Bc.vc: is it safe? Ads, redirects and how to stop them
Bc.vc is a URL shortener that pays people to share its short links, and the advertising shown on the way is where its bad name comes from. In our October 2026 test its home page asked for no notifications and opened no pop-ups, so the steps below matter only if a short link led you to allow something or install an add-on.
Facts checked October 4, 2026. Removal steps tested on Windows 11 (26H2) and checked against Microsoft's and the browser makers' current documentation.
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Bc.vc: summary
| Type | URL shortener (a website) that pays for traffic and shows third-party ads; not malware |
|---|---|
| Risk | Low on the home page we tested; medium on short-link pages we did not open, and if you installed an extension or allowed notifications |
| Symptoms | Pop-ups or new tabs after clicking a bc.vc link; redirects to other sites; an unrequested extension or changed start page |
| Installed on the PC | Nothing: Bc.vc is a website. Only a file or add-on that an ad hands you would be installed |
| Detection | No Microsoft Defender name: nothing is installed by the site, so there is no file to detect |
| How to get rid of it | Block the site's pop-ups, redirects and notifications and remove any extension an ad gave you (steps below); scan only if you ran a file |
| Removal | Scan the PC with security software to find and remove the malware and anything installed with it. Fortect scans Windows for malware and repairs the system files and settings it damaged. Remove it nowTo use the full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Fortect. The scan is free. |
Show 12 more facts
| Our check (4 October 2026) | Home page: no notification request, no pop-ups, no redirect; Google AdSense only; no short link opened |
|---|---|
| Running since | Not known: the .vc registry has no public RDAP record |
| First reported by us | 28 February 2020 |
| Evidence | Our test of the home page, our 2020 report |
| Name | Bc.vc |
| Domains | bc.vc |
| Ads shown as | Redirects through ad pages |
| Browsers | Chrome, Edge and Firefox |
| First seen | 28 February 2020 |
| Distribution | Typically ad scripts on free streaming, file-hosting and adult sites, typo domains and hacked websites |
| Damage | Redirects to scam pages, fake updates and tech support scams |
| Facts checked | 4 October 2026 |
Facts checked on 4 October 2026 against our own test of the home page in desktop Chromium from Europe. We did not register, shorten a link or open a bc.vc short link.
What Bc.vc is and how it works
Bc.vc (it calls itself BCVC) is a website, not a program: a URL shortener that pays the people who share its short links. Nothing is installed by opening it, and a short link is the part that carries the advertising.
- 1
Someone shortens a link
A registered user pastes a long web address into the form on the home page and gets back a short
bc.vcaddress. The form on the home page itself says it is only for demonstration; you have to register to shorten links. - 2
They share it
The site says users can make money through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and that it pays more for desktop and mobile traffic from all countries.
- 3
You click, advertising is shown
The site's own wording is that all advertising is strictly family-safe and that anti-virus and malware servers scan the adverts 24/7. We could not check that claim, because we did not open a short link.
- What it sells
- Short links and an advertising payout for whoever shares them: "Shrink, Share, Earn" (home page, 4 October 2026)
- Payout
- The page says you must earn only $10 before you are paid, via PayPal or Payoneer; we did not test a payout
- Domain
- bc.vc; the .vc registry has no public RDAP server, so we could not read a registration date
- Paid for by
- Advertising: Google AdSense was the only ad network we found on the home page
A shortener hides where a link goes until you click it, and the sites that pay for clicks earn from the page you pass through on the way. That is why a short link can feel intrusive even when the shortener itself installs nothing.
Is Bc.vc dangerous?
Our test on 4 October 2026
We opened the home page the way a visitor does: a clean desktop Chromium browser in Lithuania, no extension, no account. We did not register, shorten a link or open a bc.vc short link, so the pages where a visitor meets most of the advertising were not tested.
Bc.vc · desktop Chromium · Europe · 4 October 2026
- Notification requestNone. The site did not ask to send notifications and registered no service worker.
- Pop-ups and redirectsNo pop-up window and no redirect: the address stayed
bc.vcand the page answered with status 200. - Ad networkGoogle AdSense only (requests to
pagead2.googlesyndication.comandadtrafficquality.google). We found no pop-under or push-notification ad network. - Page title"BCVC | a modern URL shortener", which matches what the page says it is.
- Not testedA real short link, the registered-user area, other countries and phones. Ad networks change what they show by country, device and time, so other visitors may see something else.
Low risk on the home page, with limits The home page did what it says and did not ask for permissions or send us to another domain. A short link is a different page and we did not open one, so judge it by what it asks you to allow.
What changed since our 2020 report
February 2020
Our first report: ads and redirects to affiliate pages
Our old guide called the site a URL shortener behind misleading ads and affiliate redirects. Its screenshot shows Chrome's Ads blocked bubble over the home page, reading "This site shows intrusive or misleading ads".
Bc.vc in 2020, in our old report: the Chrome bubble Ads blocked, This site shows intrusive or misleading ads, over the home page. October 2026
Our new check: a quiet home page
The home page asked for no notifications, opened no pop-ups and did not redirect. The only ad network we found was Google AdSense, and the page still markets itself to people who want to earn from short links.
The real risks, from most to least serious
"Bc.vc virus" is not accurate for the page we saw: it installed nothing. These are the ways a visit, or a click on a short link, can still go wrong.
- High
Installing something an ad or a download button offered
Ad pages on link-shortener routes often tell visitors to update a player, add an extension or run a file. An add-on can read the pages you open, and a downloaded program can carry adware or worse. Opening a link needs none of them.
- Medium
Being sent on to other domains
Our 2020 report said bc.vc links forward visitors to affiliate and sponsored pages. We saw no redirect on the home page in 2026; where a short link finally lands depends on the person who made it.
- Medium
Clicking Allow on a notification request
A single click lets a site push ads onto your desktop until you withdraw the permission. In Chrome and Edge they can arrive with the window closed, since both keep running in the background by default; Firefox needs to be open.
- Medium
Offers that ask you to buy or fill in a form
Ads on such pages offer to sell products, services or software, or ask for details in surveys. Do not type personal details or card numbers into a page an ad opened.
- Low
Tracking by the ad network
The page loads Google's ad scripts, which is how AdSense measures and targets ads. We did not inspect cookies, so we cannot say what was stored.
What adware installed from such ads typically collects
- IP address
- Internet provider
- Websites visited
- Links and ads clicked
- Search queries
- Browser and device details
- Installed apps and extensions
The point is to target ads at you. If you installed something from an ad, remove it with the steps below.
How to remove Bc.vc
How to stop the Bc.vc redirects
Work in this order and test a few links after each step, so you know which one was the cause.
Which browser shows the ads?
Block pop-ups and redirects for the site
Open Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings > Pop-ups and redirects, and under Not allowed to send pop-ups or use redirects click Add, type
bc.vcand confirm.Remove extensions you do not recognise
Paste
chrome://extensionsinto the address bar and click Remove on anything you did not install yourself, especially video downloaders, players, "search" or PDF helpers added recently.Full procedure with screenshots: Remove a browser extension
Clear the site data
Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete, choose All time, tick Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files, and click Delete data.
Reset Chrome
Open Settings > Reset settings > Restore settings to their original defaults and confirm with Reset settings. This resets the start page, search engine and pinned tabs and turns off extensions; bookmarks and saved passwords stay. To stop notifications after you close Chrome, also turn off Settings > System > Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed.
Full procedure with screenshots: Reset a browser and fix a hijacked search engine
Block pop-ups and redirects for the site
Open Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Pop-ups and redirects, and under Block click Add, type
bc.vcand confirm.Remove extensions you do not recognise
Paste
edge://extensionsinto the address bar and click Remove under anything you did not install yourself.Full procedure with screenshots: Remove a browser extension
Clear the site data
Open Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Delete browsing data > Choose what to clear, set All time, tick Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files, and click Clear now.
Reset Edge
Open Settings > Reset settings > Restore settings to their default values and confirm with Reset. Extensions are turned off and the start page goes back to default; favourites, history and saved passwords stay. To stop notifications after you close Edge, turn off Settings > System and performance > Continue running background extensions and apps when Microsoft Edge is closed.
Full procedure with screenshots: Reset a browser and fix a hijacked search engine
Block pop-ups
Open Settings > Privacy & Security > Permissions and tick Block pop-up windows. Exceptions lists the sites that may open them; remove
bc.vcif it is there.Remove add-ons you do not recognise
Paste
about:addonsinto the address bar, open Extensions, and choose Remove from the three-dot menu of anything you did not install yourself.Full procedure with screenshots: Remove a browser extension
Clear cookies and site data
Open Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data > Clear Data, tick both boxes and click Clear.
Refresh Firefox
Open the menu > Help > More troubleshooting information and click Refresh Firefox. Add-ons and custom settings are removed and the home page goes back to default; bookmarks, history and passwords stay.
Full procedure with screenshots: Reset a browser and fix a hijacked search engine
Block pop-ups for the site
Open Safari > Settings > Websites > Pop-up Windows, select
bc.vcand set it to Block (or Block and Notify).Take back the notification permission
Safari 18 and later on macOS: open Safari > Settings > Websites > Notifications, select
bc.vc(or any site you do not recognise) and set it to Deny, or click Remove. Untick Allow websites to ask for permission to send notifications at the bottom so no site can ask again.Remove extensions you do not recognise
In Safari > Settings > Extensions, select anything you did not install yourself and click Uninstall.
Clear the site data
In Safari > Settings > Privacy > Manage Website Data, remove the site's data, or use History > Clear History > all history. To empty the cache as well, turn on Show features for web developers in Settings > Advanced and choose Develop > Empty Caches.
Check the Mac for apps from the ads
Ads also target Mac users with fake players and "cleaners". In Finder > Applications, move anything unknown to the Bin. In System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions, remove unknown items. Then use Go > Go to Folder to check
/Library/LaunchAgents,~/Library/LaunchAgents,/Library/LaunchDaemonsand/Library/Application Supportfor folders and files with the same unknown names, and empty the Bin.
Then, whichever browser you use
Step 1: Scan the PC if you downloaded anything from the ads
If you only saw the notifications and clicked nothing, you can stop before this step. If a notification led you to download or run something, delete that file, then scan Windows.
In Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options, run a Full scan, then choose Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan) and Scan now. The offline scan restarts the PC and takes about 15 minutes on Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Windows 11: Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options. Full procedure with screenshots: Run a Microsoft Defender Offline scan
After removal: keep the ads from coming back
If you installed an extension or ran a file
Blocking the site's pop-ups and notifications is enough if you only saw ads. If an ad led you to install an add-on or run a file, do these three things as well.
- 1
Remove the extension
Open the extensions page of your browser and remove anything you did not choose: unknown downloaders, search or coupon helpers, "players". Steps for each browser are in the browser tabs above. A changed home page or new-tab page usually points to such an add-on, not to the bc.vc site.
- 2
Uninstall what came with it
In Windows 11 go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps (Apps & features in Windows 10), sort by date and remove whatever appeared the day you clicked (Uninstall a program or app in Windows On uGetFix). Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and look for processes you do not recognise; new unknown ones are a sign that another program was installed.
- 3
Scan, then scan offline
Start a Microsoft Defender Full scan; when it ends, run Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan) too, because some trojans hide while Windows is running.
Typed a password or card number on a page an ad opened? Change that password today and tell your bank about the card.
How to keep it from happening again
Do
- Block pop-ups and redirects: in Chrome, Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings > Pop-ups and redirects > Don't allow sites to send pop-ups or use redirects.
- Stop sites from even asking for notifications: Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings > Notifications > Don't allow sites to send notifications.
- Look at the address bar after a click on a short link and check that you landed where you meant to go before you type anything.
- Get programs from the maker's own site or the Microsoft Store, not from download portals that wrap the installer.
- If an installer offers Custom or Advanced setup, take it and untick the extras; the quick or recommended option is the one that carries them.
- Update Windows and your browser from their own update pages, and keep Microsoft Defender updated.
- Install extensions only from your browser's own store, and open the store page yourself.
- Back up your documents with File History or OneDrive, so a bad download or a failing disk cannot take them.
- A VPN on public Wi-Fi hides your IP address from sites and ad networks; it blocks neither ads nor malware.
Don't
- Press Allow because a page says you need it to continue.
- Run an update, player or "security" installer that a web page or an ad offers; open the product's own update menu instead.
- Click ads or banners on a page you reached through a short link.
- Buy a utility because a pop-up said your device needs it, or give your details to a survey it showed.
Using a short link more safely
You cannot see where a short link goes from the link itself, so make the page you land on prove itself.
| If you see | Do this |
|---|---|
| A page that asks to Allow notifications | Press Block and close the tab |
| A new tab or window you did not open | Close it without clicking inside |
| A prompt to install a player, extension or update | Close the page; get the product from its maker's site |
| A download you did not expect | Do not open it; a link should not hand you an .exe or .msi file |
| A short link from someone you do not know | Do not open it, or open it in a browser profile with notifications and pop-ups blocked |
If you run a link-shortening account yourself and want to know what visitors will meet, open one of your own short links in a clean browser profile and read what it shows. We did not do that for this guide.
Questions about Bc.vc
What is Bc.vc?
Bc.vc is a URL shortener, a website that turns a long web address into a short bc.vc link and pays the person who shares it.
Its home page on 4 October 2026 says Shrink, Share, Earn, and offers higher payouts for desktop and mobile traffic from all countries, with a minimum payout of $10 through PayPal or Payoneer. The form on the home page is a demonstration; you must register to shorten links.
It earns from advertising, and Google AdSense was the only ad network we found on the home page. It is a website, not a program, and opening it installs nothing. We did not test a registered account or a short link.
Is Bc.vc safe?
On the home page, yes with limits: in our test on 4 October 2026 it asked for no notifications, opened no pop-ups, did not redirect and showed Google AdSense as its only ad network. We did not register, shorten a link or open a short link, and that is where most of the advertising is met.
Our 2020 report described misleading ads and redirects to affiliate pages, and our old screenshot shows Chrome's Ads blocked bubble over the page. Ads change by country and time, so treat each landing page on its own:
- refuse notifications
- install nothing an ad offers
- close pop-ups without clicking inside them
Is Bc.vc a virus?
No. Bc.vc is a website, and opening it does not install anything by itself. The word virus comes from our 2020 report, which described the ads and redirects around its short links. They can lead to unwanted software if you accept what they offer: an add-on can read what you browse, and a program from an ad can be adware.
If you never installed an extension, ran a downloaded program or clicked Allow on a notification box, there is nothing to remove. If you did, remove the extension, take back the permission and run a full scan with Microsoft Defender, as the sections above show.
Why does Bc.vc keep redirecting me?
A bc.vc short link forwards you through the site, and the destination is chosen by whoever made the link. Our 2020 report said these links led to affiliate and sponsored pages.
In our 2026 test the home page itself did not redirect, so a repeated redirect usually comes from a short link you clicked, or from an extension or a notification permission you accepted earlier.
Check the extensions page and the notification list of your browser for anything you do not recognise, and block pop-ups and redirects for the site in Site settings. If your start page or search engine also changed, reset the browser.
How do I remove Bc.vc from my browser?
There is nothing of Bc.vc to uninstall, because it is a website. What you can have is a permission you gave it or an extension an ad offered. In Chrome, open Settings, Privacy and security, Site settings, and set Pop-ups and redirects and Notifications to Block for bc.vc.
Then open chrome://extensions and click Remove on anything you did not install, or use edge://extensions in Edge and about:addons in Firefox. In Safari, open Settings, Extensions and click Uninstall. Clear the site data afterwards, using the steps in your browser's tab, and reset the browser if the start page changed.
Does Bc.vc show notifications?
In our test it did not. On 4 October 2026 the home page made no notification request and registered no service worker. A site can still ask later, from a short link page, and clicking Allow gives it permission to push ads to your desktop until you take it back.
In Chrome, open Settings, Privacy and security, Site settings, Notifications, find bc.vc under Allowed to send notifications, click the three dots and choose Block or Remove. In Edge the path is Settings, Cookies and site permissions, Notifications. Firefox keeps it under Privacy and Security, Permissions, and Safari under Settings, Websites, Notifications.
Does Bc.vc really pay you?
We cannot say, because we did not register or request a payout. The home page of 4 October 2026 says you need to earn only $10 before you are paid and that it can pay by PayPal or Payoneer, and it promises higher payouts for desktop and mobile traffic. Those are the site's own statements.
The payout depends on advertising shown to the people who open your links, which is the reason such links feel intrusive to visitors. Read the terms, the FAQ and support pages before you register, and do not give the service more details than it asks for. We have no data on any person's earnings.
Can a Bc.vc link give me malware?
The link itself is only an address, but the pages you pass through can carry ads, and a careless ad can push a download. Our 2020 report said the redirects could lead to malware-laden pages; on 4 October 2026 we saw no such thing on the home page, and we did not open a short link.
The site's own wording is that its adverts are family-safe and scanned 24/7, which we could not verify. Do not open a file an ad hands you, especially an .exe or .msi, and install nothing from a page you reached through a short link. If you already did, follow the section on removing it, then scan with Microsoft Defender.
Will Fortect remove Bc.vc?
Fortect scans Windows for malware and unwanted programs and repairs the system files and settings they change, and its free scan shows what it finds on your PC before you decide anything.
For Bc.vc, follow the plan above as well: the browser steps take back permissions and settings that no scanner treats as a threat, and uninstalling the program that brought it removes the source.
Run Microsoft Defender's full scan and, if anything was found, its offline scan as a second opinion. If the symptoms are gone after the plan and both scans are clean, there is nothing more to do.
Sources
- Bc.vc: home page (our test) (read October 4, 2026)
- Google Chrome Help: Use notifications to get alerts (no longer online) (read October 4, 2026)
- Google Chrome Help: Block or allow pop-ups in Chrome (no longer online) (read October 4, 2026)
- FTC: How to recognize, remove and avoid malware (read October 4, 2026)