Remove AlphaShoppers ads (Removal Instructions) - Jan 2021 update
Alpha Shoppers is an application which allegedly helps with shopping routine but provides numerous unwanted ads on Windows and Mac systems
Questions about AlphaShoppers ads
Alpha Shoppers is a typical adware-type[1] application that seeks benefits from users by tricking them into clicking on sponsored content. Users typically install the browser add-on without noticing, as it comes bundled with other software. Once installed, the program changes the search engine and the new tab to hxxp://www.alphashoppers.co, making users browse through a hijacked search engine on Google Chrome or other browsers. Additionally, Alpha Shoppers displays numerous coupons, deals, and pop-ups which are intrusive and might prevent users from browsing the internet properly. Recently, Mac users reported that their systems are actively being attacked by this unwanted software, although Windows infections are also not uncommon.
Name | Alpha Shoppers |
Type | Adware |
Distribution | Software bundling, Google Chrome web store, official website |
Symptoms | Intrusive pop-up ads, banners, coupons, deals on web browsers |
Affected systems | Windows, Mac OS, iOS and Android |
Main dangers | Malware infection, data leak |
Elimination | Check our guide below this article |
Optimization | We recommend scanning your device with ReimageIntego to fix virus damage |
At first sight, Alpha Shoppers might seem like a useful application that is capable of showing coupons and discounts for users who shop online. However, beware that this “coolest coupons finder” can easily start redirecting you to malicious websites after showing you sponsored search results. At the moment, Alpha Shoppers virus is as aggressive as the case with Facebook message virus.[2]
Speaking of the distribution of Alpha Shoppers PUP, it has mostly been promoted via its official website alphashoppers.co and Chrome web store. However, some users report about finding this add-on and its search engine after installing other software. This method used for spreading Alpha Shoppers virus is known as bundling.
The main reason why you should be careful with Alpha Shoppers is its ability to collect information about its users. If you pay attention to the privacy policy, you will find out that the company collects non-personal information and personal details if you deliberately provide it:
We do and may share non-personally identifiable information about your use of the Site and Product with our partners and some service providers, in order to provide the services, facilitate them, measure their performance, optimize, improve, monetize and so forth.
AlphaShoppers ads offer various discount coupons that help to save some money; however, it's a questionable adware program.
Afterward, the company can share this information with business partners, so you can become a victim of identity theft. Besides, that's how Alpha Shoppers ads become more personal and increase the possibility of tricking you into clicking on fraudulent pop-up ads.
The final destination of Alpha Shoppers is known only to program's developers and you may find yourself on a malicious website[3] trying to infect you with malware. Note that even the official website of this hijacker does not contain a HTTPS protocol – the indicator that the website is secure to visit. This should be another reason why you should think of Alpha Shoppers removal.
Therefore, if you have been tricked into installing this adware and been redirected by it to unknown domains against your intention, you need to remove Alpha Shoppers from Mac or Windows system. You can use adequate software to perform the elimination or follow our guide below. Once complete, we recommend you scan your device with ReimageIntego to ensure the damage of adware is fixed.
Adware distribution ways
This application has an official website that presents it as an ultimate way to save some money. Furthermore, you might run into it while browsing on Chrome web store. However, we do not recommend falling for its marketing campaigns because ads and redirects will start annoying as soon as you start your browsing.
In addition, you may spot it as additional program attached to freeware. By dashing through the installation wizard, users often overlook optional add-ons and let them hijack the whole computer system. In order to prevent adware installation, pay attention to the optional software. Choose “Custom” or “Advanced” settings to see them. Unmark and only then proceed with the installation of the primary program.
Eliminate Alpha Shoppers Shopping New Tab right after you find it
You can remove Alpha Shoppers virus from the device manually, by following our prepared instructions below. You have to be attentive not to miss any of the adware-related files or components, such as browser helper objects, etc.[4]
You may find various third-party applications or add-ons installed on all your web browsers. Hence, don’t forget to check them all. If you want quicker and easier solution, we suggest automatic Alpha Shoppers removal option. It requires installing anti-malware program and scanning computer’s system.
You may remove virus damage with a help of ReimageIntego. SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner and Malwarebytes are recommended to detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.
To remove AlphaShoppers ads, follow these steps:
Delete AlphaShoppers from Windows systems
To remove adware from Windows, use guidelines provided below. They will help you remove components of the program which is responsible for generating unwanted ads. Make sure you remove all adware-related components in order to stop all unwanted commercial content.
To remove AlphaShoppers ads from Windows 10/8 machines, please follow these steps:
- Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
- From the list, find entries related to AlphaShoppers ads (or any other recently installed suspicious program).
- Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.
- If User Account Control shows up, click Yes.
- Wait till uninstallation process is complete and click OK.
If you are Windows 7/XP user, proceed with the following instructions:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel located on the right pane (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.
- Pick the unwanted application by clicking on it once.
- At the top, click Uninstall/Change.
- In the confirmation prompt, pick Yes.
- Click OK once the removal process is finished.
Get rid of AlphaShoppers from Mac OS X system
The removal of so-called Alpha Shoppers virus from Mac OS X requires locating and deleting adware program and all components that might be related to it. Follow these steps to get rid of the adware:
If your macOS is displaying some infection symptoms, proceed with the following guide:
Remove AlphaShoppers ads from Applications folder:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for AlphaShoppers ads-related entries.
- Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)
To fully remove AlphaShoppers ads, you need to access Application Support, LaunchAgents, and LaunchDaemons folders and delete relevant files:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
- In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries related to AlphaShoppers ads and then delete them.
- Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the AlphaShoppers ads-related entries.
Erase AlphaShoppers from Internet Explorer (IE)
To remove his PUP from IE, check all questionable add-ons that might be related to adware. Find those entries and remove them.
Remove dangerous add-ons:
- Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
- Pick Manage Add-ons.
- You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for AlphaShoppers ads and other suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.
Change your homepage if it was altered:
- Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
- Select Internet Options.
- In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
- Click Apply and then select OK.
Delete temporary files:
- Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
- Under Browsing history, click Delete…
- Select relevant fields and press Delete.
Reset Internet Explorer:
- Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
- Select Reset.
- In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset again to complete AlphaShoppers ads removal.
Eliminate AlphaShoppers ads from Microsoft Edge
To fix this web browser, you should check and fix Microsoft Edge. These instructions will help you to do that:
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 AlphaShoppers ads-related extension and click on the Gear icon.
- Click on Uninstall at the bottom.
Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Privacy & security.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Select everything (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear.
Reset MS Edge if that 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.
If this solution failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method. Note that you need to backup your data before proceeding.
- Find the following folder on your computer: C:\\Users\\%username%\\AppData\\Local\\Packages\\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe.
- Press Ctrl + A on your keyboard to select all folders.
- Right-click on them and pick Delete
- Now right-click on the Start button and pick Windows PowerShell (Admin).
- When the new window opens, copy and paste the following command, and then press Enter:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\\AppXManifest.xml” -Verbose
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 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.
Remove AlphaShoppers from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
To fix Firefox, check the list of extensions and remove all questionable entries that might be related to this suspicious program.
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 plugins that are related to AlphaShoppers ads and click Remove.
Clear cookies and site data:
- Click Menu and pick Options.
- Go to Privacy & Security section.
- Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
- Click on Clear Data…
- Select Cookies and Site Data, as well as Cached Web Content and press Clear.
In case AlphaShoppers ads did not get removed after following the instructions above, 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 – this should complete AlphaShoppers ads removal.
Uninstall AlphaShoppers from Google Chrome
To uninstall Alpha Shoppers from Chrome, check the list of extensions at first. Look for suspicious applications and delete them. Make sure that you delete all entries that you haven't installed on your own.
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 the suspicious plugins that might be related to AlphaShoppers ads 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.
If the above-methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the AlphaShoppers ads-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 to complete AlphaShoppers ads removal.
Delete AlphaShoppers from Safari
Make sure that you remove all adware-related components from the Safari. If you miss some plugins or extensions, ads by Alpha Shoppers might come back.
Remove unwanted extensions from Safari:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- In the new window, pick Extensions.
- Select the unwanted extension related to AlphaShoppers ads and select Uninstall.
Clear cookies and other website data from Safari:
- Click Safari > Clear History…
- From the drop-down menu under Clear, pick all history.
- Confirm with Clear History.
Reset Safari if the above-mentioned steps did not help you:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- Go to Advanced tab.
- Tick the Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop, and then select Empty Caches.
After uninstalling this potentially unwanted program (PUP) and fixing each of your web browsers, we recommend you to scan your PC system with a reputable anti-spyware. This will help you to get rid of AlphaShoppers registry traces and will also identify related parasites or possible malware infections on your computer. For that you can use our top-rated malware remover: ReimageIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes.
Choose a proper web browser and improve your safety with a VPN tool
Online spying has got momentum in recent years and people are getting more and more interested in how to protect their privacy online. One of the basic means to add a layer of security – choose the most private and secure web browser. Although web browsers can't grant full privacy protection and security, some of them are much better at sandboxing, HTTPS upgrading, active content blocking, tracking blocking, phishing protection, and similar privacy-oriented features. However, if you want true anonymity, we suggest you employ a powerful Private Internet Access VPN – it can encrypt all the traffic that comes and goes out of your computer, preventing tracking completely.
Lost your files? Use data recovery software
While some files located on any computer are replaceable or useless, others can be extremely valuable. Family photos, work documents, school projects – these are types of files that we don't want to lose. Unfortunately, there are many ways how unexpected data loss can occur: power cuts, Blue Screen of Death errors, hardware failures, crypto-malware attack, or even accidental deletion.
To ensure that all the files remain intact, you should prepare regular data backups. You can choose cloud-based or physical copies you could restore from later in case of a disaster. If your backups were lost as well or you never bothered to prepare any, Data Recovery Pro can be your only hope to retrieve your invaluable files.
- ^ Adware. TechTerms. The Computer Dictionary that contains over 1200 technical terms with easy-to-understand definitions.
- ^ Rene Millman. New malware and adware spreading through Facebook Messenger. SCMedia. The cybersecurity source.
- ^ Dangerous Malware Ads Are Spreading Across the Internet. Computer Repair in New York City Computer repair sevices.
- ^ Browser Helper Object. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Your opinion regarding AlphaShoppers ads
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March 7th, 2017 at 5:30 am
even adblock is powerless… horrible ads.
March 7th, 2017 at 5:32 am
This adware delivers so much aggressive ads that doesnt even have a close button! Imagine that you are reading something and some ridiculous pop-up hides it. Thank God theyre gone.
March 7th, 2017 at 5:34 am
I was looking for some discount coupons and found their website, but it looked suspicious for me. Luckily, I am used to reading reviews, and havent decided to use their services!