What is PCSoftUpdate.com?
PCSoftUpdate.com is yet another advertising platform that has been used for showing people commercial ads during their browsing. Unfortunately, but not each of these ads can be trusted because there is one category of PCSoftUpdate.com ads that are used for spreading adwares, browser hijackers and similar PUPs. These ads are set to inform PC users about missing updates and required programs, such as Java, Flash Player, FLV Player, one of web browsers, etc. As you can imagine, this platform has nothing to do with updates for legitimate software. In fact, you should stay away from its ads if you want to protect yourself from adwares and browser hijackers. How could you get rid of ads by PCSoftUpdate.com? The answer is very simple – these pop-up notifications are closely related to adware-type programs that have been actively spread in a bundle with freeware and shareware. If you have just installed a download manager, a PDF creator, video streaming software, video recording software or similar free application, there is no surprise that these fake ads are following you while you are browsing on the web.
Once PCSoftUpdate.com virus infiltrates computer, it starts showing different notifications about missing updates that should never be trusted. In addition, you can also be offered to call for free support service and receive a free assistance for removing viruses. Please, do NOT fall for such support scams because they are seeking just to trick people into downloading fake security software on their computers. Of course, such services are usually not free, so if you don’t want to receive a greatly increased telephone bill, you should avoid them. Beware that all these messages are filled with tempting headlines and well-known names. If you do not want to get in trouble, you should avoid them and remove questionable software from the system. For that you can use FortectIntego or other reputable anti-spyware.

How can PCSoftUpdate.com hijack my computer?
You may start seeing such and similar annoying ads or misleading notifications out of nowhere. In fact, you should think what free program have you just installed on your computer because these ads are usually displayed right after installing a questionable freeware. PCSoftUpdate.com virus and adwares that are associated with this platform may disguise as regular toolbars, add-ons and similar extensions for your internet browser. That is the main reason why we highly recommend installing a reliable, trusted and updated anti-spyware program. However, if your PC is unprotected, you should take some extra time and check every single program that you want to install. Moreover, you should avoid downloading such programs as YouTube Video Downloader, Download Manager 2.1, PDF File Converter, HD-Video Codecs, etc. because these programs may carry PCSoftUpdate.com virus. Furthermore, if you are installing a freeware, try to find as much information as possible about this program that you are about to install.
How to remove PCSoftUpdate.com pop-up virus from my computer?
PCSoftUpdate.com ads can be extremely annoying and even trick you to download a potentially unwanted program. If you want to remove this intruder, this removal tutorial should help you.
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.

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.
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.

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.
- 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.

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.

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.

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