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  • Active
  • Severity: Medium
  • Browser Hijackers
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Jan 2021

How to remove DirectionsAce Toolbar

A step-by-step removal guide for affected devices. Follow the verified procedure below — most readers complete it in under 10 minutes.

Jake Doevan · Computer technology expert

DirectionsAce Toolbar is a browser hijacker that may show irrelevant search websites and lots of ads

DirectionsAce Toolbar

DirectionsAce Toolbar is yet another product developed by Mindspark Interactive Network, Inc. This company is already infamous all around the world for the development and distribution of potentially unwanted programs, as well as the promotion of Ask search.

DirectionsAce Toolbar is also classified as a browser hijacker and a potentially unwanted program (PUP). Its primary task is to infiltrate computers, install a toolbar on all web browsers and replace a default start page, search provider, and a new tab window with Ask or MyWay (a customized version of Ask).

We can't claim that this particular toolbar is not working as it should. The toolbar may provide you with some real value, but by keeping it you also risk exposing your PC to various cyber threats so it’s not worth believing in beautiful commercials. This tool developers know how to present their work as extremely useful to some users. According to the Mindspark, DirectionsAce Toolbar is:

by far the best maps and directions extension available online for FREE. It takes only seconds to install and turns your browser into a maps and directions-finding machine. Find gas prices, search for fun things to do and more – perfect for travelers like you.

As we have already mentioned, DirectionsAce Toolbar by Mindspark promotes Ask search, which becomes a default start page, search provider, and a new tab window by force. This search provider is not recommended using it because it collaborates with various third parties, including really suspicious ones.

Thus, sponsored search results that this toolbar promotes can contain links to irrelevant websites. In the worst-case scenario, redirects can expose computers to the pages used for malware distribution. This reason is serious enough to remove DirectionsAce Toolbar as soon as possible.

Another noteworthy fact is the usage of cookies. These small files are usually used for collecting search queries, URLs of most frequently visited pages, data entered in them, ads that were most often clicked, IP address, PC's location, email address, and similar non-personal data. DirectionsAce virus also uses tracking cookies and may collect data mentioned above and some pieces of quite sensitive information too.

Also, it may cause the web browser to run slower than it used to before. Thus, having in mind all the unwanted activities that this toolbar may cause, run a full system scan and delete DirectionsAce Toolbar virus right away. This can be done with the help of SpyHunterCombo Cleaner, MalwarebytesMalwarebytes, or another reliable anti-malware.

Browser hijackers are spreading with the help of bundles

This particular browser hijacker is spread using two methods – direct and indirect ('Bundling'). People can quite easily find the official website of this toolbar and install it there for no cost.

Unfortunately, but this questionable toolbar may show up on the system without downloading it there. This scenario may happen if the computer user installs a freeware and agrees to install its attachments, including DirectionsAce Toolbar.

Usually, software packages are installed without being aware of that because third-party attachments are usually hidden under quick, basic, or express installation mode. Having this in mind, you should never install free software in a rush again. To keep your computer PUP free, select the Advanced or Custom installation option, and reject the installation of additional tools.

Use our instructions to remove DirectionsAce Toolbar

For all of the serious reasons listed above, you'll probably want to get rid of a potentially unwanted program as soon as possible. You can remove DirectionsAce Toolbar using two choices – manual or automatic removal.

If you want to remove the potentially unwanted program manually, you should follow the steps that are provided down below. You should terminate the process of this toolbar via Task Manager, then disable the toolbar in all web browsers, and finally perform its full removal. However, don't forget that DirectionsAce Toolbar malware can have some hidden files or might have installed other potentially unwanted programs.

To get rid of DirectionsAce Toolbar, you can use a professional anti-malware. It will ensure that all hidden files and other PUPs that may be lurking on the system are removed completely.

Uninstall from Windows

Uninstall from Windows 10/8:

  1. Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
  2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 10/8

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:

  1. Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
  2. In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 7/XP

Remove the unwanted program:

  1. In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
  2. If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.Uninstall the unwanted program from Windows

Delete from macOS

Remove the unwanted application:

  1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
  2. In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).Uninstall from Mac

Delete leftover files and folders:

  1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
  2. Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
  3. Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.Delete leftover files from Mac
  4. Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.

Reset Internet Explorer

Remove dangerous add-ons:

  1. Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
  2. Pick Manage Add-ons.
  3. You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.Remove add-ons from Internet Explorer

Change your homepage if it was altered:

  1. Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
  2. Select Internet Options.
  3. In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
  4. Click Apply and then select OK.Reset IE homepage

Delete temporary files:

  1. Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
  2. Under Browsing history, click Delete...
  3. Select relevant fields and press Delete.Clear temporary files from Internet Explorer

Reset Internet Explorer:

  1. Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
  2. Select Reset.
  3. In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.Reset Internet Explorer

Remove from Microsoft Edge

Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:

  1. Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
  2. From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
  3. Click Remove.Remove extensions from Edge

Clear cookies and other browser data:

  1. Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
  2. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  3. 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.Clear Edge browsing data

Restore new tab and homepage settings:

  1. Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
  2. Then find On startup section.
  3. Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.

Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:

  1. Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
  3. Select Details tab.
  4. 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.Reset MS Edge

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge

Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):

  1. Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
  2. Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.Remove extensions from Chromium Edge

Clear cache and site data:

  1. Click on Menu and go to Settings.
  2. Select Privacy, search and services.
  3. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  4. Under Time range, pick All time.
  5. Select Clear now.Clear browser data from Chroum Edge

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. On the left side, pick Reset settings.
  3. Select Restore settings to their default values.
  4. Confirm with Reset.
  5. This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.Reset Chromium Edge

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

Remove dangerous extensions:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
  2. Select Add-ons.
  3. In here, select the unwanted extension and click Remove.Remove extensions from Firefox

Reset the homepage:

  1. Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
  2. Choose Settings.
  3. Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.

Clear cookies and site data:

  1. Click Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Go to Privacy & Security section.
  3. Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
  4. Click on Clear Data...
  5. Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.Clear cookies and site data from Firefox

Reset Mozilla Firefox

If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
  2. Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.Reset Firefox 1
  3. Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
  4. Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.Reset Firefox 2

Remove from Google Chrome

Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

  1. Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
  2. In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.Remove extensions from Chrome

Clear cache and web data from Chrome:

  1. Click on Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
  3. Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
  4. Click Clear data.Clear cache and web data from Chrome

Change your homepage:

  1. Click menu and choose Settings.
  2. Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
  3. 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:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
  3. Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
  4. Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
  5. Confirm with Reset settings.Reset Chrome 2

Delete from Safari

Remove dangerous extensions:

  1. Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
  2. Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.Remove extensions from Safari

Clear history and website data:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
  2. Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.Clear history from Safari

Reset Safari:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
  2. Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
  3. From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.Reset Safari

Did this guide help?

2 comments

  1. GarryJ

    Im so fed up with this malicious toolbar! I accidentally installed it on my system and now I cant get rid oh that DirectionsAce Toolbar!!!

  2. Hoew56

    I found that SpyHunter detects DirectionsAce and removes it with ease, I suggest everyone to use it :)

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