Gosearches.online virus. How to remove? (Uninstall guide)
Why Gosearches.online virus is not a trusted search site?
Every day virus analysts notice new browser hijackers which target computers of regular users, turning their browsing into a complete mess. Gosearches.online virus is a perfect specimen of such infections. This hijacker takes over computer browsers by assigning http://gosearches.online/search/ as their predetermined search engine and homepage, modifying search results and secretly controlling your browsing. The virus may also change the list of your bookmarks, by deleting or adding new entries and even install additional browser extensions, add-ons, toolbars and similar software without asking permission. These complementary programs give the virus more control over your traffic and help monitor your browsing. The virus keeps a record of almost everything you do online. This includes the information you look for, the sites you visit or the pages you view. The hijacker may also determine your geolocation from the computer’s IP address. The program creators may argue that it is not sensitive information, and it is only used to enhance your browsing experience, but how do you know if this data tracking will not affect some of your sensitive details, too? That’s why it better not to risk it and get over with the Gosearches.online removal ASAP.
Questions about Gosearches.online virus
All the characteristics we have mentioned above are annoying and unacceptable, but we’ve saved the worst part of this hijack for last. The browser hijacker viruses often work like adware programs and even the security experts opinions sometimes split about a certain program belonging to one category or another. What is similar between the two is that they both use affiliate advertising to make money. They disregard all the security precautions and may advertise even the most unreliable sites or products. The hijacker’s ads may redirect to malicious domains if you interact with them or you might end up there randomly after the virus issues the redirect on its own accord. There is no denying, that this issue may lead to much more serious infections if not stopped in time. So, this leaves virtually no reason not to remove Gosearches.online from your computer. You can banish it from the system right away using Reimage.
Virus prevention possibilities:
Everyone wants a computer which is safe to use and the information stored on it is secure as well. Potentially unwanted programs like Gosearches.online highly diminish the stability of the computer, making your computer more vulnerable to security and privacy risks. That why we need to take measures to stop such programs from entering our computers. Professional antivirus tools can be helpful, though hackers are coming up with ever new methods to bypass them. That is why computer security experts recommend keeping a lookout for viruses yourself. You should be especially careful on obscure websites, and better avoid visiting them at all. Also, investigate the programs you download on your computer before clicking “Install”, because they might be bundled with Gosearches.online virus, just waiting to be granted access to your computer.
The Gosearches.online removal options:
No matter with what software did this virus came bundled with, removing it will not help to get rid of the issue. The only guaranteed way to actually remove Gosearches.online virus from the infected device is by locating its malicious components and deleting them from the system. We provide a tutorial on the best ways to approach the virus below. Nevertheless, we highly advise using automatic virus-fighting utilities instead. You will be able to sit back and relax while the software takes care of the virus for you. Just do not forget to assign your antivirus to look for new updates regularly. This will ensure the program is fully functional, and your system is safe.
You can remove virus damage automatically with a help of one of these programs: Reimage, Malwarebytes MalwarebytesCombo Cleaner, Plumbytes Anti-MalwareMalwarebytes Malwarebytes. We recommend these applications because they detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.
To remove Gosearches.online virus, follow these steps:
Uninstall Gosearches.online from Windows systems
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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.
- Uninstall Gosearches.online and related programs
Here, look for Gosearches.online or any other recently installed suspicious programs. -
Uninstall them and click OK to save these changes.
- Remove Gosearches.online from Windows shortcuts
Right click on the shortcut of Mozilla Firefox and select Properties. -
Go to Shortcut tab and look at the Target field. Delete malicious URL that is related to your virus.
Repeat steps that are given above with all browsers' shortcuts, including Internet Explorer and Google Chrome. Make sure you check all locations of these shortcuts, including Desktop, Start Menu and taskbar.
WindowsMac OS XInternet ExplorerMicrosoft EdgeFirefoxGoogle ChromeSafariRemove Gosearches.online 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 Gosearches.online or any other suspicious programs on it. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash.
Get rid of Gosearches.online 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 Gosearches.online 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 Gosearches.online removal.
Delete Gosearches.online 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, Gosearches.online should be removed from your Microsoft Edge browser.
WindowsMac OS XInternet ExplorerMicrosoft EdgeFirefoxGoogle ChromeSafariErase Gosearches.online from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
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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 Gosearches.online and other questionable plugins. Click Remove to delete these entries.
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Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Click on the menu (top right corner), choose Options → General. - Here, delete malicious URL and enter preferable website or click Restore to default.
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Click OK to save these changes.
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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 Gosearches.online removal.
Eliminate Gosearches.online 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 Gosearches.online and other malicious plugins and select trash icon to delete these entries.
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Change your homepage and default search engine if it was altered by your virus
Click on menu icon and choose Settings. -
Here, look for the Open a specific page or set of pages under On startup option and click on Set pages.
- Now you should see another window. Here, delete malicious search sites and enter the one that you want to use as your homepage.
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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 Gosearches.online removal.
Uninstall Gosearches.online from Safari
- 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 Gosearches.online or other suspicious entries. Click on the Uninstall button to get rid each of them.
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Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Open your Safari web browser and click on Safari in menu section. Here, select Preferences as it was displayed previously and select General. -
Here, look at the Homepage field. If it was altered by Gosearches.online, remove unwanted link and enter the one that you want to use for your searches. Remember to include the "http://" before typing in the address of the page.
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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 Gosearches.online removal process.