Skip to content
  • Active
  • Severity: Medium
  • Browser Hijackers
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Dec 2020

How to remove Online Searcher

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

Ugnius Kiguolis · The mastermind

Online Searcher is the browser-based program that can access your browsing history

Online Searcher

Online Searcher – the browser hijacker that triggers issues with the internet's speed and online activities. the intruder manages to change the homepage, new tab settings, and other preferences on the web browser. The aim of this potentially unwanted program is to infiltrate various systems and inject sponsored content, advertisements on the search results list. This is how people get exposed to malicious and possibly dangerous material online.

It is not an Online Searcher virus, but there are many issues that third-party companies, advertisers, content creators, and PUP distributors can create. Privacy issues can come from exposure to dangerous sites and commercial pop-ups, banners, redirects. make sure to get rid of this intruder as soon as possible, so you can use the machine as before.

Name Online Searcher
Type Browser hijacker, potentially unwanted program
Distribution Software bundle packages during freeware installations, deceptive ads, and misleading sites, fake update prompts or download pages
Symptoms Unknown extension of Online Searcher and other applications gets installed on the system; homepage and new tab address are set to tailsearch.com; search results are filled with sponsored links and ads
Risks Installation of other potentially unwanted programs, privacy risks due to information gathering practices,[1] financial losses, and technical issues due to affected speed and performance of the device
Removal You can remove Online Searcher by following the manual guide below or by scanning the computer with a powerful anti-malware tool
Optional steps Computer infections can cause significant damage to system files and can affect various processes. Run a full system scan with FortectIntego or another repair software

Online Searcher is the search engine application installed as a browser that adds on out of nowhere and triggers all the redirects to Tailsearch.com when the user attempts to search for anything online. There are many applications like this that affect time on the computer significantly:

Online Searcher can itself lead to the download of another intruder, so you should pay attention to things that happened behind your back. If you found this application installed out of nowhere and all the homepage, new tab, search engine settings changed – react as soon as possible.

You can perform Online Searcher removal. It is not the most difficult process. Especially when you rely on anti-malware tools or professional security programs. There are many applications that can help you find the intruder and the main potentially unwanted program that triggers additional issues.

Online Searcher PUP

You do not need to panic when the PUP appears on the machine and starts triggering unwanted activities, but you need to remove Online Searcher. It is not malicious or dangerous, but there is no value in having the program running on the system, so run SpyHunterCombo Cleaner or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes and eliminate the intruder automatically.

Make sure to clear the system properly, so there are no issues that could lead to additional malware[2] installations.  Online Searcher is associated with sponsors and third-party companies, so experts[3] always state that there are issues that might be caused by the online material you get exposed to unwillingly.

The particular information regarding your online habits, browsing history, most viewed pages, and clicked ads can help other commercial content developers to spread more misleading ads to your screen with the help of intruders like Online Searcher. Avoid clicking on any promotional ads or reroutes.

Deceptive pages and misleading ads, promotional content trigger PUP installs

When it comes to the internet and content online, there are many things that can be risky, so you shouldn't be careless while browsing the web. Various program developers, distributors, and content creators rely on the habit of skipping through steps and spread dangerous applications around.

You can avoid particular installations of potentially unwanted programs by relying on Advanced or Custom installation options every time you download programs or even browser tools. This is how you can control what happens during the particular freeware installation and what programs, in particular, get to be installed.

Online Searcher removal procedures require attention

You need to make sure that you remove Online Searcher from the machine properly, so rely on professional tools designed for thorough threat elimination. There are various programs that can provide the security tool features, so make sure to choose a trustworthy application.

The proper way to go after the Online Searcher removal is always anti-malware tools. You can find all the threats and possibly malicious apps on the machine when the AV engine checks your device.

Also, do not forget about the PUP distribution and possibly associated malware and run the program that is designed to repair files, repair virus damage, and can ensure that Online Searcher virus is not going to renew its activities. 

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

Be the first to comment

Spyware news
Privacy preferences

We use cookies to improve your experience and analyze traffic. Some cookies enable embedded content like videos and social posts. Choose what you allow — you can change this anytime.