Remove Privacysearch.link (Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge) - Simple Removal Guide
Privacysearch.link – a browser hijacker that you should not use to increase your privacy
Privacysearch.link (alternatively known as Search Privacy) is a fake search engine which promises you to “protect your privacy while you search the web by providing quality search results.” However, Search Privacy virus is considered to be a browser hijacker which sets your homepage and search engine to http://www.privacysearch.link/spsearch/?q= automatically.
This browser hijacker might seem like a useful application which can help you browse the web anonymously, without any information collected by third parties. According to its download page, Privacysearch.link promises the following:
- Fast, secure and encrypted;
- No search filtering;
- No search leakage.
However, everything becomes clear once you start reading Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Data which is collected by Privacysearch.link virus include victim's IP addresses, search terms, ads/web results clicked, search preferences, etc. As you can see, this search engine has nothing in common with privacy, and you should waste no time to uninstall it from your computer.
Such non-personally identifiable information[1] is usually collected to gain revenue by conducting research on users' browsing habits and selling this information to third-parties. This behavior is extremely deceptive as there is no guarantee that the following data won't be given to cyber criminals and similar dishonest people. The only way to stop it is to remove Privacysearch.link from the system.
You might not notice that your computer was hijacked right after turning on your computer as this is typically initiated behind user's back. Nevertheless, you will see it as soon as you launch your Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, MS Edge, Mozilla Firefox or another browser.
Don't wait until its potentially dangerous redirects show up on your computer and get rid of this virus. However, sometimes it might be a more complicated task than it seems. To make it easier, use Reimage Reimage Cleaner Intego to help you with Privacysearch.link removal. Additionally, you can check our manual removal tutorial below.
Privacysearch.link virus promises to help users increase their privacy.
Dubious applications are mostly spread with bundling
Despite the fact that this application has an official homepage and is offered in Chrome store, the most common distribution method used to spread it is quite ambiguous. More often, potentially unwanted programs are installed on the system by bundling. This deceptive marketing campaign is considered to be legal, no matter how crooked and unfair it might seem.
Everyone is trying to save time and internet surfers are not an exception. However, we can assure you that investing time in proper software installation is beneficial. Therefore, when installing the free software you obtained online, please never:
- Click “Next” button several times without looking at statements you agree with;
- Use Recommended/Quick settings to get the program you need faster;
- Rush through installation steps.
Instead, make sure you opt for Custom or Advanced installation mode and uncheck all pre-checked check marks that allow installation of suspicious add-ons, extensions, keygens,[2] search engines and similar components.
Removal of PUPs can save you from Privacysearch.link redirects
Privacysearch.link removal is your only option if you want to keep your computer redirect-free. We can assure you that this app will not improve your privacy on the Internet, so it would be better to get rid of it without wasting time. You have two methods to do that: manual and automatic.
If you would like to remove Privacysearch.link virus from your computer manually, you should follow our step-by-step guide below. In the beginning, this tutorial might seem quite complicated, as there are many steps to go through. However, just be patient and follow every step attentively and you will fix your computer.
If you decide to go with automatic elimination, you have to download and install one of the anti-malware tools that are given in the following list. If you decided to choose something from the Internet, be aware that there is a countless number of fake applications and anti-virus programs offered online. Instead of deleting malware, these programs might infect your PC with other viruses, so make sure you select genuine software.
You may remove virus damage with a help of Reimage Reimage Cleaner Intego. 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.
To remove Privacysearch.link, follow these steps:
Delete Privacysearch.link from Windows systems
To uninstall Privacysearch.link, use Control Panel. You should get rid of every suspicious app and eliminate programs that you can't remember installing on your computer.
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Click Start → Control Panel → Programs and Features (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
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If you are Windows 10 / Windows 8 user, then right-click in the lower left corner of the screen. Once Quick Access Menu shows up, select Control Panel and Uninstall a Program.
- Uninstall Privacysearch.link and related programs
Here, look for Privacysearch.link or any other recently installed suspicious programs. -
Uninstall them and click OK to save these changes.
- Remove Privacysearch.link from Windows shortcuts
Right click on the shortcut of Mozilla Firefox and select Properties.
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Go to Shortcut tab and look at the Target field. Delete malicious URL that is related to your virus.
Repeat steps that are given above with all browsers' shortcuts, including Internet Explorer and Google Chrome. Make sure you check all locations of these shortcuts, including Desktop, Start Menu and taskbar.
Remove Privacysearch.link from Mac OS X system
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If you are using OS X, click Go button at the top left of the screen and select Applications.
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Wait until you see Applications folder and look for Privacysearch.link or any other suspicious programs on it. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash.
Get rid of Privacysearch.link from Internet Explorer (IE)
To fix IE after hijack, you need to find all add-ons that could be related to Privacy Search virus.
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Remove dangerous add-ons
Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top right corner of the browser and choose Manage Add-ons.
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You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for Privacysearch.link and other suspicious plugins. Disable these entries by clicking Disable:
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Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Click on the gear icon (menu) on the top right corner of the browser and select Internet Options. Stay in General tab. -
Here, remove malicious URL and enter preferable domain name. Click Apply to save changes.
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Reset Internet Explorer
Click on the gear icon (menu) again and select Internet options. Go to Advanced tab. - Here, select Reset.
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When in the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset again to complete Privacysearch.link removal.
Uninstall Privacysearch.link from Microsoft Edge
Reset Microsoft Edge settings (Method 1):
- Launch Microsoft Edge app and click More (three dots at the top right corner of the screen).
- Click Settings to open more options.
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Once Settings window shows up, click Choose what to clear button under Clear browsing data option.
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Here, select all what you want to remove and click Clear.
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Now you should right-click on the Start button (Windows logo). Here, select Task Manager.
- When in Processes tab, search for Microsoft Edge.
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Right-click on it and choose Go to details option. If can’t see Go to details option, click More details and repeat previous steps.
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When Details tab shows up, find every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right click on each of them and select End Task to end these entries.
Resetting Microsoft Edge browser (Method 2):
If Method 1 failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method.
- Note: you need to backup your data before using this method.
- Find this folder on your computer:
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe. -
Select every entry which is saved on it and right click with your mouse. Then Delete option.
- Click the Start button (Windows logo) and type in window power in Search my stuff line.
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Right-click the Windows PowerShell entry and choose Run as administrator.
- Once Administrator: Windows PowerShell window shows up, paste this command line after PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> and press Enter:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml -Verbose}
Once these steps are finished, Privacysearch.link should be removed from your Microsoft Edge browser.
Eliminate Privacysearch.link from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
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Remove dangerous extensions
Open Mozilla Firefox, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Add-ons → Extensions.
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Here, select Privacysearch.link and other questionable plugins. Click Remove to delete these entries.
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Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Click on the menu (top right corner), choose Options → General. - Here, delete malicious URL and enter preferable website or click Restore to default.
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Click OK to save these changes.
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Reset Mozilla Firefox
Click on the Firefox menu on the top left and click on the question mark. Here, choose Troubleshooting Information.
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Now you will see Reset Firefox to its default state message with Reset Firefox button. Click this button for several times and complete Privacysearch.link removal.
Erase Privacysearch.link from Google Chrome
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Delete malicious plugins
Open Google Chrome, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Tools → Extensions.
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Here, select Privacysearch.link and other malicious plugins and select trash icon to delete these entries.
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Change your homepage and default search engine if it was altered by your virus
Click on menu icon and choose Settings. -
Here, look for the Open a specific page or set of pages under On startup option and click on Set pages.
- Now you should see another window. Here, delete malicious search sites and enter the one that you want to use as your homepage.
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Click on menu icon again and choose Settings → Manage Search engines under the Search section.
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When in Search Engines..., remove malicious search sites. You should leave only Google or your preferred domain name.
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Reset Google Chrome
Click on menu icon on the top right of your Google Chrome and select Settings. -
Scroll down to the end of the page and click on Reset browser settings.
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Click Reset to confirm this action and complete Privacysearch.link removal.
Delete Privacysearch.link from Safari
- Remove dangerous extensions
Open Safari web browser and click on Safari in menu at the top left of the screen. Once you do this, select Preferences.
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Here, select Extensions and look for Privacysearch.link or other suspicious entries. Click on the Uninstall button to get rid each of them.
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Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Open your Safari web browser and click on Safari in menu section. Here, select Preferences as it was displayed previously and select General. -
Here, look at the Homepage field. If it was altered by Privacysearch.link, remove unwanted link and enter the one that you want to use for your searches. Remember to include the "http://" before typing in the address of the page.
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Reset Safari
Open Safari browser and click on Safari in menu section at the top left of the screen. Here, select Reset Safari....
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Now you will see a detailed dialog window filled with reset options. All of those options are usually checked, but you can specify which of them you want to reset. Click the Reset button to complete Privacysearch.link removal process.
Access your website securely from any location
When you work on the domain, site, blog, or different project that requires constant management, content creation, or coding, you may need to connect to the server and content management service more often. It is a hassle when your website is protected from suspicious connections and unauthorized IP addresses.
The best solution for creating a tighter network could be a dedicated/fixed IP address. If you make your IP address static and set to your device, you can connect to the CMS from any location and do not create any additional issues for server or network manager that need to monitor connections and activities. This is how you bypass some of the authentications factors and can remotely use your banking accounts without triggering suspicious with each login.
VPN software providers like Private Internet Access can help you with such settings and offer the option to control the online reputation and manage projects easily from any part of the world. It is better to clock the access to your website from different IP addresses. So you can keep the project safe and secure when you have the dedicated IP address VPN and protected access to the content management system.
Backup files for the later use, in case of the malware attack
Computer users can suffer various losses due to cyber infections or their own faulty doings. Software issues created by malware or direct data loss due to encryption can lead to problems with your device or permanent damage. When you have proper up-to-date backups, you can easily recover after such an incident and get back to work.
It is crucial to create updates to your backups after any changes on the device, so you can get back to the point you were working on when malware changes anything or issues with the device causes data or performance corruption. Rely on such behavior and make file backup your daily or weekly habit.
When you have the previous version of every important document or project you can avoid frustration and breakdowns. It comes in handy when malware occurs out of nowhere. Use Data Recovery Pro for the system restoring purpose.
About the author
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References
- ^ Michael Sweeney, Karolina Lubowicka. What Is PII, non-PII, and Personal Data?. Piwik Pro.
- ^ What is Keygen?. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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