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  • Active
  • Severity: Medium
  • Adware
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Jun 2017

How to remove Genius Box

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

Genius Box is an intrusive adware program that seeks to control your searches

Genius Box is a suspicious free program that aims to inject sponsored content above regular search results. It was developed by TGF Interactive, LLC. This spyware variant is set to modify search results delivered by regular search engines and integrate sponsored content into them. Ads by GeniusBox are going to appear above all search results. It is recommended that you stay away from these results because clicking them can trigger redirects to highly untrustworthy or even malicious websites[1].

Adware drops its own extension on all web browsers, including Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome to settle the changes and prevent the user from modifying them. Despite promises to enhance user's search experience, this ad-supported program can only pose a threat to the system and user's privacy. Due to these issues, we suggest you remove Genius Box for good. FortectIntego software can complete this task safely.

You should be aware that the only goal of this obscure search tool is to serve promotional content, make users click on it, cause URL redirections to predetermined sites and increase their popularity. Each of the redirects generates pay-per-click revenue for the suspicious developer of this junkware but poses a threat to the user at the same time. External websites that can be accessed via this search engine are likely to be dangerous or simply untrustworthy, so our team recommends performing a complete Genius Box removal ASAP.

Another issue is that this adware program collects some information about the user or his/hers browsing activities. While this virtual pest doesn't collect personal user information purposely, it can collect it after the user contacts the company. The adware also collects URLs visited by the user, search queries and such pieces of data can contain personally identifiable information. The potentially unwanted program also collects such anonymous information during victim's browsing sessions:

  • Type of the browser used by the user;
  • Operating system type;
  • IP address;
  • Geographic location;
  • ISP;
  • Browsing history;
  • Search queries.

Collected data is shared with third-party advertising networks that use it to select and deliver targeted ads to the user. On top of that, these ad networks are allowed to use tracking cookies[2] as well. We highly suggest you reconsider if it is worth using this ad-supported program because you can never know if it stores your information securely and how it is being manipulated. If you want to prevent it from collecting and storing such data, remove Genius Box immediately.

Genius Box virus

In addition, this browser add-on may start acting like a traditional adware that serves ads in a form of pop-ups or banners. Soon enough you may start noticing annoying ads that may link you to unknown websites. You won't miss its continuous pop-up ads that are labeled “About this Genius Box ad”, “GeniusBox ads” and “brought to you by TGF Interactive.” These are the ones that pay for promoting them because they want to increase their page rank or sales. Beware that you can't be sure that such ads won't redirect you to an infected website that promotes malware. If you haven't installed this program consciously and now you see continuous pop-up ads, please check your computer with the reputable anti-spyware.

GeniusBox is promoted using deceptive means

This potentially unwanted application has been promoted via its official website as a useful tool for personalized search sessions. However, it has been distributed even more actively as an optional component of the freeware[3] and shareware. Despite that, you should understand that adware is not a critical virus and therefore it can't be installed on your computer without user's interaction. What programs could lead you to the installation of this browser extension? Beware that you can easily install it in a bundle with some converter, download manager, video player and similar freeware.

If you still want to install a free program on your computer, you have to monitor each of its installation steps because it may be filled with optional components. We highly recommend you to select Custom or Advanced installation of the freeware and then uncheck pre-checked check boxes that report about this or other browser add-ons, extensions and plugins. This is supposed to help you to avoid continuous pop-up ads that are labeled as “About this Genius Box ad” and “TGF Interactive”, and similar issues that are typically caused by potentially unwanted programs.

The right way to remove Genius Box

It is not hard to remove Genius Box virus from the system. If this browser parasite showed up on your computer right after installing other application, 2spyware security experts recommend removing it from the system along with the software that brought this spyware variant into the system. For that, you can either scan your computer with the reputable anti-spyware (all tools that were used for testing this app are given below) or follow Genius Box removal instructions given 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?

7 comments

  1. Zoe

    Thats a malware program, god damn it. It is hard to remove! I will try anti-malware program, hope it wipes this parasite from my machine fast.

  2. BrittanyGQ

    I agree. Totally meaningless application!!! I wish I havent installed it... But I did it, by my choice! I was so naive. This program caused some really annoying issues for me - I COULD NOT BROWSE NORMALLY! The ads and pop-ups annoyed me to death!

  3. InspoHolic

    Hey guys did you manage to remove it at the end? I am a bit confused. I think I do not get these instructions...

  4. 2-spyware.com

    Hi InspoHolic,

    What kind of problems are you suffering from?

    2-spyware.com Team

  5. Vaffanculo

    I think they just pushed an update and now are inserting ads into google search results!! As far as I know, they dont give you any option to turn this off either. not cool. Very not cool

  6. jOrreff

    Its really a virus. I cant believe I had it on my PC. Always putting random ads on any website. ANNOYING AS HELL

  7. Fiodol

    Be sure to remove it as soon as possible. I think it also does spy on the user because it did change its ads according to what I was searching for. Possibly spyware. AVOID AT ALL COSTS

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