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  • Active
  • Severity: Medium
  • Browser Hijackers
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Mar 2021

How to remove PDFSearchWeb

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

PDFSearchWeb – a browser intruder that hijacks its settings and displays deceptive ads as search results

PDFSearchWeb virus

PDFSearchWeb Search is a potentially unwanted program[1] that, without your direct concern, makes modifications to your browser preferences in order to redirect all search inquiries. By doing so, whenever you open your browser, a new tab, or type something into the URL search bar, feed.pdfsearchweb.com is opened. It's a fake search portal that opens new tabs with results from Bing, Yahoo, Searchlee, or other engines, depending on your geolocation.

PDFSearchWeb browser hijacker is usually installed with freeware, software bundles, and through deceptive advertising. When it's in the system, it changes the address of the default search engine, which automatically alters the homepage and new tab preferences.

If you see any symptoms that we're happy you chose us as your cybersecurity advisers. This browser intruder can be installed either as an application or as a browser extension. We're going to tell you how to get rid of this annoying PUP and how to recover your browser settings so you could enjoy your browsing unimpeded.

name PDFSearchWeb
Type PUP, redirect virus, browser hijacker
Altered browser settings New tab, default search engine, homepage
Promoted fake search site feed.pdfsearchweb.com
IP address 104.21.85.191
Symptoms Ads are shown in search results originating from a search engine of the browser hijacker's choice. Slower browsing speed, slower overall device performance, redirects
Risks Deceptive ads and redirects could force to visit malicious portals, with various scams or other harmful content. Data collection might lead to privacy issues
Distribution Fake Flash Player updates, software bundles, deceptive ads
Removal Scan your device with reliable anti-malware software to eliminate any PUPs or other suspicious files
System fix Use the FortectIntego system repair tool to restore any modified system keys and to delete tracking cookies from questionable portals

PDFSearchWeb virus can be harmful in more than one way. First, it's the data collection. By redirecting you through a fake search site, browser hijackers can gather various non-personal data, such as the device and browser details, IP addresses, used programs, visited sites, search inquiries, and so on.

Then, even more danger can come from PDFSearchWeb ads. They are mostly shown as recommended search results but could be displayed in other forms too. Deceptive ads could lead you to visit hazardous or even malicious websites with contents including:

  • fake software updates,
  • tech support or other scams,
  • gambling,
  • malware,
  • porn, etc.

And lastly, PDFSearchWeb redirects could happen out of the blue and force you to either of the above-mentioned portals. These are the three main dangers that all browser hijackers, such as 4KMovieSearch virus, Private Video virus, HDMovieSearch virus, and a myriad of others.

PDFSearchWeb ads

A trustworthy anti-malware tool would have prevented you from installing the culprit of this article. Such security tools as SpyHunterCombo Cleaner or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes can also be used for PDFSearchWeb removal. All you need to do is download either of these free apps, update their virus databases, perform a full threat scan, and let it do the rest.

PUP infections and questionable websites leave a lot of traces on your device. They could lead to various abnormal behavior exhibitions, such as crashing, lag, freezing, etc. IT experts[2] highly recommend performing system diagnostics with the all-in-one FortectIntego repair tool to fix any system issues after you remove PDFSearchWeb.

Deceptive advertisement and fake Flash Players updates result in PUP infections

Since people don't usually download potentially unwanted programs willingly, their developers use sneaky techniques to distribute them. Browser hijackers, adware,[3] and other PUPs can be delivered in various ways, but deceptive ads and fake Flash Player updates are among the most popular methods.

Users are exposed to both of these techniques when visiting shady websites. Deceptive ads may claim that an app will improve their browsing experience by enhancing safety and privacy, by improving certain aspects of their devices, etc. In fact, people who download such apps are stuck with worthless software that might endanger them.

PDFSearchWeb browser hijacker

Fake Flash Player installers or updates also usually contain various PUPs. And since people are always in a rush, they tend to be inattentive when installing something. Please don't visit questionable sites and don't click on any ads stating that you desperately need to update some software, the malware was detected, or that an app will greatly improve some aspect of your device. Download software only legitimate software direct from its developers.

Instructions to quickly remove PDFSearchWeb virus with security tools

Once one PUP such as PDFSearchWeb browser hijacker is installed on your device, other junkware might be lurking behind the corner. To protect your devices from such infections, you must have a trustworthy anti-malware tool that would block hazardous websites and stop PUPs and malware at the doorstep.

You will need a reliable tool to remove PDFSearchWeb from your computer safely. If it was installed as a browser extension, you will need to reset them. If you're not entirely sure how that's done, please refer to our free Chrome, Firefox, and other browser instructions posted below.

PDFSearchWeb removal won't be finished until you've performed a full system scan with a powerful system repair tool. Such software will eliminate all traces of the infection from the Registry and other essential system files and delete any tracking cookies.

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

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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