Phase Search: what it is and how to remove it
Phase Search is a browser-hijacking product that applies unexpected changes to the main search provider, homepage, and new tab URL zone. When the default search engine is modified, you might start receiving misleading results while completing search queries and cannot trust the information anymore.
Facts checked October 6, 2026. Removal steps tested on Windows 11 (26H2) and checked against Microsoft's and the browser makers' current documentation. Sections marked as our earlier report are the original text: they describe the threat as it was then and have not been reviewed since. The 2026 status, the removal steps and the questions are current.
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Phase Search: summary
| Name | Phase Search |
|---|---|
| Type | Browser hijacker/potentially unwanted program |
| Activities | This bogus app can modify the browser's settings such as the homepage, search engine, new tab URL zone, show intrusive notifications, cause redirects to unknown locations, collect browsing-related data |
| Target(s) | The main targets of this app are browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, and Safari. The app can appear on both macOS and Windows computer systems |
| Danger level | Low. The browser hijacker is not a malicious program such as ransomware or trojans and does not cause severe damage as other cyber threats |
| Detection names | No Microsoft detection name is known |
| Removal | Scan the PC with security software to find and remove the malware and anything installed with it. Fortect scans Windows for malware and repairs the system files and settings it damaged. Remove it nowTo use the full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Fortect. The scan is free. |
Show 8 more facts
| Distribution | Not recorded in the old report |
|---|---|
| Damage | Not recorded in the old report |
| Symptoms | A changed search engine |
| Evidence | 4 write-ups by security sites; details still limited |
| Search page | cnet.com |
| Browsers | Chrome, Edge and Firefox |
| First seen | 2 December 2019 |
| Facts checked | 6 October 2026 |
Is Phase Search dangerous? What it collects
From our report of Dec 2019 · not reviewed since
Phase Search - a browser hijacker that alters the browser's main search provider and might compromise search results
Phase Search is a browser-hijacking product that applies unexpected changes to the main search provider, homepage, and new tab URL zone.
When the default search engine is modified, you might start receiving misleading results while completing search queries and cannot trust the information anymore. Additionally, Phase Search virus might insert bogus browser extensions or add-ons to Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or other browser apps. Afterward, you might start receiving annoying advertising content, be forcibly redirected to affiliate domains, and get your browsing history enhanced by the PUP.
Phase Search might be capable of multiple activities during one browsing session. For example, the browser hijacker might start delivering advertising content to the user's computer system and providing people with bogus deals and offers. The ads can come in forms of pop-ups, pop-unders, coupons, banners, and in-text ads.
Continuously, Phase Search can also get you involved in redirecting activities that are supposed to take the user to affiliate sources that might be filled with questionable offers of rogue security software. Here you might be convinced to waste your money on useless products and services, so better avoid any types of deals that come provided by PUPs.
Furthermore, Phase Search might start recording your browsing history, habits, and experience by using tracking tools such as HTTP cookies, beacons, and pixels. The developers often seak to figure out what types of offers are relevant at the moment and provide bogus content related to these offers so that income can come from the cost-per-click scheme.
Intrusive advertising and redirecting might visually slow down your web browsers and computer system. Phase Search might start carrying multiple actions at once that can result in frequent computer and app struggles, slowdowns, freezes, and crashes. This can affect your CPU power level also.
For this not to happen, you have to remove Phase Search from your machine and browser apps. You can complete the process by employing automatical software or using manual step-by-step guidelines that have been added to the end of this article. Those steps will also help you to reverse all bogus changes on your browsers.
Continuously, when the Phase Search removal is performed, you should check your system for possibly-altered files and entries. If you discover some compromised components, try recovering them by employing software such as .
Keep in mind that browser hijackers such as Phase Search can come with other PUPs included that can double the negative affect on your web browsers and computer system. Even the least dangerous infections make machines more vulnerable to malware attacks and might increase the chances of a dangerous computer parasite infiltration.
However, removing Phase Search from your computer is not enough. You are safe for now but you have to take specific protection measures to increase your safety in the upcoming future too. For this purpose, check the "Spreading tactics of browser hijackers" part that is written below.
How Phase Search got into your browser
From our report of Dec 2019 · not reviewed since
Potentially unwanted programs such as browser hijackers are distributed by using stealth bundling techniques when the PUP comes in an entire software package as an additional product.
This often happens if the user has chosen the "Quick/Recommended" mode as the main installation option.
This way you will be able to deselect all programs that look concerning to you as the "Quick" mode does not provide such a possibility.
Continuously, you should avoid visiting third-party websites such as cnet.com for downloading your software. Get all of your products and services from reliable sources only. Also, it is recommendable to check reviews on the program that you have been looking forward to downloading lately.
Last but not least, installing reliable antimalware protection is also necessary. Get a trustworthy AV product that includes multiple security features (e.g. online browsing, threat prevention, malware detection, system scans, system, and file repairing) and make sure to keep it updated once in a while.
Check your browser and PC
- Address:
cnet.com
How to remove Phase Search
How to remove Phase Search and get your search engine back
Remove the extension first.
The search settings only stay fixed once nothing on the PC can change them again.
Step 1: Remove extensions you did not add
Phase Search often works through an extension, so go through the extension list of each browser:
chrome://extensionsedge://extensions- Extensions and themes in Firefox
Switch suspicious extensions off one at a time and reload the page where the problem shows, then remove the one that stops it, and any other you did not add.
Remember the other browsers and profiles on the PC. If Remove is missing or greyed out, a policy forces the extension, which the policy step deals with. Windows 11 and Windows 10 show the same pages.
Chrome on Windows 11: More > Extensions > Manage extensions. Full procedure with screenshots: Remove a browser extension
Step 2: Put the search engine back and delete cnet.com
Searches that pass through
cnet.commean the browser's default search engine was replaced. Chrome: Settings > Search engine > Manage search engines and site search, then Make default on Google, Bing or another engine you chose, and Delete on cnet.com.Edge has the same list under Manage search engines (search the Settings page for it), and Firefox under Settings > Search.
Look at On startup and the homepage settings too and remove the hijacker's address there. Nothing in this step differs between Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Chrome on Windows 11: check Search engine and On startup. Full procedure with screenshots: Reset a browser and fix a hijacked search engine
Step 3: Uninstall programs you did not mean to install
Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps in Windows 11, or Settings > Apps > Apps & features in Windows 10, and sort the list by install date. Look at what appeared around the day the problem started and uninstall every program you do not recognise or did not choose.
Free converters, PDF and video tools, "system optimizers" and unknown browsers are the usual carriers of Phase Search. If a name is unclear, search for it before you remove it, so you do not uninstall a driver or a Windows component.
Full procedure with screenshots: Uninstall a program or app in Windows On uGetFix
Step 4: Reset the browser
Finish the browser part with a reset, which puts the search engine, start page, new tab page and site permissions back to their defaults and switches extensions off. Chrome: Settings > Reset settings > Restore settings to their original defaults.
Edge: Settings > Reset settings. Firefox: Help > More troubleshooting information > Refresh Firefox, which also removes its extensions. Your bookmarks and saved passwords are kept, and the menus are the same on Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Chrome on Windows 11: Settings > Reset settings. Full procedure with screenshots: Reset a browser and fix a hijacked search engine
Step 5: Scan the PC, then run the offline scan
Open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options, run a Full scan and remove everything it finds. Then select Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan) and click Scan now: the PC restarts and scans before Windows loads, which finds files that hide while Windows runs.
Save your work first, because the offline scan takes about 15 minutes. Both scans are built into Windows 11 and Windows 10, and a second scanner from another vendor is a useful extra opinion.
Windows 11: Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options. Full procedure with screenshots: Run a Microsoft Defender Offline scan
Instructions for each browser and system
The detailed steps for every browser and system this guide covers. Open the one you use.
Uninstall from Windows
To clean your Windows computer system from suspicious applications, try out the following steps
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.
Remove from Google Chrome
To remove suspicious products from Google Chrome, apply the below-provided instructions
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.
Remove from Microsoft Edge
To reverse bogus changes in Microsoft Edge, complete these guiding lines as displayed
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.
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)
To clean Firefox from unwanted components, use these guidelines below
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.
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.
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.
Reset Internet Explorer
Remove dangerous add-ons:
- Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
- Pick Manage Add-ons.
- You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.
Change your homepage if it was altered:
- Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
- Select Internet Options.
- In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
- Click Apply and then select OK.
Delete temporary files:
- Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
- Under Browsing history, click Delete...
- Select relevant fields and press Delete.
Reset Internet Explorer:
- Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
- Select Reset.
- In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.
Protect your privacy - employ a VPN
There are several ways how to make your online time more private - you can access an incognito tab.
However, there is no secret that even in this mode, you are tracked for advertising purposes. There is a way to add an extra layer of protection and create a completely anonymous web browsing practice with the help of VPN. This software reroutes traffic through different servers, thus leaving your IP address and geolocation in disguise.
Besides, it is based on a strict no-log policy, meaning that no data will be recorded, leaked, and available for both first and third parties. The combination of a secure web browser and VPN will let you browse the Internet without a feeling of being spied or targeted by criminals.
No backups? No problem. Use a data recovery tool
If you wonder how data loss can occur, you should not look any further for answers - human errors, malware attacks, hardware failures, power cuts, natural disasters, or even simple negligence.
In some cases, lost files are extremely important, and many straight out panic when such an unfortunate course of events happen. Due to this, you should always ensure that you prepare proper data backups on a regular basis.
If you were caught by surprise and did not have any backups to restore your files from, not everything is lost. is one of the leading file recovery solutions you can find on the market - it is likely to restore even lost emails or data located on an external device.
From our report of Dec 2019 · not reviewed since
Get rid of Phase Search virus and additional products
Phase Search virus should be eliminated as soon as you see this bogus app on your Windows or Mac computer system.
It might be hiding in the Applications folder if it is a macOS that you are running or executing its process in the Task Manager section if you are using a Windows machine.
Remove Phase Search as soon as you see the first infection symptoms on your web browsers that are modified search provider, new tab URL bar, homepage, and injection of suspicious extensions and plug-ins. The manual computer and browser cleaning process has been described at the end of this article.
However, we always recommend trying the automatical Phase Search removal process as this technique is much safer and guarantees a full elimination in a few minutes of time. According to experts from LosVirus.es, it is important to eliminate ALL suspicious components, otherwise, the browser hijacker might be back soon.
Questions about Phase Search
How do I change my search engine back from cnet.com?
Open the browser's search engine settings, choose the search engine you want and set it as default, then remove cnet.com from the list.
If the option is greyed out or a note says it is controlled by an extension, remove that extension first and try again. If the browser says it is managed by your organization, a policy holds the setting, and the policy steps in this guide apply.
When the change will not stick, reset the browser: it restores the default search engine and start page and turns off extensions, but keeps bookmarks and saved passwords. Then check Installed apps for a program that may put cnet.com back.
Did cnet.com come with a program I installed?
Most likely, yes. Search hijackers such as cnet.com usually arrive with free software, where an extra offer is pre-ticked in the installer, or as an extension that promises something useful, such as file conversion, maps, recipes or streaming.
Look at Settings, Apps, Installed apps sorted by install date: whatever was installed just before the search engine changed is the main suspect. Uninstall it, then remove any extension you do not recognise. In future, choose the custom or advanced option in installers and untick extra offers, and install extensions only from the official store pages of publishers you know.
Why do my searches go to cnet.com?
Because the browser's default search engine was changed to it. Phase Search did that through an extension, a program or a browser policy, and as long as that source remains, the setting points to cnet.com.
The page then passes your query to a real search provider, so the results look almost normal, with extra sponsored links on top. Changing the search engine back on its own does not last, because the source resets it. Remove the extension or program first, then the policies if any, then set your own search engine.
Is it safe to keep searching with cnet.com?
We would not. Every query you type is logged by its operators and shared with their advertising partners, and the sponsored links at the top are chosen for payment, not relevance. Results that look like a download page or a support site may lead to scams.
The page will not damage Windows by itself, but there is no benefit in keeping it: the results come from another search engine anyway. Remove Phase Search and use that search engine directly, by typing its address or choosing it in the browser settings.
Which browsers does Phase Search affect?
We saw it in Chrome, Edge and Firefox. That does not mean the other browsers on your PC are safe: hijacker installers usually change every browser they find, and browser sync can carry an extension to other computers signed in to the same account.
Check the search engine, home page, new tab, extensions and policies in each browser you have, including ones you rarely open. Chrome and Edge profiles count separately, so switch to each profile and check it as well before you call the job done.
What does cnet.com know about me?
It knows what you searched for while it was your search engine, when, from which IP address and with which browser, and usually which results you opened. Tracking cookies let it connect those searches into a profile. It does not see your saved passwords or files.
After removing Phase Search, delete the cookies and site data for cnet.com so the profile cannot be continued, and remove it from the browser's list of saved search engines. Signing out of important sites and back in also replaces session cookies.
The results look like Google or Bing. Is that real?
Partly. Many hijacker search pages pass your query to a real search engine and show its results, so the list looks familiar. What changes is the frame around it:
- extra sponsored links at the top
- the hijacker's own tracking
- sometimes a design that copies a known search engine
You can tell by the address bar. If it shows cnet.com or another unfamiliar domain instead of the search engine you know, the results come through a middleman. Remove Phase Search and search directly.
I changed the search engine, but it switched back. Why?
The hijacker is still installed, and it rewrites the setting whenever the browser starts or the extension updates. Changing the setting is the last step, not the first. Find what controls it: the search settings page usually names the extension, and a greyed-out field means a policy.
Remove that source, restart the browser, then pick your search engine and delete the hijacker's entry from the list of saved search engines so it cannot be chosen by accident. Check again after a day, when extensions have had a chance to update.
Should I just switch to another browser?
It may not help. Installers that add hijackers usually target every browser on the PC, and system-level changes such as the hosts file, DNS or proxy affect all browsers at once. A new browser also leaves the hijacker's program and extension in place, collecting data in the old one.
Remove Phase Search properly first. After that, use whichever browser you prefer; Chrome, Edge and Firefox all let you set and protect your own search engine. Import your bookmarks only after the old browser is clean.
Will Fortect remove Phase Search?
Fortect scans Windows for malware and unwanted programs and repairs the system files and settings they change, and its free scan shows what it finds on your PC before you decide anything.
For Phase Search, follow the plan above as well: the browser steps take back permissions and settings that no scanner treats as a threat, and uninstalling the program that brought it removes the source.
Run Microsoft Defender's full scan and, if anything was found, its offline scan as a second opinion. If the symptoms are gone after the plan and both scans are clean, there is nothing more to do.
Sources
- Wikipedia: HTTP cookie (read October 6, 2026)
- LosVirus: LosVirus.es (read October 6, 2026)
- FTC: How to recognize, remove and avoid malware (read October 6, 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Defender Offline (read October 6, 2026)
- Microsoft Learn: How Microsoft names malware (read October 6, 2026)