Mystart.dealwifi.com redirect ads: what it is and how to remove it
Mystart.dealwifi.com is a web search engine that can become your homepage immediately after installing DealWifi adware, a potentially unwanted program (PUP) created by RAFO Technology. This adware is presented as a program that supposedly can turn victim's computer into a WiFi Access Point.
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.
Automatic
Get a free scan and check if your PC is infected.
Fortect finds malware, unwanted programs and the Windows damage they leave behind, and repairs it in one pass.
Not sure what sends your browser to mystart.dealwifi.com? An automatic scan looks at the usual sources for you.
Do it yourself · free Remove Mystart.dealwifi.com redirect ads yourself 3 steps, about 9 minutes, no software needed.
Start the steps
Mystart.dealwifi.com redirect ads: summary
| Detection names | No Microsoft detection name is known |
|---|---|
| Distribution | Not recorded in the old report |
| Damage | Not recorded in the old report |
| Name | Mystart.dealwifi.com redirect |
| Type | Ad redirect domain |
| Symptoms | Redirects 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
| Evidence | One write-up by a security site; details still limited |
|---|---|
| Domains | mystart.dealwifi.com |
| Ads shown as | Redirects through ad pages |
| Browsers | Chrome, Edge and Firefox |
| First seen | 20 July 2016 |
| Facts checked | 6 October 2026 |
Is Mystart.dealwifi.com redirect ads dangerous?
From our report of Jul 2016 · not reviewed since
What is know about Mystart.dealwifi.com virus?
Mystart.dealwifi.com is a web search engine that can become your homepage immediately after installing DealWifi adware, a potentially unwanted program (PUP) created by RAFO Technology.
This adware is presented as a program that supposedly can turn victim's computer into a WiFi Access Point. Even if it does, this program has several not-so-pleasant features, for example, it watches what the user does online and then displays intrusive pop-up advertisements on user's screen; besides, it configures user's browsers by changing the homepage, new tab page and also search engine settings in them.
This adware inputs Mystart.dealwifi.com (this one acts as a browser hijacker) into each of these settings. At the first sight, it seems that it is just a normal website and a web search engine; however, its functionality is hardly useful or reliable. This search engine displays regular looking search outcomes; however, part of them cause redirects to predetermined third-party websites in order to drive web traffic to them.
Mystart.dealwifi.com redirects are annoying and waste user's time, besides, they can take the user to insecure Internet pages, so you should not rely on them and avoid browsing such sites. What is more, if you try to remove this PUP from your browser or change the aforementioned browser settings the way you want them to be, you will shortly see that there is something wrong with this site.
Mystart.dealwifi.com browser hijacker, unlike other PUPs, implements several adjustments in Windows Registry after entering the computer system, making the aforementioned website appear in user's browser even if he/she changes homepage or new tab page settings.
Sadly, it is not so easy to fix Windows Registry manually, and if you do it in a wrong way, you can corrupt other programs. It would be the best if you installed an automatic spyware removal program like and deleted this hijacker automatically.

From our report of Jul 2016 · not reviewed since
How did this application hijack your computer and why do you know nothing about it?
Mystart.dealwifi.com redirect virus gets inside the system alongside DealWifi application, and it can be downloaded from its official website.
However, you do not necessarily have to go to this site to install DealWifi. You can successfully install this shady program unintentionally when installing other free programs.
If you didn't know this yet, free programs frequently suggest installing bonus apps in conjunction with them, but the majority of computer users are not aware of this or simply ignore this. Please follow these steps to see these suggestions and to refuse to install extra programs:
- When you open an installer, read Terms of Use and Privacy Policy documents thoroughly;
- Next, choose proper installation settings. Ignore Standard or Default settings and opt for Custom or Advanced method;
- Deselect all unknown components such as apps, toolbars, extensions, plug-ins, and other suspicious components.
Check your browser and PC
- Address:
mystart.dealwifi.com
How to remove Mystart.dealwifi.com redirect ads
How to stop the Mystart.dealwifi.com redirect redirects
Work in this order and test a few links after each step, so you know which one was the cause.
Step 1: Check the browser's extensions
Redirects to
mystart.dealwifi.comon sites that normally behave mean something in the browser is sending you there. In Chrome openchrome://extensions, in Edge edge://extensions, in Firefox the menu > Extensions and themes.Remove every extension you do not remember adding, especially new tab, search, coupon, PDF or video downloader add-ons. The extension pages look 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: Reset the browser if the redirects continue
If
mystart.dealwifi.comstill opens after the extensions are gone, put the browser's settings back to their defaults. 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 site permissions, the start page and the search engine are reset.
Redirects that survive a reset in every browser point to a program installed in Windows 11 or Windows 10, so uninstall anything you do not recognise in Settings > Apps > Installed apps.

Chrome on Windows 11: Settings > Reset settings. Full procedure with screenshots: Reset a browser and fix a hijacked search engine
Step 3: Scan the PC if you downloaded anything from the ads
If you only saw the notifications and clicked nothing, you can stop before this step. If a notification led you to download or run something, delete that file, then scan Windows.
In Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options, run a Full scan, then choose Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan) and Scan now. The offline scan restarts the PC and takes about 15 minutes on Windows 11 and Windows 10.

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:
- 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.
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 Jul 2016 · not reviewed since
How to remove Mystart.dealwifi.com?
We have no doubts that you know how annoying Mystart.dealwifi.com virus is; therefore, we cannot find a single reason why it should be kept in your computer.
It slows down the computer, and it stops you from finding relevant information quickly, and it advertises suspicious websites as well. Since this program hardly has any benefits, we suggest you to remove it. Now, you have to decide how you want to do it - manually or automatically.
We highly advise you to rely on a professional anti-spyware software and let it eliminate this hijacker for you. This browser hijacker is slightly different, and its removal process is not that easy. Alternatively, you can just use these Mystart.dealwifi.com removal instructions given below this article:
Questions about Mystart.dealwifi.com redirect ads
How do I stop mystart.dealwifi.com from opening?
Find and remove whatever opens it. Start with the browser's extensions page and remove anything you do not remember adding. Next, open the notification settings and take away permission from sites you do not recognise.
Then check Settings > Apps > Installed apps for programs added around the day the redirects began, and uninstall those. Restart the browser and test a few links after each step.
If mystart.dealwifi.com still appears, reset the browser, which restores the default search engine, start page and permissions without deleting bookmarks or saved passwords. Redirects that survive a reset in every browser point to a program in Windows, and a full scan is the next step.
Did mystart.dealwifi.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 mystart.dealwifi.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.
Why does Mystart.dealwifi.com redirect show me ads?
Because that is its whole purpose. Mystart.dealwifi.com redirect is an ad redirect domain, and its operators are paid for every ad it displays and every click it gets. In this case the ads take the form of redirects through ad pages.
They are chosen by ad networks that accept almost any advertiser, which is why so many look like warnings or prizes. The ads are not a sign that your PC is broken or infected with something worse; they are a sign that something on it, or in the browser, has permission to advertise. Removing that permission or program stops them.
Is mystart.dealwifi.com safe to visit?
No. The site mystart.dealwifi.com exists to push visitors towards ads, and the pages it leads to include fake virus warnings, fake updates, prize scams and notification prompts. Visiting it once does not infect an up-to-date PC, but anything you click or download there is a gamble.
Do not enter personal details, do not allow notifications and do not call phone numbers it shows. If it opens by itself, close the tab and check the browser's extensions and notification permissions. Blocking the single domain helps little, because the operators register new names regularly.
Do I have to clean every browser?
Yes, if you use more than one. We saw Mystart.dealwifi.com redirect in Chrome, Edge and Firefox, and each browser keeps its own extensions, notification permissions and settings. Chrome and Edge share the same extension format, so one installer can add the same adware to both, while Firefox has its own add-ons.
Check every browser on the PC, including ones you rarely open. If you sync a browser with an account, clean it while signed in, so that the removal reaches your other computers rather than the adware returning from them.
How do I know the ads come from Mystart.dealwifi.com redirect?
Look for redirects to mystart.dealwifi.com. That is the trace Mystart.dealwifi.com redirect leaves, and it shows up as redirects through ad pages. Ads that appear on every site, including ones that never carried ads before, point to something on your PC or in the browser rather than to the sites themselves.
A quick test is a private window, where extensions are off by default: if the ads disappear there, an extension is responsible. If they appear even with the browser closed, the source is a notification permission or a program in Windows.
Why didn't my antivirus catch Mystart.dealwifi.com redirect?
Many security products do not block adware or notification sites by default, because users often agreed to them, even through a misleading prompt. Notification spam installs nothing at all, so there is no file to detect.
In Windows 11 you can make Microsoft Defender block potentially unwanted apps: open Windows Security > App & browser control > Reputation-based protection settings and turn on Potentially unwanted app blocking. If notifications caused the pop-ups, no scanner will report them; the fix is in the browser's site settings.
Can adware slow down my PC?
Yes. Adware runs in the background, loads ad scripts, opens extra tabs and contacts its servers, all of which use processor time, memory and bandwidth. Ad-heavy extensions also slow down every page, because they inspect and change it before you see it.
The effect is strongest on older PCs and when several adware programs arrived together. After removal, restart the PC and check Task Manager for anything still using a lot of resources that you do not recognise. Speed usually returns to normal once the ads stop.
Does adware steal passwords?
Ordinary adware is built to show ads, not to steal logins, and most of it never touches saved passwords. The line is blurry, though. Extensions that can read every page could capture what you type, and adware ads sometimes lead to phishing pages that ask for passwords directly.
If you entered credentials on a page reached through an ad, change that password from a clean device and turn on two-step verification. Otherwise, removing ad redirect domain and clearing cookies is usually enough.
Will Fortect remove Mystart.dealwifi.com redirect?
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 Mystart.dealwifi.com redirect, 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
- Google Chrome Help: Use notifications to get alerts (no longer online) (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)