How to remove Gstatic

Gstatic is a service used by Google to hold static content and reduce bandwidth usage

Gstatic.com is not a virus but a domain utilized by Google to host various static content, such as images, CSS, or JavaScript. The activity of the domain is safe, and it should not be thought of as dangerous, as it increases the network speed for users, as well as overall bandwidth usage. Therefore, if you block the domain via one way or another, you might notice some images or other webpage components fail to load when visiting various websites.

The idea of it being potentially malicious is coming from many users' experiences when they briefly see subdomains like connectivitycheck.gstatic.com, or ssl.gstatic.com, showing up on Google Chrome, Safari, Mozilla Firefox, or any other browser.

This behavior is typical to adware^[1] – those infected might see several redirects to different domains and land on suspicious pages that deliver pop-ups, in-text links, pop-unders, flashing windows, deals, offers, and other sponsored ads. However, Gstatic has nothing to do with the ad-supported software. If your browser is redirecting you to intrusive ad sites, you might indeed have adware program installed, but it is not related to Gstatic.com. 

However, some users were concerned that some of its subdomains, such as csi.gstatic.com are not used for static content delivery but instead for internal logging of some sort, similarly to Google Analytics. In such cases, users might wait for up to 30 seconds to get to the content they intended to.

However, you should be aware that Google practices information gathering, and it is clearly stated in its Privacy Policy:

We collect information about the apps, browsers, and devices you use to access Google services, which helps us provide features like automatic product updates and dimming your screen if your battery runs low.

What is gstatic.com question best answered by the tracked data. It tracks:

• Unique identifiers;
• Browser type and settings;
• Device type and settings;
• Phone number;
• IP, ISP;
• Purchase activity;
• Watched videos;

Information tracking has become an enormous issue in the past years which prompted of sanctions like GDPR^[2] implementation – set of rules established by European Union giving consumers more control on who, how and when uses their information, which is a good thing.

Therefore, Gstatic might have something to do with information gathering, and it might be used for marketing purposes. Nevertheless, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service when using Google's services, so nothing can be done about that.

Many sites might claim that Gstatic is a virus, which is not the case at all. The information is not based on proper research, and developers of such sites seek traffic based on the fact that users are concerned about suspicious activity on their browsers and looking for Gstatic removal options.

Technically, you can not remove Gstatic from your browser, as it is a domain that is used by Google and the site developer to make the browsing more efficient. Nevertheless, if, along with the occasional appearance of Gstatic domain, you are constantly being redirected to potentially dangerous sites (like phishing, porn, tech support scam), there is a chance your machine is infected with adware.

If you are concerned, we highly recommend you scan your computer for unwanted programs and malware using anti-virus software, such as FortectIntego.

Avoid unwanted programs by being careful online

As we previously stated multiple times, Gstatic is not a potentially unwanted program or malware – it is a domain operated by Google. If you see any pop-ups from your anti-virus program, it means that it is a false positive and you should make an exception for the entry.

However, you are dealing with adware if it redirects you to suspicious domains, spawns advertisements on all sites that you visit, slows down the browser, changes the settings Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or another browser, etc. To avoid such unwanted applications, you need to watch out for bundled software that is downloaded from third-party sites.

Software bundling is a lucrative method to earn money, and adware, browser hijacker,^[3] scareware^[4] and other dodgy-app developers use this technique often. It is a multi-million business worldwide. Unfortunately, those who are less computer savvy and do not know much about this business tend to skip essential steps and inject their machines with unwanted software.

Yes, users themselves agree to install potentially unwanted programs. To be exact, they are tricked into doing it; however, technically they conform to the installation. Damon McCoy, a professor of computer science and engineering at NYU Tandon School of Engineering noted^[5] the following:

Buried in the text that nobody reads is information about the bundle of unwanted software programs in the package you're about to download.

Therefore, unwanted applications hide under terms and conditions, which, unfortunately, are rarely read. Thus, to avoid such trickery, you should be aware that Recommended or Default installation settings will rarely let you view the full list of programs about to be installed on the system.

Instead, you should opt for Advanced or Custom installation mode and remove all the pre-ticked tick marks next to add-ons, browser extensions, and other unwanted programs.

You cannot get rid of Gstatic, although you should terminate unwanted programs

Gstatic removal is something that is not possible – you will sometimes be redirected to one of its subdomains. However, if your device is infected with adware, you should get rid of the pest as soon as possible.

As we mentioned above, the adware can inject multiple components into the targeted machine, or hide under legitimate names that may be difficult to distinguish from legitimate ones. Thus, we highly advise users to scan their devices with anti-malware software.

If you indeed find that your device is infected with a PUP or malware, you should immediately delete all threats and also reset all the installed browsers, as we explain below. Remember, you can't remove Gstatic ads or redirects, but you should definitely take care of adware, as it can compromise online privacy and result in an unpleasant web browsing experience.