Safeprotect.info ads: what it is and how to remove it
Safeprotect.info is yet another malicious website made by unfair individuals willing to profit from innocent computer users. Allegedly, the only way to remove these threats is to renew the subscription of security software that has expired.
Facts checked October 7, 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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Safeprotect.info ads: summary
| Name | Safeprotect.info |
|---|---|
| Type | Scam, ads, redirect, rogue website |
| Infiltration | Compromised websites, pop-up ads, potentially unwanted applications |
| Scam content | The scam is based on scaring users into believing that their systems are infected and that they need to remove the allegedly found malware with promoted software |
| Dangers | Installation of other potentially unwanted software or malware, personal information disclosure to cybercriminals, financial losses due to scams, etc. |
| 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 10 more facts
| Distribution | Not recorded in the old report |
|---|---|
| Damage | Not recorded in the old report |
| Symptoms | Notification spam from a website |
| Evidence | 4 write-ups by security sites; details still limited |
| Domains | safeprotect.info |
| Ads shown as | Desktop notifications |
| Browsers | Chrome, Edge and Firefox |
| Installed on the PC | Nothing; a browser notification permission only |
| First seen | 18 August 2022 |
| Facts checked | 7 October 2026 |
What the Safeprotect.info ads ads look like
Your PC is infected with 5 viruses!
Is Safeprotect.info ads dangerous?
From our report of Aug 2022 · not reviewed since
Scam operations explained
Upon entering the Safeprotect.info site after being redirected from somewhere else, users are presented with what seems like an ongoing system scan that lasts for a few seconds.
During this time, users are shown pop-ups that are presented as detection of viruses. Soon after that, they would be hit with the following message they did not expect:
This message is made in order to frighten users and make them feel like their system is in danger. Fear is a powerful emotion and is often abused in social engineering schemes and phishing attempts - it makes people think rationally less and make decisions before thinking it through.
In reality, no website can determine whether or not your system is infected with malware, as only a dedicated tool installed on the system with elevated permissions can do that. Another security tip would always be checking the URL of the website claiming controversial things - always make sure that the company name represented matches its official website URL.
From our report of Aug 2022 · not reviewed since
Numerous other websites attempt to imitate legitimate security vendors
We have previously discussed Cleantraf.xyz, Dryheataffilate.store, Personal-scan.com, Antivirus-defence.com, and many other sites which use the exact same tactics as Safeprotect.info; in fact, they look and operate identically.
Even the names of these websites are specially made - crooks often use words associated with cybersecurity, including "scan," "repair," "clean," "defense," and so on. They attempt to portray these websites as something legitimate and trustworthy, while in reality, they are nothing but the opposite.
From our report of Aug 2022 · not reviewed since
Safeprotect.info is a fake website designed to make users download potentially dangerous software
Safeprotect.info is yet another malicious website made by unfair individuals willing to profit from innocent computer users.
Allegedly, the only way to remove these threats is to renew the subscription of security software that has expired.
However, Safeprotect.info is a fake website that only tries to mimic a security scan, all while using the name of a reputable security vendor. The main goal of crooks is to make sure that users get frightened and install the offered software.
This may sometimes lead to people being redirected to malicious websites, where they would be prompted to download and install malware on their systems. So please stay away from any links or downloads on this site.
Finally, frequent redirects to Safeprotect.info or similar scam websites might be a sign of adware (or another malicious software) infection, so we strongly recommend dealing with it for a better browsing and computing experience.
From our report of Aug 2022 · not reviewed since
More from our earlier report on Safeprotect.info
- Upon entering the site, people are presented with what looks like a security scan from a well-known anti-malware provider Norton, only later to be shown with fake results which claim that several viruses have been found on the system.
- Third parties can use cookies to continue tracking your online activities, so we recommended clearing browser caches and other leftover files with
- ACTION REQUIRED Your Norton Subscription Has Expired!
- Renew now to keep your PC protected.
- If your PC is unprotected, it is at risk for viruses and other malware.
- Scam websites that attempt to impersonate scans from Norton or McAfee security vendors have been on the rise.
Check your browser and PC
- Address:
safeprotect.info
How to remove Safeprotect.info ads
How to stop Safeprotect.info notifications
Do this in every browser you use, and in every profile inside it: each keeps its own list of sites allowed to send notifications.
Nothing has to be uninstalled for the notifications themselves.
Which browser shows the ads?
Step 1: Remove safeprotect.info from Chrome's notification list
Open More (the three dots) > Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings > Notifications, or paste
chrome://settings/content/notificationsinto the address bar.Under Allowed to send notifications, open the menu next to
safeprotect.infoand choose Remove or Block, and do the same for any other address you do not recognise.Next to Not allowed to send notifications, click Add and enter safeprotect.info, so the site cannot ask again. The menus are the same in Chrome on Windows 11 and Windows 10, and each Chrome profile keeps its own list.
Chrome on Windows 11: Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings > Notifications. Full procedure with screenshots: Stop website notifications and pop-ups
Step 1: Remove safeprotect.info from Edge's notification list
Edge stores its own permission list, separate from Chrome's, and it is often the browser behind these pop-ups on Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Go to Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Site permissions > All permissions > Notifications, or paste
edge://settings/content/notifications. Removesafeprotect.infofrom Allowed, then add it under Not allowed to send notifications. Notifications that show the Edge logo come from this list.
Edge on Windows 11: Site permissions > All permissions > Notifications. Full procedure with screenshots: Stop website notifications and pop-ups
Step 1: Remove safeprotect.info from Firefox's notification permissions
In Firefox the permission sits in Settings > Permissions and data > Notifications (in older versions Privacy & Security > Notifications > Settings). Select
safeprotect.infoin the list, click Remove Website, and confirm with Save Changes.Firefox only shows these notifications while it is open, so if they stopped after closing Firefox, this is the browser to clean. The steps are the same on Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Firefox on Windows 11: the Notification Permissions window. Full procedure with screenshots: Stop website notifications and pop-ups
Then, whichever browser you use
Step 2: Scan the PC if you downloaded anything from the ads
Most people who only saw the notifications can skip this step. If a notification or the page it opened made you download or run a file, delete the file and run a full scan, then a Microsoft Defender Offline scan.
In Windows 11 and Windows 10 open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options, select Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan) and click Scan now. The PC restarts and the scan takes about 15 minutes, so save your work first.
Windows 11: Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options. Full procedure with screenshots: Run a Microsoft Defender Offline scan
More removal instructions
For programs installed on the PC and older browsers. Open the one you need.
Get rid of push notifications
Besides flooding users with completely inadequate information, Safeprotect.info also asks users to enable push notifications.
Those who oblige or click the "Allow" button by accident would later start receiving intrusive pop-ups that would show at random times. These would promote get-rich-quick schemes, fake virus infection alerts, lottery scams, and similar phishing material. Ignore these notifications and block them via browser settings - we explain how below.
MS Edge (Chromium):
- Open Google Chrome browser and go to Menu > Settings.
- Locate the Privacy and security section and pick Site Settings > Notifications.
- Look at the Allow section and look for a suspicious URL.
- Click the three vertical dots next to it and pick Block. This should remove unwanted notifications from Google Chrome.
- Open Mozilla Firefox and go to Menu > Options.
- Click on Privacy & Security section.
- Under Permissions, you should be able to see Notifications. Click the Settings button next to it.
- In the Settings – Notification Permissions window, click on the drop-down menu by the URL in question.
- Select Block and then click on Save Changes. This should remove unwanted notifications from Mozilla Firefox.
- Open Microsoft Edge, and go to Settings.
- Select Site permissions.
- Go to Notifications on the right.
- Under Allow, you will find the unwanted entry.
- Click on More actions and select Block.
- Click on Safari > Preferences...
- Go to the Websites tab and, under General, select Notifications.
- Select the web address in question, click the drop-down menu and select Deny.
Check your device for adware and clean your browsers
Redirects to suspicious websites, changed homepage and new tab settings, and increased advertisement count is something that indicates infiltration of potentially unwanted or malicious software.
For example, browser hijackers are known to take over browsers, change search providers and insert numerous sponsored links at the top of the results.
Adware mainly operates by redirecting people to suspicious websites, creating links in the random text, showing pop-up ads, and similar activity that helps people behind it generate revenue. The main thing that is wrong with adware is that its display of ads becomes its main focus, and users rarely receive any benefits. Besides, adware may also expose them to malicious content and result in further infiltration of potentially unwanted programs/malware.
The simplest and most effective way of doing so is by running a scan with or software, as it can locate all the malware-related components and get rid of them automatically. After that, you should also clean your browser caches, removing trackers from your system - you can do that easily with , although manual solutions are available too.
MS Edge (Chromium)
- Click the 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.
- Click Menu and pick Options.
- Go to Privacy & Security section.
- Click on Clear Data...
- Select Cookies and Site Data, as well as Cached Web Content and press Clear.
- Click on Menu and go to Settings.
- Select Privacy and services.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Under Time range, pick All time.
- Select Clear now.
- Click Safari > Clear History...
- From the drop-down menu under Clear, pick all history.
- Confirm with Clear History.
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 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
- 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, can be your only hope to retrieve your invaluable files.
Questions about Safeprotect.info ads
How do I stop notifications from safeprotect.info?
Remove its permission in the browser. The bottom line of each notification names the browser, so open that browser's notification settings and look under Allowed. Remove safeprotect.info and any other site you do not recognise.
In Chrome and Edge this is under the site settings for notifications; in Firefox it is under Settings, Permissions and data, Notifications. Do this in every browser profile, because each one keeps its own list.
Restart the browser and wait a few minutes. If a message still arrives, read its bottom line again: the sending address can differ from the site you remember, and that is the entry still left in the list.
The safeprotect.info notification said my PC is infected. Is it true?
No. Notifications from safeprotect.info are adverts written to look like system messages. A website cannot scan your files, so it has no way to know whether your PC is infected; it shows the same warning to everyone who allowed its notifications. Real Windows Security messages name Windows Security in the bottom line, not a browser and a website.
If you want to be sure, open Windows Security from the Start menu and run a quick scan there. Then remove safeprotect.info from the browser's notification settings so the fake warnings stop arriving. Do not call any number or buy anything the notification or its page suggests.
What is Safeprotect.info?
Safeprotect.info is a push-notification spam site, a kind of adware. It earns money by showing desktop notifications, and each view, click or redirect pays whoever runs it. It is not something people usually choose; it arrives through a free download, a fake button or a misleading prompt.
Safeprotect.info does not encrypt files or take control of Windows, but its ads are sold to anyone, including scam operators, so they can lead to fake virus warnings and unwanted downloads. The steps in this guide remove it from Windows and from each browser.
Why does safeprotect.info keep showing up?
There are two possible reasons. If it appears as desktop notifications, a browser on this PC was given permission to receive them from safeprotect.info, usually through a misleading prompt. That permission stays until you remove it in the browser's site settings.
If it appears as tabs or redirects, an ad on a site you visit is opening it, or an extension or program on the PC is. Test a private window: if safeprotect.info never appears there, an extension is the likely cause. The plan above covers each case.
Do I have to change settings in every browser?
Only in the browsers that allowed safeprotect.info, but checking all of them takes a minute and is worth it. We saw the notifications in Chrome, Edge and Firefox. Chrome and Edge keep their notification lists under site settings, and Firefox under Privacy & Security > Permissions.
Remove safeprotect.info and any other unfamiliar site from each list, then turn off new notification requests if you do not need them. Remember that every browser profile has its own list, so a second profile can keep the messages coming after you clean the first.
Are the pop-ups I see really from Safeprotect.info?
Compare them with the details in the table above. Safeprotect.info produces desktop notifications, and the clearest sign of it is notifications from safeprotect.info. Other adware looks similar, so check the name of the sending site at the bottom of a notification, the address in the tab that opened, or the newest entries on the extensions page.
If those match, this guide fits. If you see a different name, the same kind of steps apply, but remove the item you actually find rather than guessing.
Can an adware pop-up infect my PC just by appearing?
No. A pop-up, a notification or a new tab is only a web page or a message. It cannot run programs on Windows by itself, provided the browser and Windows are up to date. Infection needs a step from you:
- running a downloaded file
- installing an extension
- giving a stranger remote access
That is why scam pages work so hard to make you click. Close such pages with the tab's X or by closing the browser, not with buttons inside the page, which may start a download.
Is it safe to click Block or Allow on a notification prompt?
Clicking Block is safe; it only tells the browser not to show notifications from that site. Clicking Allow is not dangerous to your files either, but it gives the site a channel to your desktop that spam sites abuse at once.
The prompt itself is part of the browser, so you can trust its buttons. What you cannot trust is the text on the page around it. If a page explains why you must click Allow, choose Block or close the tab.
Can I turn off the pop-ups in Windows settings instead?
You can hide them, but that is not the fix. In Windows 11, Settings > System > Notifications lets you switch off notifications for a whole browser, which silences the spam together with every useful notification from that browser.
The site keeps its permission and can still send messages when you switch them back on. It is better to remove the specific site in the browser's own notification settings and block new requests. That stops the messages at the source and leaves the rest of your notifications working.
Will Fortect remove Safeprotect.info?
No program removes Safeprotect.info itself, because there is nothing on the PC to remove: the notifications come through a permission saved in the browser, and only the browser's settings take it away, as the steps above show.
What Fortect can do is check the rest of Windows. Its free scan looks for malware, unwanted programs and damaged system files, which is useful if you clicked the ads, downloaded something from the pages they opened, or are not sure what else changed on the PC.
If the scan finds nothing and the notifications stopped after you removed the permission, this problem is solved. Use Microsoft Defender as a second opinion whenever you have downloaded files from pages like these.
Sources
- Imperva: Social Engineering (read October 7, 2026)
- Imperva: Phishing attacks (read October 7, 2026)
- Cloudwards: What is Browser Hijacking? Sneakier Than You Think (read October 7, 2026)
- Google Chrome Help: Use notifications to get alerts (no longer online) (read October 7, 2026)
- FTC: How to recognize, remove and avoid malware (read October 7, 2026)