programs. -
Uninstall them and click OK to save these changes.
Remove PushOK from Mac OS X system
-
If you are using OS X, click Go button at the top left of the screen and select Applications.
-
Wait until you see Applications folder and look for PushOK or any other suspicious programs on it. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash.
Uninstall PushOK from Internet Explorer (IE)
-
Remove dangerous add-ons
Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top right corner of the browser and choose Manage Add-ons. -
You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for PushOK and other suspicious plugins. Disable these entries by clicking Disable:
-
Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Click on the gear icon (menu) on the top right corner of the browser and select Internet Options. Stay in General tab. -
Here, remove malicious URL and enter preferable domain name. Click Apply to save changes.
-
Reset Internet Explorer
Click on the gear icon (menu) again and select Internet options. Go to Advanced tab. - Here, select Reset.
-
When in the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset again to complete PushOK removal.
Get rid of PushOK ads from Microsoft Edge
Reset Microsoft Edge settings (Method 1):
- Launch Microsoft Edge app and click More (three dots at the top right corner of the screen).
- Click Settings to open more options.
-
Once Settings window shows up, click Choose what to clear button under Clear browsing data option.
-
Here, select all what you want to remove and click Clear.
-
Now you should right-click on the Start button (Windows logo). Here, select Task Manager.
- When in Processes tab, search for Microsoft Edge.
-
Right-click on it and choose Go to details option. If can’t see Go to details option, click More details and repeat previous steps.
-
When Details tab shows up, find every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right click on each of them and select End Task to end these entries.
Resetting Microsoft Edge browser (Method 2):
If Method 1 failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method.
- Note: you need to backup your data before using this method.
- Find this folder on your computer:
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe.
-
Select every entry which is saved on it and right click with your mouse. Then Delete option.
- Click the Start button (Windows logo) and type in window power in Search my stuff line.
-
Right-click the Windows PowerShell entry and choose Run as administrator.
- Once Administrator: Windows PowerShell window shows up, paste this command line after PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> and press Enter:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml -Verbose}
Once these steps are finished, PushOK should be removed from your Microsoft Edge browser.
WindowsMac OS XInternet ExplorerMicrosoft EdgeFirefoxGoogle ChromeSafariDelete PushOK from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
-
Remove dangerous extensions
Open Mozilla Firefox, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Add-ons → Extensions. -
Here, select PushOK and other questionable plugins. Click Remove to delete these entries.
-
Reset Mozilla Firefox
Click on the Firefox menu on the top left and click on the question mark. Here, choose Troubleshooting Information. -
Now you will see Reset Firefox to its default state message with Reset Firefox button. Click this button for several times and complete PushOK removal.
Eliminate PushOK from Google Chrome
-
Delete malicious plugins
Open Google Chrome, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Tools → Extensions. -
Here, select PushOK and other malicious plugins and select trash icon to delete these entries.
-
Click on menu icon again and choose Settings → Manage Search engines under the Search section.
-
When in Search Engines..., remove malicious search sites. You should leave only Google or your preferred domain name.
-
Reset Google Chrome
Click on menu icon on the top right of your Google Chrome and select Settings. -
Scroll down to the end of the page and click on Reset browser settings.
-
Click Reset to confirm this action and complete PushOK removal.
Erase PushOK from Safari
-
Remove dangerous extensions
Open Safari web browser and click on Safari in menu at the top left of the screen. Once you do this, select Preferences. -
Here, select Extensions and look for PushOK or other suspicious entries. Click on the Uninstall button to get rid each of them.
-
Reset Safari
Open Safari browser and click on Safari in menu section at the top left of the screen. Here, select Reset Safari.... -
Now you will see a detailed dialog window filled with reset options. All of those options are usually checked, but you can specify which of them you want to reset. Click the Reset button to complete PushOK removal process.