Why the presence Play-bar-search.com hijacker might result in a negative browsing experience
If the Play-bar-search.com web address has been showing up on your web browser, it has been hijacked. The app is very similar to play-bar.net and is classified as a potentially unwanted program, which means that it was unlikely to be installed intentionally. Besides, such apps are known to track user data on a regular basis and also insert sponsored search results in order to obtain pay-per-click revenue. In such a way, your browsing experience can be drastically changed – and not in a good way. Thus, we highly recommend you uninstall potentially unwanted programs from your machine.
| Name | Play-bar-search.com |
| Type | Browser hijacker |
| Distribution | Software bundling, third-party websites |
| Operation | Changes New tab and homepage web address -replaces it with its own; provides an alternative search engine; shows ads and sponsored links in search results; tracks user information |
| Elimination | Uninstall PUPs by following our manual guide or employ antivirus program |
| Browser fix | Don't forget to delete web data and cookies from your browsers – FortectIntego can help you do that efficiently |
All these search engines seek to push PC users into thinking that it is a legitimate and trustworthy search engine that can be used instead of Google, Bing, Yahoo, or another reputable search provider. However, you should not expect trustworthy search results from this questionable search tool which seeks to redirect its users to sponsored domains and earn money.
The app belongs to a well-known developer called Imali Media, which has already launched tends of similar PUPs that have been actively spread in a bundle with freeware and shareware as optional components. Therefore, you should avoid apps by this developer, including:
If you have been bothered by any of these suspicious search engines, you need to remove Play-bar-search.com with its components with FortectIntego or other reliable security software. Otherwise, you can expect to run into various problems caused by this redirect virus.
Relevant search results and fast surfing are the main promises that are promised by this search engine. Nevertheless, before installing it on your computer, you should know that it has already been labeled as a browser hijacker. As soon as it infiltrates the system, it modifies its settings so that it could start its work as soon as the victim reboots the affected computer.
It starts working by launching its cookies and tracking its victim for some time. According to the developer of this hijacker, it collects only non-personal information. However, it fails to inform what third parties are capable of using it for their own needs. We believe that this is the first reason why you should think about the app's removal.
Secondly, before you let this suspicious search engine stay on your computer, you should know about the redirect issue that it causes right after it collects the needed amount of information about user's search habits. Also, redirect activity is initiated by showing altered search results and filling them with different pop-up ads. If you don't want to end up on a questionable website, make sure that you stay away from this search engine.
Finally, keep in mind that such search engines have been actively used for promoting tech support and similar services that can lead you to money loss and additional problems on your computer. To stay safe, you should avoid Imali Media products.
How does this search engine function
As we have already mentioned, the main reason why its developers seek to initiate redirect is a need to earn money. In most cases, they display altered search results and trick people into visiting third-party websites that are trying to increase their popularity. In exchange for that, these parties pay the money.
The main issue with browser hijack is that you can never know what website you will be redirected to. Also, you may find serious issues while trying to get rid of this search engine. As a rule, changing the browser's settings back to normal brings no results as “browser helper objects” that travel along with this application is used for leading people to inability to reset these settings.
Speaking of further dangers, you should know that the play-bar-search.com virus may also collect IP addresses, visited website URLs, search queries, geographical location, platform type. This ability is not revealed clearly to PC users by its developers.
Unexpected PUP appearance explained
Most frequently, the virus spreads through “bundling ” – a prevalent marketing method. This method relies on freeware, such as PDF creators, photo or audio editing tools, download managers, movie players, etc. Beware that play-bar-search.com virus may be attached to the software you are about to install. The attachment can be hidden behind “Basic” or “Quick” installation options, so you should avoid them.
Being aware of this trick, you should select the Advanced installation option only and uncheck all checkmarks claiming that you want to change your start page or the default search engine. If you need help with play-bar-search.com removal, jump to the next page.
Get rid of play-bar-search.com quickly
To sum up, whether you are an experienced or freshly-made Internet user, you should try to stay away from questionable search engines that are presented as alternatives to the well-known ones (Google, Bing, etc.). In fact, hundreds of websites should be avoided because they are considered suspicious. The most common feature of browser hijackers is the tendency to hijack people's browsers and modify their default settings.
If you have a browser hijacker installed on your system, you have two options to help you get rid of it. The first option leading to the elimination of this PUP is a manual removal method. In this case, you should follow a detailed PUP removal guide which is given below.
However, keep in mind that this process requires time and thoroughness. To prevent problems that may reappear after removing it, we recommend you remove play-bar-search.com with the help of updated anti-spyware. It will detect and remove the hijacker and all possible malware left in your system. Update the software regularly, and you can be sure that your computer stays safe in the future as well.
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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