ChromeSearch.win: what it is and how to remove it
Chromesearch.win is a browser hijacker which is presented as a privacy-respecting search engine. Unfortunately, it has been found to act in the opposite way - Chromesearch.win virus starts collecting specific information about the user right after it gets into the system.
Facts checked October 6, 2026. Removal steps tested on Windows 11 (26H2) and checked against Microsoft's and the browser makers' current documentation. Sections marked as our earlier report are the original text: they describe the threat as it was then and have not been reviewed since. The 2026 status, the removal steps and the questions are current.
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ChromeSearch.win: summary
| Name | ChromeSearch.win |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Chrome Search Win |
| Type | Browser hijacker |
| Category | Potentially unwanted program |
| Activities | Advertising, redirecting, modifying browser settings |
| Danger level | Low. Does not affect the computer system or its components |
| 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 10 more facts
| Found in | Software bundles mostly |
|---|---|
| Detection names | No Microsoft detection name is known |
| Distribution | Not recorded in the old report |
| Damage | Not recorded in the old report |
| Symptoms | A changed search engine |
| Evidence | 5 write-ups by security sites; details still limited |
| Search page | chromesearch.today |
| Browsers | Chrome, Edge and Firefox |
| First seen | 13 August 2019 |
| Facts checked | 6 October 2026 |
What ChromeSearch.win changes in your browser
When you explicit provide us with your personal information whether or not on our request such as your name, e-mail and / or address, Chrome Search will save this information. If you choose to refuse to provide the information or to remove the information, the possibility exist that you are limited in the use of the services of the Website.
Is ChromeSearch.win dangerous? What it collects
From our report of Aug 2019 · not reviewed since
ChromeSearch.win - a bogus search engine that lies about respecting the user's privacy
Chromesearch.win is a browser hijacker which is presented as a privacy-respecting search engine.
Unfortunately, it has been found to act in the opposite way - Chromesearch.win virus starts collecting specific information about the user right after it gets into the system. This data mostly includes browsing-related details such as commonly visited websites, hyperlinks accessed, and so on.
However, some potentially unwanted programs are capable of spying on even more private information such as the name, surname, birth date, email address, and residence address of the user.
Alternatively known as Chrome Search Win, it belongs to a wide group of browser hijackers impersonating Google Chrome. They started reappearing during the last months of 2017 and have been relying on almost identical user interface and features. If you happen to find Chromesearch.today, Clean My Chrome or Cleanserp on your computer, beware that they all belong to a highly questionable developer called Chrome Search.
Once ChromeSearch.win is let into the system, it can initiate these potentially dangerous activities:
As you can see, despite the fact that ChromeSearch.win tracks your online activity and might gather personally identifiable information, it can also cause commercial ads on your favorite websites. These ads are added using a virtual layer that covers the entire website without making modifications on it. Besides, bogus notifications might carry questionable offers of suspicious computer repair products for money swindling purposes.
Beware that such ads caused by ChromeSearch.win can be dangerous as you can hardly know where are they redirecting you to. If you looked at the Privacy Policy of the website, you could find that developers of this search engine fail to take responsibility for the content they display. Thus, after clicking one of these sponsored ads, you may find yourself infected with malware .
No matter how trustworthy it seems, we highly recommend you to remove Chromesearch.win from your computer. For that, use professional security software, like . If you are willing to remove this hijacker manually, use a step-by-step guide given at the end of this post. There you will find instructing steps for cleaning web browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, and Safari.
If that is not enough, we should also add that ChromeSearch win describes itself as "the search engine that respects your privacy." However, the Privacy Policy of this browser hijacker states the opposite:
There is no question that this deceptive search engine must be avoided. Security experts from France and other countries have already released recommendations to get rid of this hijacker right after it shows up. If you are looking at this search site right now, don't waste your time and initiate Chromesearch.win removal from all of the affected web browsers.
- Assigning http://chromesearch.win/ as a default search provider, new tab URL, and start page;
- Blocking the user from resetting the browser parameters to the primary state;
- Using tracking cookies to collect information about user's browsing habits;
- Displaying ads that satisfy user's interests;
- Redirecting the user to third party websites.


Check your browser and PC
- Address:
chromesearch.today
How to remove ChromeSearch.win
How to remove ChromeSearch.win and get your search engine back
Remove the extension first.
The search settings only stay fixed once nothing on the PC can change them again.
Step 1: Remove extensions you did not add
In Chrome open
chrome://extensions, in Edgeedge://extensions, and in Firefox the menu > Extensions and themes.Remove every extension you do not remember adding, especially search, new tab, coupon, PDF, weather or video downloader add-ons. Check every browser and every profile, because each keeps its own list.
If an extension has no Remove button or comes back, a browser policy holds it (see "Managed by your organization" in the procedure below). The pages are the same on Windows 11 and Windows 10.

Chrome on Windows 11: More > Extensions > Manage extensions. Full procedure with screenshots: Remove a browser extension
Step 2: Put the search engine back and delete chromesearch.today
In Chrome open Settings > Search engine > Manage search engines and site search, make an engine you trust the default, and delete
chromesearch.todayfrom the list.In Edge type
search engineinto the search box at the top of Settings and open Manage search engines; in Firefox use Settings > Search. Then check the homepage and the new tab page in the same settings, because hijackers change all three.If chromesearch.today is back after a restart, an extension, a program or a policy still sets it, so finish the other steps and check again. The settings are the same on Windows 11 and Windows 10.

Chrome on Windows 11: check Search engine and On startup. Full procedure with screenshots: Reset a browser and fix a hijacked search engine
Step 3: Uninstall programs you did not mean to install
ChromeSearch.win rarely comes alone: it is usually installed by, or together with, a free program. In Windows 11 open Settings > Apps > Installed apps, in Windows 10 Settings > Apps > Apps & features, and sort by install date.
Uninstall every entry from the day the trouble began that you did not install on purpose, for example a download manager, a converter or a browser you never chose.
Keep drivers and entries from Microsoft, Intel, AMD, NVIDIA or your PC's maker unless you are sure.
Full procedure with screenshots: Uninstall a program or app in Windows On uGetFix
Step 4: Reset the browser
A reset removes what the steps above could miss:
- changed start pages
- site permissions
- hidden settings
In Chrome open Settings > Reset settings > Restore settings to their original defaults; in Edge Settings > Reset settings; in Firefox Help > More troubleshooting information > Refresh Firefox.
Tip: Bookmarks and saved passwords stay, while extensions are turned off and the search engine and start page return to the defaults.
Reset every browser on the PC, including Edge, which Windows 11 and Windows 10 always have.

Chrome on Windows 11: Settings > Reset settings. Full procedure with screenshots: Reset a browser and fix a hijacked search engine
Step 5: Scan the PC, then run the offline scan
A scan finds the parts of ChromeSearch.win that the manual steps cannot see. In Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options, start a Full scan and quarantine what it reports.
Follow it with Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan) > Scan now, which restarts the PC and checks the disk while Windows and the malware are not running.
It takes about 15 minutes and works the same in Windows 11 and Windows 10. If either scan finds something, run the full scan again after removal until it comes back clean.

Windows 11: Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options. Full procedure with screenshots: Run a Microsoft Defender Offline scan
Instructions for each browser and system
The detailed steps for every browser and system this guide covers. Open the one you use.
Uninstall from Windows
To fix Chrome Search Win redirects on Windows OS, use the guide below. You need to remove all suspicious programs related to this search engine. We also recommend eliminating other unknown apps that showed up on your computer on the same day when your browsers are hijacked.
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.

Remove from Google Chrome
To get rid of the virus, you need to clean your Google Chrome web browser from adware-related objects such as dubious extensions, plug-ins, and add-ons. Here is some explanation on how to do it.
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.

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.

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)
Follow the guide below to learn how to uninstall Chromesearch.win and its components from Mozilla Firefox.
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.

Delete from Safari
If some rogue content has managed to find its way to your Safari web browser, you can clean this application by using the below-provided helping lines.
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.

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.
Reset Internet Explorer
You can clean Internet Explorer from bogus content completely. What you have to do is follow these guidelines that are provided by our experts' team:
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 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.

Access your website securely from any location
When you work on the domain, site, blog, or different project that requires constant management, content creation, or coding, you may need to connect to the server and content management service more often. The best solution for creating a tighter network could be a dedicated/fixed IP address.
If you make your IP address static and set to your device, you can connect to the CMS from any location and do not create any additional issues for the server or network manager that needs to monitor connections and activities. VPN software providers like can help you with such settings and offer the option to control the online reputation and manage projects easily from any part of the world.
Recover files after data-affecting malware attacks
While much of the data can be accidentally deleted due to various reasons, malware is one of the main culprits that can cause loss of pictures, documents, videos, and other important files.
More serious malware infections lead to significant data loss when your documents, system files, and images get encrypted. In particular, ransomware is is a type of malware that focuses on such functions, so your files become useless without an ability to access them.
Even though there is little to no possibility to recover after file-locking threats, some applications have features for data recovery in the system. In some cases, can also help to recover at least some portion of your data after data-locking virus infection or general cyber infection.
From our report of Aug 2019 · not reviewed since
Preventing potentially unwanted programs (PUPs)
It is not a secret that developers are ready to use various techniques to spread their viruses around.
One of these methods is bundling their questionable applications together with regular programs to increase the rate of distribution . This way, the benefit from reckless people who do not pay attention to the download/installation process and choose Recommended or Quick settings on the installer.
The permission to install the potentially unwanted program (PUP) is already pre-selected, and only Custom/Advanced options disclose the information about it. Therefore, you should always opt for the latter settings when installing freeware and decline additional applications. Additionally, take notice that automatical protection is not less important than the manual actions you take towards your online safety.
Once you pick a particular program, browser the web for information on it, read users' and experts' reviews. Also, make sure that the program as many beneficial features as possible, including safe browsing. Continuously, keep your anti-malware regularly updated for its proper functioning.

From our report of Aug 2019 · not reviewed since
Easy steps to remove Chromesearch.win virus
If you are wondering how to remove Chromesearch.win from your computer, you should know that this procedure can be done either automatically or manually.
Automatic removal still remains the safest way to uninstall the hijacker as it helps you detect and delete all browser extensions and plug-ins that are related to the Chrome Search. As a result, your computer becomes hijacker-free within several minutes.
However, some people opt for manual Chromesearch.win removal. Thus, we have prepared detailed instructions that should guide you through the termination process. It is vital to follow them carefully since removing incorrect files might cause permanent computer damage. Note that the browser hijacker and all additional content that has been brought by the PUP needs to be eliminated or the suspicious program might easily return.
Questions about ChromeSearch.win
How do I change my search engine back from chromesearch.today?
Open the browser's search engine settings, choose the search engine you want and set it as default, then remove chromesearch.today from the list.
If the option is greyed out or a note says it is controlled by an extension, remove that extension first and try again. If the browser says it is managed by your organization, a policy holds the setting, and the policy steps in this guide apply.
When the change will not stick, reset the browser: it restores the default search engine and start page and turns off extensions, but keeps bookmarks and saved passwords. Then check Installed apps for a program that may put chromesearch.today back.
Did chromesearch.today come with a program I installed?
Most likely, yes. Search hijackers such as chromesearch.today usually arrive with free software, where an extra offer is pre-ticked in the installer, or as an extension that promises something useful, such as file conversion, maps, recipes or streaming.
Look at Settings, Apps, Installed apps sorted by install date: whatever was installed just before the search engine changed is the main suspect. Uninstall it, then remove any extension you do not recognise. In future, choose the custom or advanced option in installers and untick extra offers, and install extensions only from the official store pages of publishers you know.
What is chromesearch.today?
It is the search page used by the browser hijacker ChromeSearch.win. It has no search index of its own: it forwards your queries to another search engine and adds ads and tracking along the way.
People rarely choose it on purpose; it becomes the default search engine, home page or new tab after an extension, program or policy changes the browser settings. The page itself is not malware, but it should not be in your browser if you did not set it. The steps above remove the source and restore your settings.
Is chromesearch.today dangerous?
It is not designed to infect the PC, but it is not neutral either. It logs searches, adds sponsored results that are hard to tell apart from real ones, and its ad partners are not checked as strictly as those of major search engines.
Some hijacker pages have shown ads for fake updates, tech support scams and unwanted software. The main harm is to privacy. Remove ChromeSearch.win, and if you entered personal data on sites reached through its results, check those sites carefully.
Do I have to fix every browser?
Yes, every one where the search engine or start page changed. In the cases we checked, ChromeSearch.win affected Chrome, Edge and Firefox.
Each browser stores its own search settings and extensions, so fixing one does not fix the others, and Windows-level changes such as shortcuts can affect each browser differently. Work through them one at a time:
- remove the extension
- check the policies
- restore the search engine
- start page
If you sync a browser, stay signed in so the fix spreads to your other computers.
Did chromesearch.today record my searches?
Almost certainly. Logging is the point of a hijacker search page: each query, with your IP address, browser details and the result you clicked, is valuable to advertisers.
The operators of chromesearch.today can store and share that data under their own privacy policy, which you never agreed to knowingly. There is no way to delete it from their side. What you can do is stop the flow:
- remove ChromeSearch.win
- clear cookies and site data for chromesearch.today
- treat sensitive searches made in the meantime as known to a third party
Why does my search page look slightly different?
Because it is not your search engine's own page. ChromeSearch.win sends searches to chromesearch.today, which may copy the colours and layout of a known search engine while adding its own ads and tracking. Small differences give it away:
- an unfamiliar address
- more ads than usual
- a different logo
- a search box with a brand name you do not recognise
Remove the hijacker and set your search engine again from the browser's settings to get the real page back. Then delete the hijacker's entry from the saved search engines list.
Is only one browser affected?
Often not. Programs that install hijackers tend to change every browser they find, and sync can carry the extension to other computers signed in to the same browser account. Check Chrome, Edge and Firefox, even the ones you rarely use, and look at the shortcut targets on the desktop and taskbar for each.
If you use sync, remove the extension while signed in so the removal syncs too. Also check the On startup setting and the new tab page, because hijackers change those as well as the search engine.
What do I lose if I reset Chrome or Edge?
Less than you might think. A reset turns off all extensions, which you can turn back on one by one, restores the default search engine, home page, new tab and pinned tabs, and clears cookies, so you are signed out of most sites.
Bookmarks, history, saved passwords and autofill data stay. Firefox's equivalent, Refresh Firefox, keeps the same essentials but removes add-ons completely. Before you reset, make sure you know your main passwords or have them saved, since you will need to sign in again.
Will Fortect remove ChromeSearch.win?
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 ChromeSearch.win, 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
- Wikipedia: Browser hijacking (read October 6, 2026)
- LesVirus: LesVirus (read October 6, 2026)
- FTC: How to recognize, remove and avoid malware (read October 6, 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Defender Offline (read October 6, 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: How Microsoft names malware (read October 6, 2026)