HomeTab is a potentially unwanted application that might show up uninvited

HomeTab is a sneaky application that seeks to monetize your clicks on ads and sponsored links. As soon as it makes its way inside the system, it may easily hijack each of your web browsers, and that may change your start page and default search engine to search.hometab.com or search.newhometab.com domains.
Suppose you have already noticed that you should check your computer for a browser hijacker. If the browser changes to Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, MS Edge, or another web browser appeared unexpectedly, you have likely downloaded the so-called HomeTab virus from a third-party site that distributes freeware in a bundle.
| Name | HomeTab |
|---|---|
| Type | Browser hijacker, potentially unwanted program |
| Developer | Kingtale Technology Inc |
| Distribution | Software bundles, fake updates, insecure sites |
| Bundled with | VLC Player, Zapp!, 1Zip, PDF Creator, and others |
| Risks | Personal information exposure to unknown parties, installation of other PUPs or malware, financial losses |
| Removal | To delete potentially unwanted programs, you can follow the manual guide below or employ security software to perform the elimination quicker |
| Optional steps | Computer infections can cause significant damage to system files or disrupt normal settings. To revert these changes and remediate the OS, perform a full system scan with FortectIntego repair software |
As soon as it is installed, this program may also initiate other unwanted activities on your computer. Usually, it starts displaying continuous pop-up notifications that look very tricky, and we have managed to find hundreds of people who claim that they can hardly ignore them and not click them.
Please, do not do that because HomeTab ads are mostly used for promoting related websites that seek to increase their page rank or sales. Besides, when this program is inside the system, it may slow down each of your web browsers, so you may find out that you can hardly browse the web as fast as you did that before.
It is also a known fact that potentially unwanted programs such as browser hijackers are known to collect a variety of information about users, including:
- Search queries
- Bookmarks added
- Links clicked
- Approximate location
- IP address and ISP, etc.
To sum up, while we can't say that HomeTab is malicious or that it's a virus, this program should be avoided. Yes, it can't pose harm to your computer, but it can definitely cause unwanted activities on it.
This potentially unwanted program might insert suspicious banners and popups labeled as follows:
'ads by HomeTab', 'HomeTab ads', 'brought to you by HomeTab'
If you noticed browser redirects or commercial pop-up ads, you should check your computer with a reputable anti-malware and remove HomeTab files at once – we recommend using SpyHunterCombo Cleaner for the purpose. Of course, if you want to avoid insecure websites, you should do that without any delay.
After you perform a full system scan, you should also take care of the computer's health. To aid you with that, we highly recommend you try FortectIntego.
PUPs travel within software bundles
This particular app can be downloaded from its official website and some other download sites. However, in most cases, it shows up on the computer after downloading PDF Creators, video players, and other freeware. Of course, users are always notified that they will download PUPs on their computers with this freeware.
However, this can't be noticed if you don't pay enough attention to the installation process of such programs… Please, try to be more careful when downloading freeware on your computer next time and opt only for Custom or Advanced installation of the freeware. Notifications might suggest you install:
- browser add-ons
- plugins
- extensions
- toolbars
- system optimizers
- converters
- download managers, etc.
As soon as you see pre-ticked boxes, immediately remove the tick next to these programs to avoid unintentionally installing them on your device.
If his program manages to appear on your computer, it may start interrupting you with continuous pop-up ads. Typically, it affects all web browsers installed on the system, so you will have to remove it from Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox separately if you want to get rid of this program for good.
Eliminate HomeTab virus to stop the intrusive ads
If you want to remove HomeTab from the system, you can either rely on a powerful anti-malware program or delete the app yourself. Both methods can be effective, so everything depends on your preferences. Regardless of which one you pick, the faster you uninstall this program from your machine, the better.
If you choose manual HomeTab removal, you should follow the detailed guide below. We provide details on how to uninstall apps from Windows and Mac operating systems and how to clean all the installed web browsers to avoid repeated installation of the PUP. Besides, clearing browsing data would stop third-parties from tracking you via cookies. A more efficient way to uninstall the app is by using security software – all you have to do is perform a full system scan.
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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