PerfectNav (Virus Removal Guide) - updated Mar 2021
PerfectNav Removal Guide
What is PerfectNav?
PerfectNav is a tool that should help with the performance of your PC
PerfectNav is adware[1] application that infiltrates computers as a browser helper object and starts redirecting users to suspicious websites on Internet Explorer. A potentially unwanted program usually gets in via software bundling or is installed when users click on questionable pop-up ads. Although adware is not as dangerous or harmful as malware, its presence can compromise PC security and the virtual safety of an individual.
The primary goal of PerfectNav is to display products or services offered by third-parties in various ways. Typically, the pay-per-click[2] scheme is used. This means that every time a user clicks on the ad (even if it was accidental), revenue is generated. In other cases, users are prompted to install bogus software (pay-per-install). Unfortunately, the promoted programs are usually useless to the end-user.
| Summary | |
| Name | PerfectNav |
| Type | Adware |
| Distribution | Software bundling, peer-to-peer and other file-sharing sites, etc. |
| Symptoms | Browser is flooded with advertisements and users are redirected to questionable websites |
| Detection and elimination | Use an anti-malware tool for a quick removal |
| Repair | For the system repair – rely on FortectIntego |
PerfectNav adware can be injected using various deceptive techniques. Therefore, users are usually unaware that their browsers are infected. Nevertheless, they can soon notice the following symptoms:
- error pages redirect users to PerfectNav's website;
- browsing sessions are disturbed by pop-us, offers, deals, coupons, hyperlinks, video, and other ads;
- redirects can open several tabs at once, and they might be hard to close;
- homepage and search engine might be altered;
- additional components, such as browser extensions, toolbars, etc., might be installed without permission;
Due to the deceptive nature of the virus, these symptoms might vary, and users might experience just some of them. Nevertheless, the more PerfectNav removal is postponed, the more dangerous the browsing becomes. Therefore, security experts[3] recommend scanning the computer using SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes, other reputable security software to make sure all the components of adware are eliminated.
Victims can often be misled by fake scans that find thousands of issues on the PC. For the less computer-savvy individual, it can seem like the software is showing genuine results. However, a closer look reveals that scareware often indicates Google cookies as potentially dangerous.
Besides the annoying advertisements, PerfectNav adware tracks users' non-personally identifiable information, which includes IP address, sites visited, links clicked, bookmarks, and similar data that contains browsing habits. The anonymous data can later be shared with the unknown third-parties for marketing purposes.
All in all, if you noticed that your browser is acting weird by continually redirecting you to suspicious sites, make sure you scan your PC and remove PerfectNav virus from your computer.
Be attentive while browsing the internet and installing new software
Users are usually unaware how questionable applications get installed on their PCs. While malware can be injected using exploit kits, malicious JavaScripts and similar techniques, adware, and other PUPs need users' intervention to be established. Therefore, please follow these simple tips to avoid unwanted apps:
- pick your download source carefully – third-party websites can often hide questionable apps that pretend to be something they are not;
- do not click the “Next” button several times just to be done with the installation process quickly;
- always pick Advanced or Custom installation settings instead of Recommended/Quick ones;
- when in Advanced mode, remove all the optional installs;
- do not connect any external devices to your PC before scanning them with anti-malware software;
- avoid visiting file-sharing, peer-to-peer, and other suspicious domains.
Eliminate PerfectNav either manually or automatically
PerfectNav removal might be a little tricky. It highly depends on how long the adware was present on your machine. While the BHO might be easy to delete itself, it might have installed multiple other apps without your consent. Therefore, it is essential to detect all of them. Sadly, a lot of dubious apps often hide under confusing names (e.g., player.exe) or lack the uninstallation executable in general.
Therefore, we highly recommend you remove PerfectNav using security software, as it can detect all additional apps that might be present on your PC. Alternatively, you can also try to uninstall the app manually, but this process might not get rid of all additional components.
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 PerfectNav. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
To get rid of PerfectNav from Windows OS, follow these steps:
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 PerfectNav 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 adware
Choose a proper web browser and improve your safety with a VPN tool
Online spying has got momentum in recent years and people are getting more and more interested in how to protect their privacy online. One of the basic means to add a layer of security – choose the most private and secure web browser. Although web browsers can't grant full privacy protection and security, some of them are much better at sandboxing, HTTPS upgrading, active content blocking, tracking blocking, phishing protection, and similar privacy-oriented features. However, if you want true anonymity, we suggest you employ a powerful Private Internet Access VPN – it can encrypt all the traffic that comes and goes out of your computer, preventing tracking completely.
Lost your files? Use data recovery software
While some files located on any computer are replaceable or useless, others can be extremely valuable. Family photos, work documents, school projects – these are types of files that we don't want to lose. Unfortunately, there are many ways how unexpected data loss can occur: power cuts, Blue Screen of Death errors, hardware failures, crypto-malware attack, or even accidental deletion.
To ensure that all the files remain intact, you should prepare regular data backups. You can choose cloud-based or physical copies you could restore from later in case of a disaster. If your backups were lost as well or you never bothered to prepare any, Data Recovery Pro can be your only hope to retrieve your invaluable files.
If this free guide helped you and you are satisfied with our service, please consider making a donation to keep this service alive. Even a smallest amount will be appreciated.