Skip to content
Spyware News
  • Active
  • Severity: Medium
  • Browser Hijackers
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Aug 2021

How to remove Rambler.ru virus

A step-by-step removal guide for affected devices. Follow the verified procedure below — most readers complete it in under 10 minutes.

Alice Woods · Likes to teach users about virus prevention

Rambler.ru is the search engine that misuses various misleading and deceptive techniques to expose users to sponsored matterial

Rambler.ru is a legitimate Russian search engine that has been misused by hackers who have started injecting third-party advertisements into its results. The search engine is considered to be one of Russia’s top search engines which appears instead of the default one once the browser-hijacking app is installed on the target PC. However, just like the well-known search provider Yahoo, the site has been involved in bundling. As a result, users have started posting complaints about suspicious redirects to rambler.ru/_openstat=aW52bHRfaHAzOzs7 and similar web pages without their approval. Nevertheless, its security is also under question as the site suffered from a major attack in 2016 when hackers stole nearly 100 million users' records[1].  

Name Rambler.ru
Type Russian search engine
Sub-type Potentially unwanted program/browser hijacker
Possible dangers This engine has been actively misused by hackers. As a result, it can redirect you to potentially harmful sites
Signs The homepage, default search engine, and new tab URL bar are modified without your knowledge
Other versions
Browsers infected Chrome, Edge, Safari, Firefox, or Explorer
Distribution Bundling
Removal Install anti-malware tool to detect all dubious components
Repair Try to run FortectIntego for the virus damage and leftovers

Also known as “Russia's Yahoo,” the site has been actively called as Rambler.ru virus by computer users who had this program installed by stealth technique called bundling. However, this term is wrong as this search engine does not harm any computer systems intentionally. After being included in the optional components of the freeware, it changes the default search engine, new tab URL, and home page to its own. Such changes can be reversed only if you get rid of the potentially unwanted application related to this hihacker[2] permanently.

It appears that there are numerous potentially unwanted programs (PUP)[3] that have been set to trick people into using Rambler.ru or one of its versions. However, it is not the same search engine you would use after adding it to your browser consciously. In most cases, the bad guys fill it with their ads[4] which are set to redirect victims to sponsored websites and earn them the money.

The scheme used to generate pay-per-click income is very simple: each time when the user clicks on a sponsored link, actors behind this search engine make profits. Sadly, when you visit these affiliate websites, you can be exposed to dangerous content, such as spyware or malware applications or scam surveys that try to trick users into providing personally identifiable data such as name or email address, which can be added to spammers’ databases later on.

We want to point out one fact – even legitimate search engines[5], such as Rambler.ru, can be involved in dirty campaigns. No matter that it is not malicious on its own, the links it provides can be hazardous, so there is no need to keep the browser hijacker on the system.

Rambler.ru virus

For all the beforementioned reasons, we do not recommend using this Russian search engine. We highly advise you to remove Rambler.ru virus if it got on your computer without your approval. If you do not know how to do it, please follow the instructions provided at the end of this post. Make sure you take each step with big care to terminate the PUP for good.

If you cannot find the related adware on the system, opt for the automatic threat removal method. It will help you identify the malicious or potentially unwanted programs that changed your browser settings all of sudden. Although this browser-hijacking app cannot collect personal information or damage other systems themselves, it still is very annoying and can cause harm indirectly, by taking you to a potentially dangerous website.

Nova.Rambler.ru.  This is yet another version of Rambler.ru page that reappears on the system as soon as the victim double-clicks on the browser’s shortcut. When the web browser launches, the user experiences a redirect to r0.ru page. Search results provided by r0.ru page can be filled with sponsored links, so we do not recommend trusting such search engine as it focuses only on promoting affiliate links instead of providing useful information to the user. If you would like to keep your computer safe and sound, better remove browser extensions and programs that promote nova.rambler.ru search engine.

Rambler Search. If you noticed that your browser causes redirects to a never-seen-before search engine that says it provides “Rambler Search,” you have suspicious freeware installed on your computer. These PUPs typically include this Russian search provider to their optional components, so make sure you double-check the system with the anti-spyware or anti-malware program. If your browser’s homepage was changed all of sudden, then there are great chances that your PC was infected with the so-called Rambler Search virus, which attempts to serve paid search results to you.

PUPs get delivered with other programs online

According to cybersecurity specialists from DieViren.de[6], users tend to download and install computer programs in a rush – that is the worst habit that one can have! Please, be attentive, because developers of potentially unwanted programs will take every opportunity to infect your computer with useless free and ad-supported applications.

Typically, they use the software bundling technique, which helps them to advertise their products via software installers. In other words, when the user agrees to install a free program with “Standard/Default” installation settings, which, to be honest, seem to be the most trustworthy option, all additional programs bundled with your chosen software will be installed without providing any more information about them.

Just use this simple trick to avoid hijack – choose the “Custom” or “Advanced” installation option and deselect all optional components added to your download[7]. Moreover, it is recommendable to install a trustworthy and expert-tested antivirus tool that will always keep the computer system protected.

Stop the redirects by removing the Rambler.ru search engine fully

Numerous users are often performing search requests on “how to remove Rambler.ru virus”. If you got infected with the PUP that it promoting this Russian search site, you still should terminate it together with the related program. Please take a look at our provided instructions which you can find below this text and think about how you want to uninstall this potentially unwanted program.

It seems that this software is sophisticated and made to be invisible to the computer user, so we highly recommend using an anti-malware or anti-spyware program. Sometimes trying to complete the threat removal manually seems a hard thing to do; instead of playing with system folders and browser shortcuts, we suggest you perform a scan with an anti-malware program and wait until it tracks down all unwanted components from the computer system.

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

Delete from macOS

Remove the unwanted application:

  1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
  2. In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).Uninstall from Mac

Delete leftover files and folders:

  1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
  2. Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
  3. Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.Delete leftover files from Mac
  4. Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.

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

Did this guide help?

Yes0No0

4 comments

  1. Starboi

    I was wondering why my browser loads rambler.ru search and not yandex.ru... very strange. now i get why this happened.

  2. Hanna

    Right... not very nice way to promote yourself, Rambler.

  3. Suzan

    I experience redirects to nova.rambler.ru...

  4. kelly

    I dont like rambler.ru! how to change it

Log in to post your comment
Log in to comment
Editor's pick · tested 2026

Fortect Intego

9.4 / 10 9.6 / 10 Best overall pick
  • Real-time ransomware shield
  • Free 14-day trial, no card
  • Cleans the threats listed above

Ad — we may earn a commission if you buy via this link.

Get protected →Get protected → Read our full review Read our full review

Read in your language

Spyware News
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy preferences

We use cookies to improve your experience and analyze traffic. Some cookies enable embedded content like videos and social posts. Choose what you allow — you can change this anytime.