MyMapsWizard Toolbar (Removal Guide) - Tutorial
MyMapsWizard Toolbar Removal Guide
What is MyMapsWizard Toolbar?
Reasons not to keep MyMapsWizard Toolbar on your PC
MyMapsWizard Toolbar virus is a new questionable computer software from Mindspark which has been categorized as a potentially unwanted program [1]. When the tool is installed, it triggers the hp.myway.com domain to take over the position of a default search engine and homepage. That’s why this application has also acquired a title of a browser hijacker [2].
Nevertheless, the program is legal, and some users may find it useful. This toolbar is said to combine web search and driving direction straight on the Chrome New Tab. But there are a few problems that make this app potentially unwanted. But before we discuss them, we should remind you that you have a right to remove MyMapsWizard Toolbar from your PC if you are not happy with its services.
Some sophisticated antivirus software, say FortectIntego, Malwarebytes or similar may detect the program as PUP, but if the system scan does deal with this toolbar and you still see it on your browser, you may as well carry out its elimination manually. Instructions how to do it are presented below this article.
When MyMapsWizard Toolbar infiltrates your PC, it typically replaces your homepage with MyWay Search page or MyMapsWizard page.
Returning back to the My Maps Wizard Toolbar drawbacks, the first thing that does not seem to together with any trusted computer software are the insidious ways its developers choose to spread the program around. The app is attached to freeware and shareware applications, so it installs on the PC without necessarily asking for overt user’s permission.
Secondly, when this browser helper object is installed, it will automatically reassign your regular homepage to My Way search, and every search query that you type into the toolbar’s search bar will be redirected to the same site as well.
Finally, you may notice that your online search does not provide you anticipated results anymore and you are being constantly followed by tons of pop-ups, banners, and ads everywhere you go on the web.
These actions may not be sinister or harmful to your PC, but you should not ignore them or let them pass. You should perform MyMapsWizard Toolbar removal without delay and bring back order to your computer.
Preventing unwanted programs from installing on your PC
“Don’t want to see MyMapsWizard Toolbar on your computer? Then don’t install it!.” It’s a rather useless advice since, in reality, things are not that simple. Small-scale applications such as toolbars, extensions or add-ons can easily be hidden in software packages together with other programs or install as the user clicks on some random download button online. To stay safe, you should:
- Always keep the real-time security shield of your antivirus software enabled and make sure that the program itself is legal and running the latest version
- Stay away from suspicious web pages or insecure peer-to-peer software sharing platforms. Obtain new software only from the reputable sources as it diminishes the possibility of additionally added programs entering your PC.
- Install new software via Advanced or Custom installation modes. Don’t hurry when going through the installation stages — you may accidentally miss the step allowing you to opt out MyMapsWizard Toolbar installation!
Tips for MyMapsWizard Toolbar removal
Typically, it should be enough to remove MyMapsWizard Toolbar from the list of your browser extensions. But there is a catch — this add-on installs on all web browsers, including MS Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Safari, so all these applications should be checked for the unwanted content and reset.
Sometimes, even performing the regular elimination actions may not be enough to complete MyMapsWizard Toolbar removal. Some of the program’s components may still be left on the computer, preventing its full elimination. Thus, we recommend scanning the system automatically as well.
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 MyMapsWizard Toolbar. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
Remove hijacker from your PC manually like explained below:
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
Reset MS Edge to get rid of the virus components following this guide:
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 PUP from you PC entirely with the help of this guide:
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
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 MyMapsWizard Toolbar 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
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 Private Internet Access 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 Private Internet Access 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. Data Recovery Pro 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.
- ^ Chris Hoffman. PUPs Explained: What is a “Potentially Unwanted Program”?. How-to-geek. For geeks by geeks.
- ^ The hijacker in your browser. BullGuard. Internet Security and Antivirus protection software.