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  • Active
  • Severity: High
  • Stealing programs
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Jul 2018

How to remove Epicsearches.com

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

Epicsearches.com is a browser hijacker which promotes Epic Chrome extension

Epicsearches.com redirectEpicsearches.com (or Epic Searches) — a browser hijacker that is promoted as a Custom Chrome Search extension. However, while it seems like a great way to search the web, it cannot be compared to Google, Bing, or Yahoo which are famous for their reliable search results and safe searches. EpicSearches.com is rather a PUP[1] than a useful website. As with any other browser hijacking app, it claims to be capable of improving people's online experience by providing the best search results. However, this program comes together with the related browser extension called Epic, alters your system settings and then starts redirecting to sponsored websites. At the moment, EpicSearches.com is compatible only with Google Chrome.

Name Epicsearches.com
related to Epic Chrome extension
Type Browser hijacker, PUP
Behavior Redirects to suspicious sites and displays intrusive ads
Distribution Software bundling
Affects IE, Chrome, Firefox
Termination Install and use FortectIntego for Epicsearches.com removal

Typically, this intrusive program comes to your system without your permission. After it finishes making changes to your browser, you can notice the unwanted activity. Be aware that you have a cyber infection called browser hijacker, so the main issue you may run into is continuous redirects to unknown websites. While Epicsearches.com virus does not have features of a malicious program, this fake search engine is working on generating income to its developers by redirecting people to predetermined sites.

While having this virus on board, you can additionally notice an increased amount of commercial content on your favorite websites. This is the typical browser hijacker activity that makes people eager to remove Epicsearches.com. According to the Privacy policy of this app, its developers admit having relations with third-party providers. However, this relationship means that your data might be collected and used by the advertisers or third parties as well. As the Privacy Policy of this program notifies, the company can even sell the collected data:

We may rent, sell, or share aggregated information and other non-personally identifiable information with third parties for multiple reasons, including to develop and deliver search results and advertising and to conduct general business analysis.

Beware that browser hijackers, including Epicsearches.com, can access various information, including PC's IP address, location, mostly used search phrases, clicked results, and other user's preferences. This is often collected to create personalized ads and trick users into clicking them. However, repetitive clicks on ads that belong to this PUP might attract malware, so make sure you stay away from them. 

To eliminate this danger, Epicsearches.com removal is needed. It will also prevent tracking of your searches and the appearance of similar hijackers in the future. To make sure that the virus is fully eliminated, you need to scan your system with anti-malware tools like FortectIntego if you want to get rid of all of them.

Epicsearches.com virus

Software providers bundling products with intrusive programs 

When downloading software from a known provider, you can be sure that you are not getting any unwanted program or tool in a bundle. It is also wise to use only premium software providers to avoid questionable apps on your device.

However, even if it is known for everybody, users are still using P2P networks[2], third-party providers and similar sources to download software. Unfortunately, this increases the risk of getting numerous infections on your system. 

According to computer researchers,[3] you should always follow precautionary measures to prevent PUPs. Always choose Custom or Advanced installation settings when downloading freeware and do not skip through steps. Custom options will let you de-select any unwanted part of the download and will keep only the needed programs. 

Terminate Epicsearches.com to get back to safe searching

To remove EpicSearches.com from Chrome, you need to employ anti-malware software to check your system for components related to your browser hijacker. The full system scan will ensure that you are eliminating all programs that are responsible for unwanted activities and computer-related issues. 

Even if you selected manual Epicsearches.com removal, note that it is not as difficult as it seems from the first sight. However, you should always be careful while browsing the web to avoid such threats in the future.

To prevent Epic Searches and similar hijackers in the future, develop a clear routine while downloading apps from the Internet to avoid unwanted software on your computer. Mostly, you have to opt for Custom/Advanced installation mode to see what is hiding inside the software you are about to download.

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

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