Misleading “Get the Chrome Cleanup Tool” ads might trick into installing malware
“Get the Chrome Cleanup Tool” ads are misleading notifications that might pop-up when browsing the web with Google Chrome browser. This alert is delivered by a suspicious adware[1] program and has nothing in common with Google. We want to point out, that Google has released a Chrome Cleanup Tool[2] which is absolutely legitimate software designed to fix Chrome. However, these ads do no promote it. The purpose of this notification is to trick people into installing malicious software. Unfortunately, it might be hard for inexperienced computer users suspect something shady when such pop-ups suddenly appear on the screen. So-called “Get the Chrome Cleanup Tool” virus delivers a notification that looks like an ordinary Chrome alert. However, if you ever encounter this message, you should not trust it:
“Chrome found an unwanted program installed on your computer. You may be able to remove it by running the Chrome Cleanup Tool.”
On the one hand, this message does not lie – your computer is infected with a PUP. However, clicking “Get the Chrome Cleanup Tool” button will not help to solve this problem. Actually, clicking this button will only cause you more problems. It is designed to install one of these malicious files on the system – chrome_cleanup_tool.1494429576154.msi or official15.0.0.msi. Thus, if these pop-ups disturb your browsing sessions, you should not ignore them. Scan the computer with a reputable anti-malware program, such as FortectIntego. It will help to remove “Get the Chrome Cleanup Tool” virus from the system.

Adware program usually arrives on the system unnoticed, so users might not find “Get the Chrome Cleanup Tool” ads suspicious and believe that they are installing legitimate software. However, apart from these alerts, users might also notice increased amount of online ads that popping up on various websites. Usually, they offer to download questionable software, install crucial updates or inform about detected viruses on the system. Such misleading ads are usually dangerous. They might redirect to the insecure websites or trick you into installing fake security programs. The only way to protect yourself from these threats is to perform “Get the Chrome Cleanup Tool” removal as soon as these shady pop-ups appear on the screen.

Adware distribution methods
One of the most popular methods to spread “Get the Chrome Cleanup Tool” adware is bundling. This technique allows attaching PUP in the software package and distributing it together with various free programs. If users decide to install a new program using “Quick” or “Recommended” settings, he or she might unintentionally agree to install third-party apps as well. These settings are not recommended to use because they do not inform about optional downloads but install them by default. As a result, you might have encountered “Get the Chrome Cleanup Tool” hijack and now have to deal with misleading notifications. In order to avoid such unpleasant situations in the future, you should opt for “Advanced” or “Custom” installation next time. One of the steps might include the list of pre-selected programs, browser extensions, and search engines. Thus, you need to deselect these entries.
Suggestions for “Get the Chrome Cleanup Tool” removal
Adware program can be eliminated in two ways – manual and automatic. We suggest opting for automatic “Get the Chrome Cleanup Tool” removal option because it is quicker and easier. All you need to do is to scan the device with updated anti-malware program. Your chosen software will find and delete adware-related entries within few minutes. Meanwhile, manual removal option requires investigating the system on your own. You will need to locate adware program, look up for its components which might be installed on the system and web browsers. However, if you decide to remove “Get the Chrome Cleanup Tool” adware manually, you should carefully follow our prepared instructions below.
Uninstall from Windows
Uninstall from Windows 10/8:
- Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.

Remove the unwanted program:
- In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
- If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.

Delete from macOS
Remove the unwanted application:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).

Delete leftover files and folders:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
- Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.

- Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.
Reset Internet Explorer
Remove dangerous add-ons:
- Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
- Pick Manage Add-ons.
- You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.

Change your homepage if it was altered:
- Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
- Select Internet Options.
- In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
- Click Apply and then select OK.

Delete temporary files:
- Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
- Under Browsing history, click Delete...
- Select relevant fields and press Delete.

Reset Internet Explorer:
- Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
- Select Reset.
- In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.

Remove from Microsoft Edge
Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:
- Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
- From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
- Click Remove.

Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- 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.

Restore new tab and homepage settings:
- Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
- Then find On startup section.
- Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.
Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:
- Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
- Select Details tab.
- 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.

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge
Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):
- Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
- Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.

Clear cache and site data:
- Click on Menu and go to Settings.
- Select Privacy, search and services.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Under Time range, pick All time.
- Select Clear now.

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- On the left side, pick Reset settings.
- Select Restore settings to their default values.
- Confirm with Reset.
- This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
- Select Add-ons.
- In here, select the unwanted extension and click Remove.

Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Settings.
- Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.
Clear cookies and site data:
- Click Menu and pick Settings.
- Go to Privacy & Security section.
- Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
- Click on Clear Data...
- Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.

Reset Mozilla Firefox
If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
- Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.

- Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
- Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.

Remove from Google Chrome
Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
- Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
- In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.

Clear cache and web data from Chrome:
- Click on Menu and pick Settings.
- Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
- Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
- Click Clear data.

Change your homepage:
- Click menu and choose Settings.
- Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
- 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:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
- Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
- Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Confirm with Reset settings.

Delete from Safari
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
- Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.

Clear history and website data:
- Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
- Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.

Reset Safari:
- Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
- Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.

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