InboxNow Toolbar: what it is and how to remove it
When speaking about browser extensions, users usually expect to install an useful addition to their browsers. However, in some cases, they can install hardly useful tools that can only slow down the system performance.
Facts checked October 7, 2026. Removal steps tested on Windows 11 (26H2) and checked against Microsoft's and the browser makers' current documentation. Sections marked as our earlier report are the original text: they describe the threat as it was then and have not been reviewed since. The 2026 status, the removal steps and the questions are current.
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InboxNow Toolbar: summary
| Detection names | No Microsoft detection name is known |
|---|---|
| Distribution | Not recorded in the old report |
| Damage | Not recorded in the old report |
| Name | InboxNow Toolbar |
| Type | System optimizer |
| Symptoms | An unknown program in Installed apps |
| Removal | Scan the PC with security software to find and remove the malware and anything installed with it. Fortect scans Windows for malware and repairs the system files and settings it damaged. Remove it nowTo use the full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Fortect. The scan is free. |
Show 4 more facts
| Evidence | One write-up by a security site; details still limited |
|---|---|
| Program | InboxNow Toolbar |
| First seen | 1 September 2015 |
| Facts checked | 7 October 2026 |
From our report of Sep 2015 · not reviewed since
What InboxNow Toolbar is
When speaking about browser extensions, users usually expect to install an useful addition to their browsers.
However, in some cases, they can install hardly useful tools that can only slow down the system performance. On this article, we are going to describe the InboxNow extension (compatible with Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Internet Explorer), and explain how it works.
Is InboxNow Toolbar safe? Why it is flagged
From our report of Sep 2015 · not reviewed since
Information about InboxNow application
To begin with, you should know that this program can be installed with your permission only.
Once it enters the computer system, it changes your default search engine into search.tb.ask.com and sets your homepage to home.tb.ask.com. While it seems like a nice homepage with links to various popular sites and social networks, you will shortly find out that it might be its only saving grace that is not worthy of the inconveniences it might cause.
To begin with, it will not be long until you notice that search results feature some sponsored ads and seem quite suspiciously related to what you are browsing on the Internet. It is not a coincidence.
When you browse the Internet with this plug-in on your browser, various sort of information like IP addresses, your search queries, and the pages you have visited are recorded. Worst of it is, developers might share your details with third parties. These statements in the Terms of Use doc prove it:
These statements disclose the information about third-party links that might be injected into Ask search results:
If you do not want to experience InboxNow redirects to third-party pages, you should think twice whether you want to keep this toolbar on your Internet browser or not. Computer security experts recommend using well-known and reliable search engines instead of unfamiliar ones. For example, you can use Google, Yahoo, or Bing search services.
From our report of Sep 2015 · not reviewed since
How did I install InboxNow? I cannot remember doing so.
This software can be installed from its official web page; however, InboxNow browser extension commonly slips into your computer in a bundle with some free software.
Do not be mistaken - bundling is a LEGITIMATE distribution technique; however, some users might think that they are deceived and tricked into installing unwanted software, but that is not true. You can install unexpected programs only if you tend to ignore the statements on any software's installation setup.
We want to share some tips how you can avoid installing 'recommended apps' when you install free programs. First of all, security experts urge to read software's Terms of Use document. This form discloses the existence of software attachments if there are any. Next, proceed to the setup stage where you have to select preferred installation settings.
Please remember that you should always opt for 'Advanced' or 'Custom' installation mode. These settings provide an additional setup window that provides a list of suggested apps. You need to deselect the agreements to install them. If you wish to remove InboxNowToolbar from your PC, you can find its removal guide on page 2.
These mentions fully fulfill each of the requirements of FTC.
From our report of Sep 2015 · not reviewed since
More from our earlier report on InboxNow Toolbar
- We may collect information from you that may identify you, such as your name, address, email address, and telephone number and anonymous Information, such as the number of your page views, link clicks, and login times.
- [...] We may share your information with our authorized service providers that perform certain services on our behalf [...] we may share information with the businesses with which we partner [...]
How to uninstall InboxNow Toolbar
How to remove InboxNow Toolbar
Uninstall it, then remove what keeps it starting with Windows.
Nothing it flagged needs fixing.
Step 1: Uninstall InboxNow Toolbar
Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps in Windows 11, or Settings > Apps > Apps & features in Windows 10. Sort the list by install date and find InboxNow Toolbar, then choose Uninstall from the three-dot menu next to it (in Windows 10, click the entry and then Uninstall).
Remove anything else installed on the same day that you do not recognise, because such programs usually arrive together in one installer. If the uninstaller opens a browser page with an offer or a survey, close it: the program is removed either way.
Full procedure with screenshots: Uninstall a program or app in Windows On uGetFix
Step 2: Remove it from startup
Whatever InboxNow Toolbar installed usually starts with Windows. Open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc, go to Startup apps in Windows 11 or the Startup tab in Windows 10, and disable what you do not know, starting with entries that have an empty Publisher column.
Open file location on the right-click menu shows the file, which helps you decide and tells you what to delete later. Disabling is safe: if something you need stops working, switch it back on.
Full procedure with screenshots: Stop apps from opening at startup On uGetFix
Step 3: Delete the folders left behind
What the uninstaller leaves behind is usually in the user folders. Open File Explorer, switch on View > Show > Hidden items (in Windows 10 View > Hidden items), and go through
%LocalAppData%,%AppData%, %ProgramData% and the two Program Files folders.Sort by Date modified and delete folders that appeared together with the problem and belong to no program you use. Folders with random names that hold
.exe,.dll, .js or .ps1 files are the strongest sign.Full procedure with screenshots: Remove what malware leaves behind in Windows
Step 4: Scan the PC, then run the offline scan
Open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options, run a Full scan and remove everything it finds. Then select Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan) and click Scan now: the PC restarts and scans before Windows loads, which finds files that hide while Windows runs.
Save your work first, because the offline scan takes about 15 minutes. Both scans are built into Windows 11 and Windows 10, and a second scanner from another vendor is a useful extra opinion.
Windows 11: Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options. Full procedure with screenshots: Run a Microsoft Defender Offline scan
Protect your privacy - employ a VPN
There are several ways how to make your online time more private - you can access an incognito tab.
However, there is no secret that even in this mode, you are tracked for advertising purposes. There is a way to add an extra layer of protection and create a completely anonymous web browsing practice with the help of VPN. This software reroutes traffic through different servers, thus leaving your IP address and geolocation in disguise.
Besides, it is based on a strict no-log policy, meaning that no data will be recorded, leaked, and available for both first and third parties. The combination of a secure web browser and VPN will let you browse the Internet without a feeling of being spied or targeted by criminals.
No backups? No problem. Use a data recovery tool
If you wonder how data loss can occur, you should not look any further for answers - human errors, malware attacks, hardware failures, power cuts, natural disasters, or even simple negligence.
In some cases, lost files are extremely important, and many straight out panic when such an unfortunate course of events happen. Due to this, you should always ensure that you prepare proper data backups on a regular basis.
If you were caught by surprise and did not have any backups to restore your files from, not everything is lost. is one of the leading file recovery solutions you can find on the market - it is likely to restore even lost emails or data located on an external device.
From our report of Sep 2015 · not reviewed since
How to remove InboxNow Toolbar?
InboxNow removal is very easy.
Just follow the steps below:
1. Click Start → Control Panel → Uninstall a Program. 2. When in the Add/Remove Programs/Uninstall a Program, look for InboxNow Toolbar and other programs that are unknown to you.
3. Click 'Uninstall' and then OK to save the changes.
Google Chrome: 1. Open Google Chrome, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select 'Tools' -> 'Extensions'. 2. Here, select unfamiliar plugins (InboxNow Toolbar, MyWay, MyWebSearch, etc.) and select trash icon to delete these entries.
3. In order to change your homepage, click on menu icon, choose 'Settings' -> 'On startup' section -> 'set pages'. 4. Here, eliminate myway.com by clicking on the "X" and enter your preferred website.
5. In order to change your default search engine, click on the menu icon -> 'Settings' -> 'Search' section. 6. Here, click 'Manage Search Engines...' and add your preferred domain name.
- Uninstall programs that are related to InboxNow Toolbar from your computer:
- Reset your web browser:
Questions about InboxNow Toolbar
Can I safely uninstall InboxNow Toolbar?
If you did not install InboxNow Toolbar yourself and it is not part of your hardware or a program you rely on, yes. Uninstalling an unwanted program does not harm Windows. Before you do, search the exact name and publisher to be sure it is not a driver tool, a printer utility or a game launcher with an odd name.
Then remove it from Settings, Apps, Installed apps. Ignore any offers or warnings in its uninstaller about losing protection or performance. Afterwards check Startup apps and your browsers for leftovers, and restart once to confirm that it does not reinstall itself.
InboxNow Toolbar came back after I uninstalled it. Why?
Something else is reinstalling it. Common causes are a second program from the same publisher, a scheduled task that downloads it again, or a browser extension that keeps prompting for it. Sort Installed apps by install date and uninstall each entry from the same day that you did not choose.
Then open Task Scheduler and look in the Task Scheduler Library for tasks with updater-style names that you do not recognise. Check Startup apps in Task Manager too. If InboxNow Toolbar still returns, start Windows in Safe Mode, uninstall it there and run a Microsoft Defender offline scan, which looks for loaders that ordinary scans can miss.
Can I use InboxNow Toolbar safely?
Yes, if you installed it on purpose and control its settings. Download it only from the publisher's own site, never through a bundle or a portal. After installing, disable automatic start, offers and telemetry, and check that it did not change your search engine or add extensions.
Watch for renewals if you bought a licence, and turn on PUA blocking in Windows Security so that anything it tries to add during updates is stopped. If InboxNow Toolbar keeps pushing payments or offers, it is not worth the trouble.
Why does my antivirus call InboxNow Toolbar a PUA or PUP?
These labels mean potentially unwanted application or program. They are used for software that is legal but uses deceptive distribution, aggressive ads, misleading claims or a hard removal. Microsoft's PUA categories include advertising software, bundlers, download managers, torrent clients, marketing software and miners.
A PUA detection is a warning, not proof of infection, and you decide whether to keep InboxNow Toolbar. Other vendors use their own labels for the same idea, such as PUP.Optional or not-a-virus. Read more in our guide to potentially unwanted programs.
Can Windows Security remove InboxNow Toolbar?
Often yes, if Potentially unwanted app blocking is on. Microsoft Defender detects many bundled and unwanted programs as PUA, but by default it only blocks them during download in some cases. For a program already installed, uninstall it yourself from Installed apps first, then run a full scan in Windows Security to catch leftovers.
If inboxNow Toolbar in the list of installed apps returns after that, run the Microsoft Defender offline scan, which works before Windows starts. Switching on the PUA setting afterwards helps keep similar programs out.
Can Windows block unwanted programs automatically?
Yes, with one setting. Windows Security has Potentially unwanted app blocking under App & browser control > Reputation-based protection settings. Block apps stops flagged programs from installing, and Block downloads works in Microsoft Edge.
On some PCs this was not switched on, which is how programs like InboxNow Toolbar got through. It does not catch everything, so read installer screens, choose Custom setup and decline offers. Removing free tools you no longer use also helps, because their updates are a common route for new bundles.
InboxNow Toolbar has no uninstall option. What now?
Some unwanted programs leave no entry in Installed apps on purpose. Find the program's files instead:
- open Task Manager while inboxNow Toolbar in the list of installed apps is visible
- right-click the process
- choose Open file location
End the process, then look in that folder for an uninstall file. If there is none, delete the folder after checking that it holds nothing you need.
Before deleting, remove the startup entry and any scheduled task that points to it, otherwise it may be recreated. A restart and a full scan in Windows Security finish the job and catch files stored elsewhere.
InboxNow Toolbar came back after I removed it. Why?
Something reinstalls it:
- another program from the same bundle
- a scheduled task that downloads it again
- a browser extension restored by sync
Look in Installed apps for anything from the same publisher or installed on the same date, and in Task Scheduler for tasks with the program's name or random names.
Remove extensions while signed in to the browser so sync deletes them on every device. Remove everything in one session and restart. If InboxNow Toolbar still returns, a full scan and a Microsoft Defender offline scan usually find the part that brings it back.
The uninstaller for InboxNow Toolbar keeps asking me to stay. Is that normal?
It is a common tactic, not a technical requirement. Uninstallers of unwanted programs often show discounts, warnings that the PC will be at risk, or a choice between "repair" and "remove" designed to confuse. Choose the option that removes the program completely and decline everything else.
If the uninstaller closes without removing anything, end its processes in Task Manager and try again, or use Safe Mode. Check Installed apps afterwards; if InboxNow Toolbar is still listed, the uninstall did not finish.
Will Fortect remove InboxNow Toolbar?
Fortect scans Windows for malware and unwanted programs and repairs the system files and settings they change, and its free scan shows what it finds on your PC before you decide anything.
For InboxNow Toolbar, follow the plan above as well: the browser steps take back permissions and settings that no scanner treats as a threat, and uninstalling the program that brought it removes the source.
Run Microsoft Defender's full scan and, if anything was found, its offline scan as a second opinion. If the symptoms are gone after the plan and both scans are clean, there is nothing more to do.
Sources
- FTC: How to recognize, remove and avoid malware (read October 7, 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Defender Offline (read October 7, 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: How Microsoft names malware (read October 7, 2026)