History Button virus (Virus Removal Instructions) - Free Guide
History Button virus Removal Guide
What is History Button virus?
History Button extension compromises computer systems to spy on computer users and deliver ads
History Button is a questionable browser extension[1] that is classified as a browser hijacker. This potentially unwanted program (PUP) spreads via freeware and shareware bundles that trick victims into installing unknown applications unwillingly. Once installed, the deceptive extension starts tracking user’s activity online, changes browser’s settings and starts displaying advertisements. The activity of this PUP can be parted into these sections:
- Displays annoying ads, often in a form of pop-ups or banners, sometimes – in a form of in-text links;
- Slows the computer and causes programs to crash or lag;
- Changes browser's settings, typically the homepage, search engine and new tab page address;
- Collects anonymous (and possibly personal) data about the user.
The potentially unwanted program is a traditional spyware-type[2] computer infection that works as a tool to generate pay-per-click revenue for its developers. It seeks to push sponsored content to the victim in various ways – either via pop-up or banner ads or search results. Therefore, it would be right to say that it works like a combination of a browser hijacker and an adware-type program.
Unfortunately, such programs almost never check the content of third-party websites they promote on a daily basis. They advertise various websites despite their questionable aims, such as installing spyware/malware on victim’s computers or scamming them. For this reason, we do not recommend trusting this spyware at all. There are plenty of better alternatives in the world.
Reading browsing history and collecting one’s search queries are also among History Button’s activities. Unfortunately, we cannot provide precise information on this extension’s data collection policies because the official website of this hijacker simply does not provide any details on this matter.
According to NoVirus.uk[3], the lack of Privacy Policy and Terms of Use documents instantly signalizes that the program is untrustworthy. Besides, would you like to be using a shady application that you know nothing about?
History Button is a dangerous Chrome extension that can display annoying advertisements or change your browser's settings without your knowledge.
Our advice is to remove History Button virus as soon as it is practically possible. Keeping such extension in Google Chrome or other web browsers can eventually lead to various problems such as system slowdowns, browser crashes, and similar issues. Therefore, we highly recommend choosing FortectIntego to uninstall it. If you’re willing to try and remove the hijacker manually, we advise looking at History Button removal tutorial provided down below.
Distribution of shady browser add-ons explained
In short, potentially unwanted programs like browser hijackers spread via software bundling. It is a technique that allows adding a couple of programs to another one. Usually, the program that suggests installing extra software is popular and free, therefore chances for it to convince computer users to install the extras are high.
You must reject all suggested additions because the majority of them are not safe programs. Almost all programs promoted via software bundles make it to the potentially unwanted programs’ list, so it is advisable to block them before they sneak into your computer.
To keep your computer clean, we suggest using Custom/Advanced settings for software installation. You should deselect all “recommended/suggested” programs you can find there. These are the bundled additions that are not part of your desired software.
Remove History Button and browse the Internet safely
There is no doubt that you must remove History Button virus to surf the world wide web safely. This browser extension provides no beneficial features; besides, it acts like an adware/browser hijackers, and you should keep your PC free of such programs to use it without any interruptions.
We highly recommend choosing History Button removal guidances we provided and uninstall this computer threat manually. It is not a real computer virus, and it cannot be compared to ransomware and similar threats. However, if you struggle with its removal, you can always use an anti-malware software like the ones listed below to complete the removal successfully.
You may remove virus damage with a help of FortectIntego. 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.
Getting rid of History Button virus. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
Manually check your computer for suspicious programs that you may have unknowingly installed.
Instructions for Windows 10/8 machines:
- Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
- From the list, find the entry of the suspicious program.
- Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.
- If User Account Control shows up, click Yes.
- Wait till uninstallation process is complete and click OK.
If you are Windows 7/XP user, proceed with the following instructions:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel located on the right pane (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.
- Pick the unwanted application by clicking on it once.
- At the top, click Uninstall/Change.
- In the confirmation prompt, pick Yes.
- Click OK once the removal process is finished.
Delete from macOS
Remove items from Applications folder:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for all related entries.
- Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)
To fully remove an unwanted app, you need to access Application Support, LaunchAgents, and LaunchDaemons folders and delete relevant files:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
- In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries and then delete them.
- Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files.
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 on Uninstall at the bottom.
Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Privacy & security.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Select everything (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 Disable if you found any suspicious domain.
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.
If this solution failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method. Note that you need to backup your data before proceeding.
- Find the following folder on your computer: C:\\Users\\%username%\\AppData\\Local\\Packages\\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe.
- Press Ctrl + A on your keyboard to select all folders.
- Right-click on them and pick Delete
- Now right-click on the Start button and pick Windows PowerShell (Admin).
- When the new window opens, copy and paste the following command, and then press Enter:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\\AppXManifest.xml” -Verbose
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.
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 unwanted plugin and click Remove.
Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Options.
- Under Home options, enter your preferred site that will open every time you newly open the Mozilla Firefox.
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, as well as Cached Web Content and press 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
Remove History Button extension from Chrome by following these easy steps.
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 the suspicious plugins that might be 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
Check the Extensions section in Safari to eliminate HistoryButton virus.
Remove unwanted extensions from Safari:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- In the new window, pick Extensions.
- Select the unwanted extension and select Uninstall.
Clear cookies and other website data from Safari:
- Click Safari > Clear History…
- From the drop-down menu under Clear, pick all history.
- Confirm with Clear History.
Reset Safari if the above-mentioned steps did not help you:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- Go to Advanced tab.
- Tick the Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop, and then select Empty Caches.
After uninstalling this potentially unwanted program (PUP) and fixing each of your web browsers, we recommend you to scan your PC system with a reputable anti-spyware. This will help you to get rid of History Button registry traces and will also identify related parasites or possible malware infections on your computer. For that you can use our top-rated malware remover: FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes.
How to prevent from getting stealing programs
Do not let government spy on you
The government has many issues in regards to tracking users' data and spying on citizens, so you should take this into consideration and learn more about shady information gathering practices. Avoid any unwanted government tracking or spying by going totally anonymous on the internet.
You can choose a different location when you go online and access any material you want without particular content restrictions. You can easily enjoy internet connection without any risks of being hacked by using Private Internet Access VPN.
Control the information that can be accessed by government any other unwanted party and surf online without being spied on. Even if you are not involved in illegal activities or trust your selection of services, platforms, be suspicious for your own security and take precautionary measures by using the VPN service.
Backup files for the later use, in case of the malware attack
Computer users can suffer from data losses due to cyber infections or their own faulty doings. Ransomware can encrypt and hold files hostage, while unforeseen power cuts might cause a loss of important documents. If you have proper up-to-date backups, you can easily recover after such an incident and get back to work. It is also equally important to update backups on a regular basis so that the newest information remains intact – you can set this process to be performed automatically.
When you have the previous version of every important document or project you can avoid frustration and breakdowns. It comes in handy when malware strikes out of nowhere. Use Data Recovery Pro for the data restoration process.