Mediatab.club: what it is and how to remove it
Mediatab.club is a web address that shows up on your Google Chrome browser as soon as you install Media Tab (which is classified as a browser hijacker) extension on it. While you could have installed the app from Chrome Web Store, you could also find it installed seemingly out of nowhere - this happens due to inattentive installation of bundled software packages.
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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Mediatab.club: summary
| Damage | A browser hijacker displays ads on top of search results which may potentially lead to less secure or inaccurate websites. When visiting an unknown site, always check for the padlock icon at the left side of the URL bar to ensure that to connection is secure. Otherwise, the entered information can be stolen by attackers |
|---|---|
| Name | Mediatab.club |
| Type | Browser hijacker |
| IP address | 172.67.198.140 |
| Symptoms | An extension of the same name installed on the web browser; homepage and new tab address altered; all searches are redirected to search.yahoo.com and results are filled with sponsored links |
| Detection names | No Microsoft detection name is known |
| 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
| Distribution | Not recorded in the old report |
|---|---|
| Evidence | 4 write-ups by security sites; details still limited |
| Search page | mediatab.club |
| Browsers | Chrome, Edge and Firefox |
| First seen | 16 June 2021 |
| Facts checked | 6 October 2026 |
What Mediatab.club changes in your browser
We do and may share non-personally identifiable information about your use of the Site and Product with our partners and some service providers, in order to provide the services, facilitate them, measure their performance, optimize, improve, monetize and so forth.
Is Mediatab.club dangerous? What it collects
From our report of Jun 2021 · not reviewed since
Mediatab.club can cause unexpected activities on your web browser
Mediatab.club is a web address that shows up on your Google Chrome browser as soon as you install Media Tab (which is classified as a browser hijacker) extension on it.
While you could have installed the app from Chrome Web Store, you could also find it installed seemingly out of nowhere - this happens due to inattentive installation of bundled software packages.
While this extension is not malicious like, for example, a Trojan would be, it is important to note that it does influence the way you browse the web quite a bit. It alters your homepage and new tab address, making it impossible to get rid of unless the extension is disabled or uninstalled.
There are few other aspects that you should know about the hijacker:
It is also important to note that Media Tab provides Privacy Policy. While many people are not keen on reading the wall of text presented in these documents, it can often disclose information relevant to your privacy online. For example, it is stated that the extension can gather technical details of the device and the browser, data about visited websites, links clicked, timestamps, and more.
Also, some personal information might be collected in the process, as long as you agree to provide it to the developer. Data sharing can also cause concern, although personal information is not shared or sold with third parties. Nonetheless, you can see that non-PII is indeed shared freely:
To track users, the extension uses cookies, web beacons , and other technologies. These can and should later be eliminated from your browser; otherwise, the tracking by the developer and all the third parties that the data was shared with can continue even after Mediatab.club removal.
Speaking of which, if you want a clean uninstall of the hijacker, proceed with the next section. You can remove Media Tab easily - by accessing your browser's settings. However, since the PUP changes some registry entries and inserts its files into certain folders on the system, you might as well scan your machine with anti-malware.
- Upon installation, it warns users that it can read and change all the data on all mediatab.club sites. This can be practically concerning, as everything you type within the mentioned page will be transferred to a third party. While this functionality is legitimate and used by many apps, it can also be used for data tracking purposes.
- Once installed, it creates several entries within Google's %AppData% folder and places several files there. It also modifies registry entry "extensions.settings" within the Chrome section.
- It changes your default search provider. Even if you had Google.com as your provider before, all your searches would be redirected to Yahoo. Besides, the top area of the search results will be filled with sponsored links and ads that lead to predetermined websites, increasing the revenue for the app developers based on a pay-per-click scheme.
From our report of Jun 2021 · not reviewed since
More from our earlier report on Mediatab.club
- If you want to ensure that all of the components are properly eliminated, perform a full scan with anti-malware
- To clean your browsers quickly after PUP elimination, use
Check your browser and PC
- Address:
mediatab.club
How to remove Mediatab.club
How to remove Mediatab.club and get your search engine back
Remove the extension first.
The search settings only stay fixed once nothing on the PC can change them again.
Step 1: Remove extensions you did not add
In Chrome open
chrome://extensions, in Edgeedge://extensions, and in Firefox the menu > Extensions and themes.Remove every extension you do not remember adding, especially search, new tab, coupon, PDF, weather or video downloader add-ons. Check every browser and every profile, because each keeps its own list.
If an extension has no Remove button or comes back, a browser policy holds it (see "Managed by your organization" in the procedure below). The pages are the same on Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Chrome on Windows 11: More > Extensions > Manage extensions. Full procedure with screenshots: Remove a browser extension
Step 2: Put the search engine back and delete mediatab.club
In Chrome open Settings > Search engine > Manage search engines and site search, make an engine you trust the default, and delete
mediatab.clubfrom the list.In Edge type
search engineinto the search box at the top of Settings and open Manage search engines; in Firefox use Settings > Search. Then check the homepage and the new tab page in the same settings, because hijackers change all three.If mediatab.club is back after a restart, an extension, a program or a policy still sets it, so finish the other steps and check again. The settings are the same on Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Chrome on Windows 11: check Search engine and On startup. Full procedure with screenshots: Reset a browser and fix a hijacked search engine
Step 3: Uninstall programs you did not mean to install
Mediatab.club rarely comes alone: it is usually installed by, or together with, a free program. In Windows 11 open Settings > Apps > Installed apps, in Windows 10 Settings > Apps > Apps & features, and sort by install date.
Uninstall every entry from the day the trouble began that you did not install on purpose, for example a download manager, a converter or a browser you never chose.
Keep drivers and entries from Microsoft, Intel, AMD, NVIDIA or your PC's maker unless you are sure.
Full procedure with screenshots: Uninstall a program or app in Windows On uGetFix
Step 4: Reset the browser
A reset removes what the steps above could miss:
- changed start pages
- site permissions
- hidden settings
In Chrome open Settings > Reset settings > Restore settings to their original defaults; in Edge Settings > Reset settings; in Firefox Help > More troubleshooting information > Refresh Firefox.
Tip: Bookmarks and saved passwords stay, while extensions are turned off and the search engine and start page return to the defaults.
Reset every browser on the PC, including Edge, which Windows 11 and Windows 10 always have.
Chrome on Windows 11: Settings > Reset settings. Full procedure with screenshots: Reset a browser and fix a hijacked search engine
Step 5: Scan the PC, then run the offline scan
A scan finds the parts of Mediatab.club that the manual steps cannot see. In Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options, start a Full scan and quarantine what it reports.
Follow it with Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan) > Scan now, which restarts the PC and checks the disk while Windows and the malware are not running.
It takes about 15 minutes and works the same in Windows 11 and Windows 10. If either scan finds something, run the full scan again after removal until it comes back clean.
Windows 11: Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options. Full procedure with screenshots: Run a Microsoft Defender Offline scan
Choose a proper web browser and improve your safety with a VPN tool
Online spying has got momentum in recent years and people are getting more and more interested in how to protect their privacy online.
One of the basic means to add a layer of security - choose the most private and secure web browser. Although web browsers can't grant full privacy protection and security, some of them are much better at sandboxing, HTTPS upgrading, active content blocking, tracking blocking, phishing protection, and similar privacy-oriented features.
However, if you want true anonymity, we suggest you employ a powerful VPN - it can encrypt all the traffic that comes and goes out of your computer, preventing tracking completely.
Lost your files? Use data recovery software
While some files located on any computer are replaceable or useless, others can be extremely valuable.
Family photos, work documents, school projects - these are types of files that we don't want to lose. Unfortunately, there are many ways how unexpected data loss can occur:
- power cuts
- Blue Screen of Death errors
- hardware failures
- crypto-malware attack
- even accidental deletion
To ensure that all the files remain intact, you should prepare regular data backups. You can choose cloud-based or physical copies you could restore from later in case of a disaster. If your backups were lost as well or you never bothered to prepare any, can be your only hope to retrieve your invaluable files.
From our report of Jun 2021 · not reviewed since
Uninstall Media Tab from your device and check it for malware
First and foremost, we would recommend performing a scan with anti-malware software, especially if you have found this or another program on your system without directly installing it.
This is also very relevant if you tend to visit less secure websites or download cracked apps from torrent and similar sites.
Therefore, download or another reputable anti-malware and perform a full system scan. If you don't want a third-party program, you don't have to get it - Microsoft Defender Offline scan can be particularly useful when dealing with invisible malware.
In order to eliminate the extension from Chrome manually, proceed with these steps:
It is important to note that while this action will stop the unwanted activities on your web browsers - such as redirects to a different search provider or homepage changes - it will not stop the tracking activities. To prevent third parties from tracking you, you should clear web data as explained below:
In order to remove all the files related to Chrome extensions within the Google folder, you should navigate to the following location and delete all the contents:
Finally, if you encounter some difficulties when trying to eliminate this or another annoying extension, you might want to reset your browser altogether:
- Click on three vertical dots at the top-right-corner of the window.
- Go to More tools > Extensions.
- Here, you will find the list of extensions.
- Find Media Tab - you can either Disable it by moving the switch to the left (you can then re-enable it later if you would like to) or get rid of permanently by pressing Remove.
- 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
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Confirm with Reset settings.
From our report of Jun 2021 · not reviewed since
Bonus read: extra steps for security and better usability
Finally, if you have found out that malware was indeed residing on your system, it could have damaged your Windows system components.
As a result, you might experience crashes, errors, and other stability issues.
Besides, it can also clean your web browsers automatically, so you don't have to do all the above-mentioned steps yourself - it is also a great investment for the future, as it can greatly save you time.
Remember, this app is not a replacement for anti-malware solutions but is a great complementary tool that can fix virus damage, protect your privacy, clean junk, and fix common Windows issues such as BSODs, DLL errors, etc.
Questions about Mediatab.club
How do I change my search engine back from mediatab.club?
Open the browser's search engine settings, choose the search engine you want and set it as default, then remove mediatab.club from the list.
If the option is greyed out or a note says it is controlled by an extension, remove that extension first and try again. If the browser says it is managed by your organization, a policy holds the setting, and the policy steps in this guide apply.
When the change will not stick, reset the browser: it restores the default search engine and start page and turns off extensions, but keeps bookmarks and saved passwords. Then check Installed apps for a program that may put mediatab.club back.
Can mediatab.club see my searches?
Yes. Every search typed into the address bar goes to mediatab.club first, which is how it earns money. It can log the query, the time and an identifier for your browser, and some hijackers also collect the pages you visit through their extension.
The privacy policy of such sites usually allows sharing that data with partners. Once the hijacker is removed and your own search engine is set again, new searches no longer reach it. Searches already sent cannot be taken back, so avoid entering sensitive information until the clean-up is finished, and clear cookies afterwards.
What is mediatab.club?
It is the search page used by the browser hijacker Mediatab.club. It has no search index of its own: it forwards your queries to another search engine and adds ads and tracking along the way.
People rarely choose it on purpose; it becomes the default search engine, home page or new tab after an extension, program or policy changes the browser settings. The page itself is not malware, but it should not be in your browser if you did not set it. The steps above remove the source and restore your settings.
Is mediatab.club dangerous?
It is not designed to infect the PC, but it is not neutral either. It logs searches, adds sponsored results that are hard to tell apart from real ones, and its ad partners are not checked as strictly as those of major search engines.
Some hijacker pages have shown ads for fake updates, tech support scams and unwanted software. The main harm is to privacy. Remove Mediatab.club, and if you entered personal data on sites reached through its results, check those sites carefully.
Do I have to fix every browser?
Yes, every one where the search engine or start page changed. In the cases we checked, Mediatab.club affected Chrome, Edge and Firefox.
Each browser stores its own search settings and extensions, so fixing one does not fix the others, and Windows-level changes such as shortcuts can affect each browser differently. Work through them one at a time:
- remove the extension
- check the policies
- restore the search engine
- start page
If you sync a browser, stay signed in so the fix spreads to your other computers.
Did mediatab.club record my searches?
Almost certainly. Logging is the point of a hijacker search page: each query, with your IP address, browser details and the result you clicked, is valuable to advertisers.
The operators of mediatab.club can store and share that data under their own privacy policy, which you never agreed to knowingly. There is no way to delete it from their side. What you can do is stop the flow:
- remove Mediatab.club
- clear cookies and site data for mediatab.club
- treat sensitive searches made in the meantime as known to a third party
Can I just block mediatab.club?
You can, but it treats the symptom. Blocking the domain in a firewall or the hosts file makes searches fail instead of redirecting, while the extension or program that set it keeps running and collecting data.
Hijacker operators also switch to new domains in updates, so a block may stop working within weeks. Remove the source instead, then set your own search engine. If you want extra protection afterwards, turn on Potentially unwanted app blocking in Windows Security, which stops many hijacker installers before they run.
Why can't I change my search engine back?
Because something keeps setting it. If an extension controls the search engine, Chrome and Edge show a note that an extension is controlling this setting, and your change is reverted. If a policy controls it, the field is greyed out and the browser shows Managed by your organization.
Remove the extension first, then the policies, and only then change the search engine; the change will stay. If it still reverts, look for a program in Installed apps or a scheduled task that reinstalls the extension.
Why does my search page look slightly different?
Because it is not your search engine's own page. Mediatab.club sends searches to mediatab.club, which may copy the colours and layout of a known search engine while adding its own ads and tracking. Small differences give it away:
- an unfamiliar address
- more ads than usual
- a different logo
- a search box with a brand name you do not recognise
Remove the hijacker and set your search engine again from the browser's settings to get the real page back. Then delete the hijacker's entry from the saved search engines list.
Will Fortect remove Mediatab.club?
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 Mediatab.club, 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
- Wikipedia: Pay-per-click (read October 6, 2026)
- FTC: How to recognize, remove and avoid malware (read October 6, 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Defender Offline (read October 6, 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: How Microsoft names malware (read October 6, 2026)