Likes Games virus: what it is and how to remove it

We believe that none of computer users enjoy getting annoying web advertisements, so we entirely understand you if you have come across this page. If you suspect that your computer is infected with Likes Games virus because Likes Games ads show up on your computer screen everyday, read the information provided below.

Facts checked October 6, 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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If redirects to search.mysearch.com keep coming back, a free scan can check extensions, programs and browser settings in one pass.

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Likes Games virus: screenshot
Likes Games virus as our 2016 report showed it.

Likes Games virus: summary

Detection namesNo Microsoft detection name is known
DistributionNot recorded in the old report
DamageNot recorded in the old report
NameLikes Games virus
TypeAdware extension
SymptomsRedirects to an unknown domain
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 6 more facts
EvidenceOne write-up by a security site; details still limited
Domainssearch.mysearch.com
Ads shown asRedirects through ad pages
BrowsersChrome, Edge and Firefox
First seen31 May 2016
Facts checked6 October 2026

Is Likes Games virus dangerous?

From our report of May 2016 · not reviewed since

How should you act if Likes Games virus is running on your computer?

We believe that none of computer users enjoy getting annoying web advertisements, so we entirely understand you if you have come across this page.

If you suspect that your computer is infected with Likes Games virus because Likes Games ads show up on your computer screen everyday, read the information provided below.

If you have noticed that "ads by Likes Games" or "powered by Likes Games" advertisements appear while you browse the Internet, you probably have also noticed that your browser's homepage and new tab page were changed, too.

Likes Games is classified as a potentially unwanted program (PUP), and an adware but 2-Spyware researchers claim that it also acts a bit like browser hijackers do. This PUP does not only serve intrusive advertisements, but also hijacks web browsers and changes default search engine, homepage, and new tab page settings in them.

According to our research, Likes Games adware is related to Likes Movies and Television Addict PUPs, because they all work similarly. Once installed, they change browser settings to promote MySearch search engine, so they change homepage and also new tab page address to Search.Mysearch.com and set MySearch as a default search engine.

This search engine is known for its suspicious functionality, so we do not recommend you to use it. It is a well-known fact that MySearch redirects users to third-party websites once they click on MySearch search results, so if you do not want to unexpectedly enter shady Internet sites, consider using a better search engine.

Redirects may also occur after clicking on Likes Games ads, so if they appear on your computer screen, we advise you to stay clear of them. Some of them might hide links leading to high-risk Internet sites, so if you do not want to see such untrustworthy ads, you should remove Likes Games PUP from your PC.

For that, follow Likes Games removal guidelines that we have just written for you - they are provided on page 2. If you are searching for an easier way to eliminate this program, you can employ an anti-malware tool like and delete it automatically.

Likes Games virus: screenshot
Likes Games virus in our 2016 report.

From our report of May 2016 · not reviewed since

When did this program hijack your computer and why you do not know anything about it?

Many potentially unwanted programs spread with a help of other free programs in so-called software bundles.

Software bundles are simply application packs, but the tricky part is that a software bundle looks like an individual program. What is more, almost every free program that you can freely download from the Internet includes optional downloads, so we warn you that you just must be careful when installing any type of a program from the Internet.

Almost every computer user thinks that the software installation procedure is an incredibly easy task to do. In fact, it is, but many computer users still do not know how to handle it properly. If you do not want to miss important statements such as "Yes, I agree to install and change my homepage to ," you have to observe each statement that the installation wizard provides.

Our advice is to read Privacy Policy carefully, and set proper installation settings. This is the most important step. You have to switch pre-selected options (Default, Standard, Basic, etc.) to either Custom or Advanced option. In the following setup window, you have to uncheck every checkbox next to "recommended downloads."

Check your browser and PC

  • Address: search.mysearch.com

How to remove Likes Games virus

How to remove the Likes Games virus extension

Do the browser steps in every browser and profile on the PC, then check Windows for the program that installed the extension.

  1. Step 1: Remove extensions you did not add

    Likes Games virus often works through an extension, so go through the extension list of each browser:

    • chrome://extensions
    • edge://extensions
    • Extensions and themes in Firefox

    Switch suspicious extensions off one at a time and reload the page where the problem shows, then remove the one that stops it, and any other you did not add.

    Remember the other browsers and profiles on the PC. If Remove is missing or greyed out, a policy forces the extension, which the policy step deals with. Windows 11 and Windows 10 show the same pages.

    Chrome menu with Extensions and Manage extensions highlighted
    Chrome on Windows 11: More > Extensions > Manage extensions.

    Full procedure with screenshots: Remove a browser extension

  2. Step 2: Uninstall programs you did not mean to install

    Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps in Windows 11, or Settings > Apps > Apps & features in Windows 10, and sort the list by install date. Look at what appeared around the day the problem started and uninstall every program you do not recognise or did not choose.

    Free converters, PDF and video tools, "system optimizers" and unknown browsers are the usual carriers of Likes Games virus. If a name is unclear, search for it before you remove it, so you do not uninstall a driver or a Windows component.

    Full procedure with screenshots: Uninstall a program or app in Windows On uGetFix

  3. Step 3: Reset the browser

    Finish the browser part with a reset, which puts the search engine, start page, new tab page and site permissions back to their defaults and switches extensions off. Chrome: Settings > Reset settings > Restore settings to their original defaults.

    Edge: Settings > Reset settings. Firefox: Help > More troubleshooting information > Refresh Firefox, which also removes its extensions. Your bookmarks and saved passwords are kept, and the menus are the same on Windows 11 and Windows 10.

    Chrome Settings page with the Reset settings section open
    Chrome on Windows 11: Settings > Reset settings.

    Full procedure with screenshots: Reset a browser and fix a hijacked search engine

  4. 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 Security Scan options with Microsoft Defender Antivirus offline scan selected
    Windows 11: Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options.

    Full procedure with screenshots: Run a Microsoft Defender Offline scan

Instructions for each browser and system

The detailed steps for every browser and system this guide covers. Open the one you use.

Uninstall from Windows

Uninstall from Windows 10/8:

  1. Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
  2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 10/8

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:

  1. Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
  2. In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 7/XP

Remove the unwanted program:

  1. In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
  2. If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.Uninstall the unwanted program from Windows
Remove from Google Chrome

Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

  1. Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
  2. In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.Remove extensions from Chrome

Clear cache and web data from Chrome:

  1. Click on Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
  3. Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
  4. Click Clear data.Clear cache and web data from Chrome

Change your homepage:

  1. Click menu and choose Settings.
  2. Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
  3. 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:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
  3. Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
  4. Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
  5. Confirm with Reset settings.Reset Chrome 2
Remove from Microsoft Edge

Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:

  1. Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
  2. From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
  3. Click Remove.Remove extensions from Edge

Clear cookies and other browser data:

  1. Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
  2. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  3. 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.Clear Edge browsing data

Restore new tab and homepage settings:

  1. Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
  2. Then find On startup section.
  3. Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.

Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:

  1. Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
  3. Select Details tab.
  4. 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.Reset MS Edge
Instructions for Chromium-based Edge

Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):

  1. Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
  2. Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.Remove extensions from Chromium Edge

Clear cache and site data:

  1. Click on Menu and go to Settings.
  2. Select Privacy, search and services.
  3. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  4. Under Time range, pick All time.
  5. Select Clear now.Clear browser data from Chroum Edge

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. On the left side, pick Reset settings.
  3. Select Restore settings to their default values.
  4. Confirm with Reset.
  5. This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.Reset Chromium Edge
Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

Remove dangerous extensions:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
  2. Select Add-ons.
  3. In here, select the unwanted extension and click Remove.Remove extensions from Firefox

Reset the homepage:

  1. Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
  2. Choose Settings.
  3. Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.

Clear cookies and site data:

  1. Click Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Go to Privacy & Security section.
  3. Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
  4. Click on Clear Data...
  5. Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.Clear cookies and site data from Firefox

Reset Mozilla Firefox

If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
  2. Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.Reset Firefox 1
  3. Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
  4. Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.Reset Firefox 2
Delete from Safari

Remove dangerous extensions:

  1. Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
  2. Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.Remove extensions from Safari

Clear history and website data:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
  2. Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.Clear history from Safari

Reset Safari:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
  2. Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
  3. From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.Reset Safari
Delete from macOS

Remove the unwanted application:

  1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
  2. In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).Uninstall from Mac

Delete leftover files and folders:

  1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
  2. Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
  3. Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.Delete leftover files from Mac
  4. Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.

Stream videos without limitations, no matter where you are

There are multiple parties that could find out almost anything about you by checking your online activity.

While this is highly unlikely, advertisers and tech companies are constantly tracking you online. The first step to privacy should be a secure browser that focuses on tracker reduction to a minimum.

Even if you employ a secure browser, you will not be able to access websites that are restricted due to local government laws or other reasons. In other words, you may not be able to stream Disney+ or US-based Netflix in some countries. To bypass these restrictions, you can employ a powerful VPN, which provides dedicated servers for torrenting and streaming, not slowing you down in the process.

Data backups are important - recover your lost files

Ransomware is one of the biggest threats to personal data.

Once it is executed on a machine, it launches a sophisticated encryption algorithm that locks all your files, although it does not destroy them. The most common misconception is that anti-malware software can return files to their previous states. This is not true, however, and data remains locked after the malicious payload is deleted.

While regular data backups are the only secure method to recover your files after a ransomware attack, tools such as can also be effective and restore at least some of your lost data.

From our report of May 2016 · not reviewed since

How to uninstall Likes Games adware?

If you do not want to keep Likes Games virus on your computer, remove it.

It is not a hard task, and it can be done either manually or automatically. If you would like to delete this ad-supported computer invader automatically, then you need to install a good anti-malware software and test your computer using it. You just need to run a full computer scan to collect information about programs stored in your computer and automatically identify potentially dangerous programs like Likes Games.

Questions about Likes Games virus

search.mysearch.com opens when I click links. What causes it?

When every click leads to search.mysearch.com first, an extension or a script on the page is rewriting the links. If it happens only on one site, that site uses aggressive ads; close it and use another source. If it happens everywhere, open the browser in a private window, where extensions are normally off, and try again.

No redirect in the private window means one of your extensions is responsible: remove the ones you do not know. A redirect in the private window too means the cause is outside the extensions, such as a notification permission, a changed search setting or a program installed on the PC. The removal steps in this guide cover each of those.

Did search.mysearch.com install a virus on my PC?

Very unlikely, unless you downloaded and opened something from the pages it led to. Redirect domains such as search.mysearch.com sell your visit to advertisers; they do not need to install anything to make money.

What can be installed is the thing that causes the redirects in the first place, such as an extension or an ad-supported program that came with free software. That is why the checks in this guide look at extensions, notification permissions and Installed apps.

A full scan with Microsoft Defender afterwards gives you a clear answer about the rest of the PC. If the scan is clean and the redirects stop after removing the cause, you are done.

What is Likes Games virus?

Likes Games virus is an adware extension, a kind of adware. It earns money by showing redirects through ad pages, and each view, click or redirect pays whoever runs it. It is not something people usually choose; it arrives through a free download, a fake button or a misleading prompt.

Likes Games virus does not encrypt files or take control of Windows, but its ads are sold to anyone, including scam operators, so they can lead to fake virus warnings and unwanted downloads. The steps in this guide remove it from Windows and from each browser.

Which browsers does Likes Games virus affect?

In the cases we checked, Likes Games virus showed up in Chrome, Edge and Firefox. That does not rule out others on your PC, since adware installers often target every browser they find, and permissions and extensions sync across computers signed in to the same browser account.

Open each browser you have, go to its extensions page and its notification settings, and remove anything you do not recognise. Profiles count separately: Chrome and Edge can each hold several, and each one needs checking on its own.

Are the pop-ups I see really from Likes Games virus?

Compare them with the details in the table above. Likes Games virus produces redirects through ad pages, and the clearest sign of it is redirects to search.mysearch.com. Other adware looks similar, so check the name of the sending site at the bottom of a notification, the address in the tab that opened, or the newest entries on the extensions page.

If those match, this guide fits. If you see a different name, the same kind of steps apply, but remove the item you actually find rather than guessing.

I let a "support technician" from an ad connect to my PC. What should I do?

Act quickly but calmly. Disconnect the PC from the internet first, so the connection ends. Uninstall the remote access tool they asked you to install and check Installed apps for anything else added during the call.

Run a Microsoft Defender full scan and offline scan. From another device, change your e-mail and banking passwords and sign out of all sessions.

If you paid by card, bank transfer or gift card, contact your bank or the card issuer immediately, and report the scam to the police. Do not answer if they call back.

My scan found nothing, but the ads continue. Why?

Because the source may not be a file a scanner looks for. Browser notifications are a permission stored in the browser, and many adware extensions are not flagged because they come from an official store.

Some ad-supported programs are only reported if you enable detection of potentially unwanted apps. So a clean scan does not mean the job is done. Check each browser's notification permissions and extension list by hand, and turn on Potentially unwanted app blocking in Windows Security before scanning again.

Can an adware pop-up infect my PC just by appearing?

No. A pop-up, a notification or a new tab is only a web page or a message. It cannot run programs on Windows by itself, provided the browser and Windows are up to date. Infection needs a step from you:

  • running a downloaded file
  • installing an extension
  • giving a stranger remote access

That is why scam pages work so hard to make you click. Close such pages with the tab's X or by closing the browser, not with buttons inside the page, which may start a download.

Why is my browser so slow since the ads started?

Each page now does extra work. An adware extension reads the page, decides where to put ads, loads them from ad servers and reports your visit, and that happens on every tab. Ad-supported programs add their own background activity.

Removing the extension or program usually makes the browser fast again at once. If it stays slow, open the browser's own task manager with Shift+Esc in Chrome or Edge and look for extensions using a lot of memory or processor time.

Will Fortect remove Likes Games virus?

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 Likes Games virus, 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

  1. Google Chrome Help: Use notifications to get alerts (no longer online) (read October 6, 2026)
  2. FTC: How to recognize, remove and avoid malware (read October 6, 2026)
  3. Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Defender Offline (read October 6, 2026)
  4. Microsoft Learn: How Microsoft names malware (read October 6, 2026)

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