Remove Gemius virus (Removal Guide) - updated Jul 2019
Gemius is harmless but can be used to collect your browsing-related data
Gemius is the PUP capable of causing ads that appear as a full-page notifications
Gemius is NOT a virus. It is free software which can be used to collect specific information which is additionally involved in marketing campaigns. However, the collection of this information is initiated only with users' awareness. Because of users' tracking, some of the security software vendors have decided to include the app to adware[1] and similar categories. Most of AV engines recognize this app as Win32/Trackware or Win32/Trackware.Gemius[2] and, therefore, is often described as Gemius virus. Nevertheless, it exhibits very low danger level and can hardly cause damage to you or your PC system.
Name | Gemius |
Type | PUP, adware |
Danger level | Low |
Detected as | Googlecm.hit.gemius.pl, Win32/Trackware, Win32/Trackware.Gemius |
Symptoms | Excessive amount of ads on web browser, questionnaires, redirects to unexpected websites |
AV detection name | Win32/Trackware or Win32/Trackware.Gemius |
The company, responsible for the development and distribution of Gemius app, claims to help its business clients by:
providing data, solutions and recommendations in the area of online advertising campaigns' management as well as websites' monitoring and analysis as far as users' profiles are concerned.
However, if the unsuspecting user downloads their ad-supported application, web browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Edge start manifesting unusual and quite annoying behavior. Mostly, users who were convinced into installing Gemius software report about the appearance of survey ads, questionnaires and commercial offers. The content behind these ads is typically monitored by the provider.
Apart from being rather irritating, Gemius can also drop cookies on your web browser. These text files are used to collect information about users' online activities, habits, interests, and similar data. The main purpose of the app is to track non-personally identifiable[3] information about its users and send it to third-parties or affiliates for further investigations.
All these details are revealed in the program's privacy policy,[4] so make sure you read it carefully before installing it on the system. It claims to be collecting Search Data, such as search terms, most visited websites, time spent and data entered when visiting them, clicks, technical details about browser's type, language, and settings, PC's IP address, location, email address and so on.
The adware program which is responsible for delivering Gemius ads spreads in the software bundles.
If you are not fond of being interrupted while browsing on the web, Gemius removal would be the right solution. The easiest way to get rid of it is to run a full system scan with Reimage Reimage Cleaner or another anti-malware program. You can also uninstall the related browser extension from the system manually.
Ad-supported PUPs are mainly distributed via freeware
Sometimes people report about Gemius cookies installed on their computer behind their back. In this case, we should inform you that there are hundreds of browser add-ons and similar components which have been distributed using “bundling.”
This so-called marketing technique is totally legitimate. That's why it has become very popular while trying to spread either potentially unwanted programs or legitimate and useful add-ons. This infiltration method allows attaching adware as an optional component to other freeware, such as download managers, PDF creators, media players and so on.
Therefore, if you want to avoid downloading extra attachments to the system, you have to check every freeware before installing it. First of all, you should read EULA, Privacy Policy, and other information that is given by the developer of your selected freeware. Besides, you should always select Advanced or Custom installation option and carefully monitor the entire installation process.
Finally, you will have to uncheck all checkboxes which claim that you agree to install “optional downloads,” such as this PUP. If you will not do that, it's very likely that you will install a whole bundle of programs instead of one.
To get rid of Gemius, reset your browsers
Adware programs might be removed either manually or automatically. Manual Gemius removal is a little bit harder than automatic because it requires investigating computer’s system, looking for questionable entries, analyzing them and, finally, uninstalling cookies and similar components from it Besides, you may fail to detect which program was responsible for bringing problems inside your computer.
However, if this task seems complicated and you wish someone would do it for you; we have a solution as well. You can also remove Gemius with a help of security programs. All you have to do is to install the necessary software, update it and run a full system scan.
You may remove virus damage with a help of Reimage Reimage Cleaner . SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner and Malwarebytes are recommended to detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.

To remove Gemius virus, follow these steps:
Uninstall Gemius from Windows systems
Make sure you follow these instructions carefully. It's important to find and delete all related components that might be responsible for providing unwanted ads on your computer.
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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.
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Uninstall Gemius and related programs
Here, look for Gemius or any other recently installed suspicious programs. -
Uninstall them and click OK to save these changes.
Erase Gemius 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 Gemius or any other suspicious programs on it. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash.
Get rid of Gemius 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 Gemius 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 Gemius removal.
Remove Gemius virus from Microsoft Edge
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.
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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, Gemius should be removed from your Microsoft Edge browser.
Delete Gemius from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Check the list of add-ons on Firefox and uninstall the ones that look suspicious.
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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 Gemius and other questionable plugins. Click Remove to delete these entries.
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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 Gemius removal.
Eliminate Gemius 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 Gemius and other malicious plugins and select trash icon to delete these entries.
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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 Gemius removal.
Uninstall Gemius from Safari
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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 Gemius or other suspicious entries. Click on the Uninstall button to get rid each of them.
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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 Gemius removal process.
About the author
References
- ^ What is Adware?. Kaspersky Lab. Developer of anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-spam and personal firewall products.
- ^ Gemius detection. VirusTotal. Inspects items with over 70 antivirus scanners.
- ^ Non-Personally Identifiable Information. MMA. The official website of Mobile Marketing Association.
- ^ Gemius. Privacy policy. The official Gemius website.
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