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Spyware News
  • Active
  • Severity: Medium
  • Browser Hijackers
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Aug 2021

How to remove FreeForms

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

FreeForms is a questionable browser plugin that causes issues with the speed and general performance of the PC

FreeForms virus

FreeForms is claimed to belong to the browser hijacker[1] family. This hijacker affects your browser’s settings by changing the start page, search provider, and new tab URL, to its own. It offers free access to popular forms sites and other websites such as weather broadcasting, the latest news, and other pages. This kind of feature may seem useful, but actually – it is not.

There the hijacker is advertised as a great tool that enhances the browsing experience:

Finding forms online could not be easier, don’t waste time looking for forms when you can install Free Forms and enjoy quick access to popular forms providers directly from your New Tab Page. Free Forms also offers convenient Web Search and easy access to trending news and the weather forecast

Free Forms is available to download on the official website hxxp://freeforms.co/. However, users rarely encounter this website themselves. They are usually redirected to it when visiting high-risk websites, clicking on questionable ads or after infiltration of other potentially unwanted programs (PUPs).

Summary
Name FreeForms
Type Browser hijacker, potentially unwanted program
Danger level Medium. Might hijack web browsers and redirect to potentially dangerous websites
Affected OS Windows, Mac OS X
Targeted browsers Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, etc.
Distribution The PUP spreads using deceptive methods that allow developers to inject their products on various machines during freeware installations
Symptoms Replaced homepage and search engine to unknown domains, installation of toolbars, redirects to questionable sites, and an increased amount of ads.
To uninstall Free Forms, install FortectIntego and run a full system scan

However, this browser extension might get installed to the computer without your knowledge too. Security researchers from NoVirus.uk[2] noticed it actively being spread via freeware and shareware. Hence, during the careless installation, this unwanted add-on might be installed to Chrome, Firefox, or another browser you use. Due to the silent infiltration, people often call the hijacker as FreeForms virus.

The term “virus” is not suitable to describe this cyber infection. It’s a potentially unwanted program that is very similar to My Forms Finder. After the infiltration, it does a negative effect on your web browsing history by causing these issues:

  • Replacing the main page, new tab URL, and search provider to Search.yahoo.com, Search.hfreeformsnow.com, or a similar domain.
  • Installing various browser extensions, toolbars, and add-ons without your permission;
  • Collecting various data about you e.g., sites you visited, log-in details you have entered, bookmarks, etc.
  • Delivering numerous irritative and suspicious ads;
  • Redirects to unknown websites when clicking links or other content on the web.

However, all of this activity is done in order for the developers to gain profit. The more advertisements are clicked while surfing the Internet, the bigger the revenue is. So, if you have this browser hijacker installed into your computer system, you can do the threat removal by using an anti-malware program like SpyHunterCombo Cleaner or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes.

You should not delay the hijacker’s elimination due to the unknown data tracking activities. Researchers tell that such cyber threats usually collect non-personally identifiable information and often share or sell it to third-party advertising networks.

However, the main download page of the program does not provide links Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.[3] These links are broken, so you cannot know how developers treat your information. To avoid privacy-related issues, you need to remove FreeForms from the device immediately.

FreeForms browser hijacker

Keeping your machine free of threats included paying close attention to processes

As we have mentioned in the beginning, this shady browser extension has an official website. However, direct downloads are not the main distribution techniques used by the PUP.

Browser hijackers get into your computer unnoticed, but remember, they cannot invade the system without any permission. People let the virus access their computer due to the lack of attention while browsing the web or doing downloading/installing steps.

Pages and programs which people consider useful usually are misleading and may harm the computer. That kind of software might hide a PUP ready to install. Thus, a website can provide a downloading link that directs you to a harmful program.

Steps due to avoid the browser hijacker infection:

  • Surf the Internet cautiously and pay attention while visiting numerous sites (especially less known ones);
  • Download/install your software only from trusted sites, avoid using third-party downloaders/installers;
  • Go to the “Custom/Advanced” section and decline all offers to install dubious software;
  • If you have visited a suspicious site, leave it immediately and do not return to it again;
  • Install and keep up-to-date an anti-malware tool that will inform you if something harmful is invading your computer system.

Free Forms termination guide should help get rid of annoying redirects

Delete all suspicious apps, browser extensions, and other components if you want to remove FreeForms. Below are some guiding steps which will let you get rid of the browser hijacker right away from your browsers (Chrome, Firefox, IE, Safari, Edge).

Besides, you can proceed with the FreeForms removal by installing and using an anti-malware program. After the elimination is done, we recommend resetting the affected browsers and check if the system is clear from all potentially unwanted programs.

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.

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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