DuckDuckGo. How to remove? (Uninstall guide)
Investigating DuckDuckGo search
DuckDuckGo is NOT a virus! We want to put this forward not to give you the wrong impression about the software which receives an average traffic of 15.5 million per month.
Having in mind its popularity, it might be that you already came across Duck Duck Go at some point, especially if you have been looking for a new search tool that does not spy on your online activities.
As we all know, it is a very rare feature found in search engines [1] and there is a wide belief that this search engine can be used to avoid tracking [2]. However, you should keep in mind that software's marketing team employs active promotion strategies. So, it may happen that the search engine may show up on your browser not necessarily asking for your direct permission.
Such tendencies of software distribution are not new — they have been actively used by both, reliable and shady search providers. However, the only person who is to blame for letting this search provider to your PC is you. Why is that, you ask?
That's because you are the one who allows installation of bundled programs by skipping important installation steps of the freeware. If you want to know what steps do you need to perform to avoid Duck Duck Go search engine, check further paragraphs.
What is more, right after you enter the official website of the software, you can immediately notice how much stress does this web page put on your browsing habits. This might interfere with your browsing sessions as it tends to direct its users to other domains occasionally.
This phenomenon might become far from annoying as it tries to promote sponsored websites and help them increase their visitors' traffic. If you don't want to deal with these redirects, we recommend you to remove DuckDuckGo. For time-saving purposes, install Reimage to help you.
The latest versions of this search tool are compatible with Android and iOS. If you are dealing with any of these versions on your smartphone or tablet you should uninstall them without hesitation. Apart from the previously-mentioned redirect tendency, the hijacker may add related plug-ins to your browser[3]. If you are not OK with that, DuckDuckGo removal should be your current priority.
Click 'Start -> Control Panel -> Programs and Features' (if you are 'Windows XP' user, click on 'Add/Remove Programs').
If you are 'Windows 10 / Windows 8' user, then right-click in the lower left corner of the screen. Once 'Quick Access Menu' shows up, select 'Control Panel' and 'Uninstall a Program'.
Right click on each of suspicious entries and select 'Uninstall'
Right click on browsers' icon and select 'Properties'
Select 'Shortcut' tab and delete 'http://isearch.babylon.com...' or other suspicious URL
Cick 'Go' and select 'Applications'
Click on every malicious entry and select 'Move to Trash'
Click on menu icon and select 'Manage add-ons'
Right click on each of malicious entries and select 'Disable'
Delete malicious URL, enter your desired domain name and click 'Apply' to save changes
Go to 'Advanced' tab and click on 'Reset' button. Now select 'Delete personal settings' and click on 'Reset' button again
Go to Settings and select 'Choose what to clear'
Select 'Clear' button
Open the start menu and select 'Task Manager'
Right-click 'Microsoft Edge' and select 'Go to details'
Select 'More details' if 'Go to details' option fails to show up
Find Microsoft Edge entries and select 'End Task'
Go to Microsoft Edge folder on your computer, right-click every entry and click 'Delete'
Find Windows PowerShell, right-click it and select 'Run as administrator'
Copy and paste a required command and press 'Enter'
Click on menu icon and select 'Add-ons'
Select 'Extensions' and look for malicious entries. Click 'Remove' to get rid of each of them
When in 'General' tab, delete malicious URL from 'Home Page' section or click on 'Restore to Default' button. Click 'OK' to save changes
Click on menu icon and then on '?'. Select 'Troubleshooting Information'
Click on 'Reset Firefox' button for a couple of times
Click on menu icon. Select 'Tools' and 'Extensions'
Look for malicious entries and delete each of them by clicking on the Trash bin icon
After clicking on menu and 'Settings', select 'Set pages'
Click 'X' to remove malicious URLs
When in 'Settings', select 'Manage search engines...'
Click 'X' to remove malicious URLs
When in 'Settings', scroll down to 'Reset browser settings' button and click on it
Click on 'Reset' button to complete your removal
Click on 'Safari' and select 'Preferences'
Go to 'Extensions' and uninstall malicious add-ons
When in 'General', delete malicious URL and enter your desired domain name
Click on 'Safari' and select 'Reset Safari...'
Select all options and click on 'Reset' button
Right after you open the Privacy Policy or End User's License Agreement of this search tool, you can see that the privacy is the main concern of its developers. They claim that they do not compile any personal information of their users and do not share it with third parties. Nevertheless, if you read further, you might see the following provisions which contradict each other:
“When you search at DuckDuckGo, we don't know who you are and there is no way to tie your searches together.
We also save searches, but again, not in a personally identifiable way (…) Similarly, we may add an affiliate code to some eCommerce sites (e.g. Amazon & eBay) that results in small commissions being paid back to DuckDuckGo when you make purchases at those sites.”
In short, every website collects more or less technical information about the users. It does so not only for marketing purposes but for maintaining the security of their websites. While using this search engine, you might encounter DuckDuckGo redirect from time to time. It means that the web page might guide you to the domains of its partners.
Likewise, these third-parties might employ various tracking technologies[4] to collect the information which defines your personal browsing preferences. After acquiring such data, the online advertising companies might cram your browser with frustrating personalized commercial offers.
Reasons for obtaining unwanted search services
Usually, possibly unwanted programs infiltrate computers by disguising under the freeware[5]. Users also contribute to such distribution peculiarities as they quickly rush trough the installation wizard without even realizing that “bonus” programs come along legitimate applications as well.
In order to escape DuckDuckGo hijack in the future, change the usual sequence of installation order:
- Run the software installation wizard and select “Advanced” mode.
- Then, you should notice several check boxes that ask you do agree to download additional add-ons. Unmark them all.
If you accidentally enabled them and they got installed eventually, rest assured as the PUP can be easily removed.
Easy way to remove DuckDuckGo
If you want to initiate DuckDuckGo removal on your computer, check the manual removal steps that are given below. You need to uninstall this search engine and also reset your browsers to get rid of it.
Once you finish this procedure, you should also think about a full system scan with anti-spyware software to make sure that your computer is totally safe and free of serious computer pests. For that, you need to one of security programs that are given below, update it to its latest version and run a full system scan.
Usually, it takes only a couple of minutes to remove DuckDuckGo virus properly from the device. Lastly, do not forget that personal cautiousness significantly reduces the chances of encountering a cyber threat.
FAQ:
Question. DuckDuckGo website has replaced my homepage. Although it really looks cool, it makes my computer lag and displays some annoying ads. I decided that I do not need this search engine nor do I want to use it… Can you tell me what should I do?
Answer. If DuckDuckGo has appeared as your default homepage and also as a primary search engine, you might have been inattentive while installing another app on your computer. However, it is NOT a virus, so you can use it for your searches. If previously-used search engine looks better for you, we recommend you to remove DuckDuckGo search from your PC. You can find the removal guidelines below.
You can remove DuckDuckGo automatically with a help of one of these programs: Reimage, Plumbytes Anti-MalwareWebroot SecureAnywhere AntiVirus, Malwarebytes Anti Malware. We recommend these applications because they can easily delete potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.
Manual DuckDuckGo Removal Guide:
Remove DuckDuckGo from Windows systems
To remove DuckDuckGo manually, you need to perform the steps that are given below. Make sure you uninstall everything related to this company.
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Click Start → Control Panel → Programs and Features (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
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If you are Windows 10 / Windows 8 user, then right-click in the lower left corner of the screen. Once Quick Access Menu shows up, select Control Panel and Uninstall a Program.
- Uninstall DuckDuckGo and related programs
Here, look for DuckDuckGo or any other recently installed suspicious programs. -
Uninstall them and click OK to save these changes.
- Remove DuckDuckGo from Windows shortcuts
Right click on the shortcut of Mozilla Firefox and select Properties. -
Go to Shortcut tab and look at the Target field. Delete malicious URL that is related to your virus.
Repeat steps that are given above with all browsers' shortcuts, including Internet Explorer and Google Chrome. Make sure you check all locations of these shortcuts, including Desktop, Start Menu and taskbar.
WindowsMac OS XInternet ExplorerMicrosoft EdgeFirefoxGoogle ChromeSafariRemove DuckDuckGo from Mac OS X system
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If you are using OS X, click Go button at the top left of the screen and select Applications.
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Wait until you see Applications folder and look for DuckDuckGo or any other suspicious programs on it. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash.
Remove DuckDuckGo from Internet Explorer (IE)
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Remove dangerous add-ons
Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top right corner of the browser and choose Manage Add-ons. -
You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for DuckDuckGo and other suspicious plugins. Disable these entries by clicking Disable:
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Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Click on the gear icon (menu) on the top right corner of the browser and select Internet Options. Stay in General tab. -
Here, remove malicious URL and enter preferable domain name. Click Apply to save changes.
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Reset Internet Explorer
Click on the gear icon (menu) again and select Internet options. Go to Advanced tab. - Here, select Reset.
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When in the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset again to complete DuckDuckGo removal.
Remove DuckDuckGo from Microsoft Edge
To fix Microsoft Edge, you need to remove add-ons related to DuckDuckGo. You can also opt for resetting this browser.
Reset Microsoft Edge settings (Method 1):
- Launch Microsoft Edge app and click More (three dots at the top right corner of the screen).
- Click Settings to open more options.
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Once Settings window shows up, click Choose what to clear button under Clear browsing data option.
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Here, select all what you want to remove and click Clear.
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Now you should right-click on the Start button (Windows logo). Here, select Task Manager.
- When in Processes tab, search for Microsoft Edge.
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Right-click on it and choose Go to details option. If can’t see Go to details option, click More details and repeat previous steps.
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When Details tab shows up, find every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right click on each of them and select End Task to end these entries.
Resetting Microsoft Edge browser (Method 2):
If Method 1 failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method.
- Note: you need to backup your data before using this method.
- Find this folder on your computer:
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe. -
Select every entry which is saved on it and right click with your mouse. Then Delete option.
- Click the Start button (Windows logo) and type in window power in Search my stuff line.
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Right-click the Windows PowerShell entry and choose Run as administrator.
- Once Administrator: Windows PowerShell window shows up, paste this command line after PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> and press Enter:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml -Verbose}
Once these steps are finished, DuckDuckGo should be removed from your Microsoft Edge browser.
WindowsMac OS XInternet ExplorerMicrosoft EdgeFirefoxGoogle ChromeSafariRemove DuckDuckGo from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
To stop using DuckDuckGo search, you can either get rid of related add-ons from Mozilla or reset the browser.
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Remove dangerous extensions
Open Mozilla Firefox, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Add-ons → Extensions. -
Here, select DuckDuckGo and other questionable plugins. Click Remove to delete these entries.
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Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Click on the menu (top right corner), choose Options → General. - Here, delete malicious URL and enter preferable website or click Restore to default.
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Click OK to save these changes.
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Reset Mozilla Firefox
Click on the Firefox menu on the top left and click on the question mark. Here, choose Troubleshooting Information. -
Now you will see Reset Firefox to its default state message with Reset Firefox button. Click this button for several times and complete DuckDuckGo removal.
Remove DuckDuckGo from Google Chrome
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Delete malicious plugins
Open Google Chrome, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Tools → Extensions. -
Here, select DuckDuckGo and other malicious plugins and select trash icon to delete these entries.
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Change your homepage and default search engine if it was altered by your virus
Click on menu icon and choose Settings. -
Here, look for the Open a specific page or set of pages under On startup option and click on Set pages.
- Now you should see another window. Here, delete malicious search sites and enter the one that you want to use as your homepage.
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Click on menu icon again and choose Settings → Manage Search engines under the Search section.
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When in Search Engines..., remove malicious search sites. You should leave only Google or your preferred domain name.
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Reset Google Chrome
Click on menu icon on the top right of your Google Chrome and select Settings. -
Scroll down to the end of the page and click on Reset browser settings.
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Click Reset to confirm this action and complete DuckDuckGo removal.
Remove DuckDuckGo from Safari
- Remove dangerous extensions
Open Safari web browser and click on Safari in menu at the top left of the screen. Once you do this, select Preferences. -
Here, select Extensions and look for DuckDuckGo or other suspicious entries. Click on the Uninstall button to get rid each of them.
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Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Open your Safari web browser and click on Safari in menu section. Here, select Preferences as it was displayed previously and select General. -
Here, look at the Homepage field. If it was altered by DuckDuckGo, remove unwanted link and enter the one that you want to use for your searches. Remember to include the "http://" before typing in the address of the page.
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Reset Safari
Open Safari browser and click on Safari in menu section at the top left of the screen. Here, select Reset Safari.... -
Now you will see a detailed dialog window filled with reset options. All of those options are usually checked, but you can specify which of them you want to reset. Click the Reset button to complete DuckDuckGo removal process.
About the author
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References
- ^ Molly Wood. Sweeping Away a Search History. The New York Times.
- ^ David Barrett. Online privacy: the issues that are worrying you. The Telegraph. A national British daily broadsheet newspaper and website.
- ^ Marie Cartwright. How to Know if Someone Hijacked Your Browser. Chron. Huston News, Sports, Business, and Entertainment.
- ^ Michelle Markelz. Digital Tracking Technologies: A Primer. AMA. The official website of American Marketing Association.
- ^ Bill Pytlovany. The Dangers of Downloading Free Software. PC Pitstop TechTalk. PC Tech, Tips and Tricks.
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