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  • Active
  • Severity: High
  • Stealing programs
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Nov 2016

How to remove Dozensearch.com virus

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

Alice Woods · Likes to teach users about virus prevention

What is Dozensearch.com? Can I use it?

Dozensearch.com virus (also called as Dozen Search) is a browser hijacker which showed up in May 2016. The main reason why its distributors launched this questionable search engine is their expectations to earn some money. Typically, browser hijackers are set to show sponsored search results that are hidden among the normal ones. If the user is convinced to click one of such results, Dozen Search virus earns the money. With the help of such technique, the developers of this program collect thousands of dollars. That’s why they seek to increase their distribution rate and use such suspicious techniques as “bundling”. Of course, misleading advertising is also used for increasing the distribution rate of this hijacker – beware that it has been promoted as a reliable search engine that is capable of improving people’s browsing activity. However, if you have already installed this PUP on your computer, you need to remove Dozensearch.com virus without wasting your time. For that you can choose professional tools like FortectIntego to assist you in the process.

The main problem which is related to Dozensearch.com hijack is its redirects to sponsored websites. No matter that they seem harmless, you can always be rerouted to a malicious site that is used for promoting malware. After this intruder initiates changes on each of your web browsers (this hijacker tends to check the predetermined search engine and the homepage), it starts showing altered search results and fills them with questionable links. Unfortunately, but switching browsers does not help in this case because all browsers are affected by this PUP. Finally, we should warn you that it spreads in a bundle with cookies that are used for tracking PC users. You can lose your non-personal information while having this hijacker on your computer. Because of all these malicious activities that are typically introduced right after the program is installed, we highly recommend initiating Dozen Search removal on your computer. 

Dozendearch.com

The use of Dozen Search Engine

As we have already mentioned, this search provider is totally malicious and you should stay away from it. However, if you think that it is useful, there are some rules you should follow to avoid running into serious problems on your computer. First of all, you should keep away from the ads and links it might display in its search results. It is important not to click on them because you might get redirected to third-party websites, which, as practice shows, are often full of different adware, spyware and other malware waiting to infiltrate the visitors computers. Apart from the Dozensearch.com redirect issue, you should also be aware that this hijacker may spy on your browsing. It may track what websites you visit the most, what pages are your favorite, also, it keeps record of what you look for online. All this information can then be used to generate even more appealing ads for you to click on. This suggest that the longer you keep this program on your computer, the more aggressive it gets. Therefore, you should not hesitate with the Dozensearch.com removal and get rid of this virus as soon as possible.

How can you avoid this virus?

If this virus has not infected your system yet, you can consider yourself lucky. However, you should know that it does not take much for a browser hijacker to infiltrate computers. If you often download software online, you are already at risk of being infected. Especially it is true to the users, who install newly downloaded software recklessly and do not follow the installation steps thoroughly. Such behavior is very convenient to the malware creators since they can sneak this or other programs to the users computers undetected. For this reason, in the installation wizard window, you should always opt for the advanced installation settings instead of the already predetermined “Quick” or “Recommended” ones. In these settings, you will be able to see the additional software potentially added to the software package and cancel their installation.

Dozensearch.com removal recommendations:

The internet is full of users, looking for the Dozensearch.com removal tool, but sadly, such tool does not exist. Luckily, there are tools specifically designed to take care of any virus on your computer. Such professional antivirus tools not only remove the threats already present on the computer but also give real-time protection while browsing online. Of course, you should always check if the software is updated to its latest version, otherwise, it may not detect the latest cyber threats. You can also try to remove Dozensearch.com manually. If you choose to do so, you can follow the instructions, provided by our experts below.

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. McNMark22

    Thanks for the removal instructions! I appreciate your effort in keeping us updated with the latest viruses :)

  2. LindaFeyer

    Wow, i didnt realize I was using an infectious browser until i saw this article!.. How silly of me. Im rushing to remove it right now!

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