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  • Active
  • Severity: Medium
  • Adware
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Jun 2020

How to remove Onclickbright

A step-by-step removal guide for affected devices. Follow the verified procedure below — most readers complete it in under 10 minutes.

Alice Woods · Likes to teach users about virus prevention

Onclickbright – adware app that initiates browser redirects on Windows and Mac machines

Onclickbright.com

Onclickbright.com is a website of dubious content – typically, pop-ups, deals, offers, coupons, and other intrusive commercial content is presented on it. The unwanted advertisements and redirects may affect users on all web browsers (Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, MS Edge, Safari, and others), as well as Mac and Windows systems – this is because the activity is caused by a potentially unwanted program installed on the computer.

Onclickbright redirects and ads may be related to a variety of different adware programs – these usually get installed along with freeware and shareware apps downloads from third-party sites or after users get tricked by a fake update prompt/scam message. Once inside, the app begins web browser setting modification in order to start delivering commercial content to users, also tracking their online behavior in order to serve targeted ads. All in all, Onclickbright removal should be performed as soon as the unwanted browser behavior is spotted.

Name Onclickbright, Onclickbright.com
Type Adware, redirect virus
Distribution  Software bundles, fake updates, scam messages, ads
Symptoms  Symptoms of adware infection vary from machine to machine, but must common signs of infections include redirects to suspicious sites, intrusive ads on all visited websites, browser slowdowns, changes to browser homepage/new tab/search engine, etc.
Risks Installation of other potentially unwanted programs, monetary loss due to scams, data disclosure to unknown parties, etc. 
Prevention To prevent adware installation, download programs from official sources or be extremely careful when installing third-party software – do not rush and choose Advanced settings. To prevent unwanted redirects and ads while browsing the internet, employ ad-block extension
Removal To get rid of adware, follow our instructions below 
System fix In some cases, adware and malware can render the computer unstable – crashes, lag, random reboots, etc. To fix these issues, we advise using FortectIntego 

Note that Onclickbright.com redirects might also be not caused due to infection, as these can be triggered upon entering another malicious site, or clicking on a link. The best way to find out whether you are infected with Onclickbright.com virus is to check for potentially unwanted programs that could be hiding on your computer.

In some cases, however, it is difficult to determine which application is related to Onclickbright pop-ups and ads, as it can be anything. This is especially true for users who do not properly check the installation process of freeware and do not clean their machines regularly. If you belong to that group of people, immediately scan your device with anti-malware software and then fix malware-caused issues with FortectIntego.

While initially, Onclickbright adware is not malicious, the browser activities it is causing might be dangerous to users. Soon after the infiltration, the PUP start performing the following actions:

  • Installing unknown browser extensions without permission;
  • Changing the homepage and new tab address, as well as applying a customized search engine;
  • Displaying sponsored links at the top of search results (even if they bring to legitimate providers like Yahoo)
  • Redirecting to suspicious sites filled with suspicious content;
  • Displaying pop-ups, in-text links, auto-play, interstitial and other ads on all visited websites;
  • Slowing down the web browser or making it fail to load certain websites, etc.

One might ask, what is the goal of Onclickbright.com authors, and why would they cause such disruptions to users? The answer is very simple – advertisement revenue. While it is one of the most common ways for websites and app developers to monetize, the practice is often abused, and intrusive or even dangerous ads are inserted into users' browsers regularly. Due to this reason, some security community members call adware as malware.[1]

Besides, Onclickbright is also set to routinely track users' web browsing sessions in order to maximize profits from targeted advertisements. The most commonly tracked information includes the IP address, sites visited, search queries entered, links clicked, etc. Unfortunately, some PUPs may also track your personal data and cause immense privacy risks.

Onclickbright

Therefore, remove Onclickbright from your computer as soon as possible, as its presence may cause bloatware or malware infections, and monetary loss due to encountered scams. For more details, please check the bottom section of this article.

Don't forget that you can block the intrusive commercial content (regardless if it is coming from within the site or adware app) by using ad-block extension – this can also prevent malicious JavaScript[2] execution on malicious or hacked websites (this may result in automatic malware download in the background, also known as drive-by download).

Cybersecurity experts advise: learn to install software correctly

While many already are aware of the dangers of downloading software cracks or visiting high-risk websites, some users forget that online threats can be found everywhere on the internet. One of the best examples is software bundling – a deceptive marketing technique that ticks many into installing potentially unwanted programs or even malware on their machines. Developers of freeware or third-party websites often insert optional components into the installers and deliberately try to hide them from users.

The following tricks that software bundle packages use include:

  • Hiding the optional installs under Recommended setting – this method is presented as “optimal” or “quick;” what users don't realize is that they allow the installer to infiltrate additional programs into the computer;
  • Using pre-ticked boxes;
  • Disguising the agreement of optional component installation within the fine print text;
  • Placing buttons in unexpected locations (typically, users are used to pressing the “Next” button on the right side of the window – that is were the “Agree to install XXX” offer is placed).

As a result, users end up with unwanted apps on their computers and believe that they arrived to the system without permission, while in reality, it was the opposite. It goes without saying that software bundling often uses deceptive techniques and can feel rather unfair – we agree with this statement.

Therefore, to avoid being tricked, choose official software download sources when possible instead of third-party ones, always choose Advanced settings and do not rush the installation process.

Onclickbright virus

Get rid of Onclickbright.com redirects and other unwanted activities

Whether you are aware of the problem and need help with Onclickbright removal or you don't know how to proceed after seeing the address on your browser regularly – you came to the right place. As mentioned above, the unwanted activities that relate to Onclickbright.com might be caused by adware installed on your machine, although this also may be caused by a random link click.

Therefore, the first thing to do when trying to remove Onclickbright.com is figuring out whether your computer is infected with adware. To do that, you can follow our instructions below on each of the operating systems – you need to access the installed application list and check it carefully. If you do not find anything suspicious, but ads and popups do not go away, it would be a good idea to scan your computer with anti-malware software that can detect PUPs.

Note that the Onclickbright virus might also alter the settings of your web browser, which may cause unwanted activity to continue after you terminate the app. Thus, experts[3] recommend resetting the installed web browsers to ensure that ads and redirects do not come back.

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

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.

Reset Internet Explorer

Remove dangerous add-ons:

  1. Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
  2. Pick Manage Add-ons.
  3. You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.Remove add-ons from Internet Explorer

Change your homepage if it was altered:

  1. Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
  2. Select Internet Options.
  3. In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
  4. Click Apply and then select OK.Reset IE homepage

Delete temporary files:

  1. Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
  2. Under Browsing history, click Delete...
  3. Select relevant fields and press Delete.Clear temporary files from Internet Explorer

Reset Internet Explorer:

  1. Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
  2. Select Reset.
  3. In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.Reset Internet Explorer

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

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

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

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