PCH Search - updated Jan 2021
PCH Search Removal Guide
What is PCH Search?
PCH Search – browser-hijacking app you should not trust
PCH Search, which is also known as PCHSearch&Win, is another search engine that has initiated various discussions on the Internet these days. It seems that the most important reason why it has received so much attention from PC users is its distribution method.
The hijacker can easily show up on your computer after installing free programs from the Internet. That's because it has been spread with the help of bundling and other suspicious distribution techniques. If you managed to download this app on your machine, you shouldn’t leave it there because it will try to hijack each of your web browsers.
| Name | PCH Search |
|---|---|
| Also known as | PCHSearch&Win |
| Type | Browser hijacker, potentially unwanted program |
| Distribution | Software bundle packages, third-party websites |
| Symptoms | Browser hijackers often engage in various browser changes, including modification to the homepage and new tab URL, as well as the search engine. Search results are often redirected to another provider and are filled with sponsored links |
| Dangers | Installation of other potentially unwanted programs, financial losses, personal data disclosure |
| Removal | You can uninstall potentially unwanted programs by following the manual guide below or by scanning the computer with anti-malware software |
| Optional steps | Computer infections can cause significant damage to system files or disrupt normal settings. To revert these changes and remediate the OS, perform a full system scan with FortectIntego repair software |
We also recommend avoiding this questionable search engine because it may also try to return for your altered search results. Typically, they are filled with commercial content, including:
- affiliate links
- pop-up ads
- other attractive notifications.
If you don't want to be tricked into visiting unknown websites related to the PCH Search virus, you should never click these ads. There is no guarantee that each of the websites that are promoted with the help of such a technique is safe.
Besides, when having this program on your computer, you may also be tricked into downloading PCH Search Toolbar and other related programs that you don't need at all. While they might not be malicious per se, they can significantly negatively impact your browsing routine.
Finally, you may not even know that PCH Search hijacker is tracking your browsing on the Internet and collecting your search terms, mostly visited websites, data that you enter when visiting your favorite sites, and so on. No matter that this information is not considered personally identifiable, we believe that you shouldn't reveal it to unknown parties.
If you have already noticed PCH Search hijacker instead of your homepage or default search engine on each of your web browsers (Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, etc.), you should waste no time and check your computer with reliable anti-spyware. For that, we highly recommend using FortectIntego or another well-known security tool.
Software bundles include all types of PUPs and even malware
Hundreds of PC users have been tricked into installing PCHSearch&Win hijacker on their computers manually because this program promises various prizes just for using it. However, most of such users have started looking for a method that could help them eliminate this application after several weeks.
Also, this program may show up on your machine after installing freeware and shareware. That is why many people claimed they found the app on their systems seemingly out of nowhere:
Today I opened my browser and noticed that it looks completely different. When searching the web, I'm being redirected to various sites that tell me I can win money. I don't think this is legitimate. It looks suspicious, to say the least.
However, it clearly initiates various doubts because people are hardly wanted how many programs they will download. In order to avoid PCH Search, be sure to choose a custom or advanced installation method when installing freeware on your computer. After that, find the checkmark that agrees to install PCH Search and deselect it.
Remove PCHSearch&Win to improve your browsing experience
Various surveys and lotto-like propositions online are rarely legitimate. The crooks behind these notifications usually fill websites with empty promises, without the lucky winner. However, those who get a suspicious app installed to get their browsers hijacked, earning money for the scam authors. Hence, we strongly recommend you remove PCH Search from your browser, as it provides no positives to you.
PCH Search removal can be performed in two ways:
- manually
- automatically.
While both of these methods can be as effective as one another, we strongly recommend you combining both. This means that you should follow the guide below to at least clean your browsers properly and then scan the machine with reputable anti-malware.
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 PCH Search. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
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
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
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 PCH Search 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 browser hijacker
Access your website securely from any location
When you work on the domain, site, blog, or different project that requires constant management, content creation, or coding, you may need to connect to the server and content management service more often. The best solution for creating a tighter network could be a dedicated/fixed IP address.
If you make your IP address static and set to your device, you can connect to the CMS from any location and do not create any additional issues for the server or network manager that needs to monitor connections and activities. VPN software providers like Private Internet Access can help you with such settings and offer the option to control the online reputation and manage projects easily from any part of the world.
Recover files after data-affecting malware attacks
While much of the data can be accidentally deleted due to various reasons, malware is one of the main culprits that can cause loss of pictures, documents, videos, and other important files. More serious malware infections lead to significant data loss when your documents, system files, and images get encrypted. In particular, ransomware is is a type of malware that focuses on such functions, so your files become useless without an ability to access them.
Even though there is little to no possibility to recover after file-locking threats, some applications have features for data recovery in the system. In some cases, Data Recovery Pro can also help to recover at least some portion of your data after data-locking virus infection or general cyber infection.
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