Browse for the Cause (Removal Instructions) - Nov 2016 update
Browse for the Cause Removal Guide
What is Browse for the Cause?
How safe Browse for the Cause extension is?
Browse for the Cause extension (also known as BrowseForTheCause) is a potentially unwanted program which can also be called as “adware”. Such PUPs are actively spread as optional components of free software, so you can find them installed on your computer without remembering their installation moment. If you are willing to get a chance to prevent BrowseForTheCause virus and similar adware on your computer, you must start monitoring installation of the freeware by selecting either Custom or Advanced installation option. In addition, you should uncheck pre-checked check marks that allow adding two programs to your computer installed of one. Unfortunately, but the most of these add-ons and extensions cannot be stopped by anti-virus software, so you should think about reliable anti-spyware while trying to avoid this questionable application. To remove BrowseForTheCause, you should try FortectIntego or SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner.
Once inside the system, this adware hijacks each of your web browsers and starts collecting non-personal information. With its help, this add-on gets an ability to show sponsored content that can make an easy revenue from unaware PC users who tend to click various ads and visit third-party websites. It seems that this is the main aim why BrowseForTheCause hijack is initiated. Keep in mind that it is not a legitimate charity plugin which seeks to increase your satisfaction while browsing the Internet. Instead of that, this program can alter your start page or the default search engine without your permission asked (it has been actively used to promote search.snap.do and DefaultTab). In addition, there are lots of people who have reported about unexpected appearance of questionable toolbars after installing Browse for the Cause virus on their computers. If you want to avoid that, you should try to look for other ways for donating your money. Also, be very careful with ads that may show up during your browsing after installing this adware-type application on your computer. In most of the cases, they are displayed only to redirect people to affiliate websites and increase their page rank or sales. If you have already noticed this or other suspicious add-on on your computer, you shouldn’t wait until it tricks you into installing more questionable programs on your computer. If you want to avoid that, BrowseForTheCause removal from the system is the best idea.
How can this adware hijack my computer?
Browse for the Cause ads can be noticed right after letting this add-on to the system. You can do that either consciously or not. When talking about a conscious program’s installation, we must warn you that there are tens of different websites that do NOT recommend installing it. 2-spyware.com is one of these sites. Also, there is a wide list of third party sites that present this PUP as a valuable tool for collecting the money and donating it. It is said that people can always check how much money they have already earned while browsing and how much money they have already donated for charities. However, you should be very careful with these claims because they are usually set to mislead people. In addition, there is another way that is used for spreading this adware-type application. No matter that this program is not a computer virus, it may show up on your computer without downloading it there. That’s because it is actively distributed using “bundling”. In order to avoid discovering this program on your computer without downloading it there, you should be very attentive when downloading freeware from unknown sites. Please, try to double check optional downloads that may be offered with a program that you want to install. Also, opt out of questionable plugins, add-ons and extensions. In order to get this ability, you should always select Custom or Advanced installation of the freeware. If you noticed Browse for the Cause virus on your computer without installing it there, you should follow a guide below and remove this potentially unwanted program from the system.
How to remove BrowseForTheCause virus?
You should be very careful with such programs as Browse for the Cause add-on because they can be used for a wide range of unwanted activities. Tracking of people, collecting information which is related to their browsing, interrupting victims with misleading ads are just a free problems caused by this adware. If you are hijacked, you need to start BrowseForTheCause removal process on your computer. For that you can use programs that are given below. This removal method is usually called as “manual”. However, there is also another way to get rid of this adware. To stop its pop-up ads, redirects, slow downs and similar issues, you can also remove BrowseForTheCause with the help of manual removal guide. All steps are provided below.
You may remove virus damage with a help of FortectIntego. 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.
Getting rid of Browse for the Cause. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
To remove BrowseForTheCause add-on from Windows operating system, you should also check it for browser hijackers that have been actively spread in a bundle with it. We highly recommend checking your system for Snap.do, Search.Snap.do, DefaultTab and similar PUPs.
Instructions for Windows 10/8 machines:
- 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 the entry of the 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.
Delete from macOS
To remove Browse For The Cause from Mac OS X manually, you should find each component of this adware and eliminate it from the system. It is known that Snap.do, Search.Snap.do and DefaultTab are related to this adware.
Remove items from Applications folder:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for all related entries.
- Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)
To fully remove an unwanted app, 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 and then delete them.
- Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files.
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 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.
Restore new tab and homepage settings:
- Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
- Then find On startup section.
- Click Disable if you found any suspicious domain.
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.
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, 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.
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 unwanted plugin and click Remove.
Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Options.
- Under Home options, enter your preferred site that will open every time you newly open the Mozilla Firefox.
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, as well as Cached Web Content and press 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 the suspicious plugins that might be 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 unwanted extensions from Safari:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- In the new window, pick Extensions.
- Select the unwanted extension 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 Browse for the Cause 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: FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes.
How to prevent from getting adware
Do not let government spy on you
The government has many issues in regards to tracking users' data and spying on citizens, so you should take this into consideration and learn more about shady information gathering practices. Avoid any unwanted government tracking or spying by going totally anonymous on the internet.
You can choose a different location when you go online and access any material you want without particular content restrictions. You can easily enjoy internet connection without any risks of being hacked by using Private Internet Access VPN.
Control the information that can be accessed by government any other unwanted party and surf online without being spied on. Even if you are not involved in illegal activities or trust your selection of services, platforms, be suspicious for your own security and take precautionary measures by using the VPN service.
Backup files for the later use, in case of the malware attack
Computer users can suffer from data losses due to cyber infections or their own faulty doings. Ransomware can encrypt and hold files hostage, while unforeseen power cuts might cause a loss of important documents. If you have proper up-to-date backups, you can easily recover after such an incident and get back to work. It is also equally important to update backups on a regular basis so that the newest information remains intact – you can set this process to be performed automatically.
When you have the previous version of every important document or project you can avoid frustration and breakdowns. It comes in handy when malware strikes out of nowhere. Use Data Recovery Pro for the data restoration process.