Remove Search.addictedtomovies.co virus (Free Instructions) - Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge
Search.addictedtomovies.co might cause browsing and privacy-related problems
Search.addictedtomovies.co is a movie-themed search engine developed by Polarity Technologies. However, movie lovers should not be amazed by its features and quick access to popular websites. This tool is known as a browser hijacker and a potentially unwanted program (PUP).
This search tool spreads like “Addicted To Movies” browser extension which is available on addictedtomovies.co and Chrome Store.[1] However, if you decide to install it to your web browser, you will give these permissions to the add-on:
- Read and change all your data on the websites you visit
- Change your search settings to: search.addictedtomovies.co
- Manage your apps, extensions, and themes
Basically, you allow this program to take over your browser. These activities will lead to altered browser’s settings, disabled possibility to access other search providers from the browser’s homepage, installation of unknown add-ons and delivery with intrusive ads.
At first glance, Search.addictedtomovies.co looks like an ordinary search engine that displays search results from Yahoo. The bonus feature is quick access to IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and other movie-related websites from the convenient toolbar.
However, innocent looks of Search.addictedtomovies.co hides several possible threats to your PC and privacy:
- It might display malicious or misleading ads that lead to phishing[2] or infected websites;
- It might collect personal information about users and share it with third-parties or advertising networks.
The only way to solve these major issues is Search.addictedtomovies.co removal. Once you uninstall this browser extension and reset your browser, you will be able to set your preferred homepage, search engine and forget about annoying ads.
In order to remove Search.addictedtomovies.co, you have to obtain anti-malware software, such as ReimageIntego, and run a full system scan. Also, you can get rid of this cyber parasite manually. The guide is given below.
Search.addictedtomovies.co has an official website and is available for download on other sites. However, most of the time it spreads in software bundles.
Tips to avoid accidental installation of the questionable browser extension
Search.addictedtomovies.co hijack might occur when you download and install free program. Just like plenty of similar browser extensions, this one is actively advertised in software packages. Thus, you should be careful with software installation.
- Always choose reliable download sources.
- Read EULA and Privacy Policy.
- Choose Advanced/Custom installation options instead of Quick/Standard.
- Follow each of the steps carefully to notice “optional downloads” and unmark them.
The hijacker widely spreads in the United States. However, users in France, Italy, and Spain[3] also report about problems caused by this PUP after installing various programs, including video players and PDF converters.
Wipe out Search.addictedtomovies.co redirect virus for good
Search.addictedtomovies.co removal can be accomplished either automatically or manually. If you are willing to find and delete all hijacker-related files without additional software, you can find the handbook given below.
Otherwise, you can install anti-malware/anti-spyware and remove Search.addictedtomovies.co with the help of it. Once you install your preferred software, you have to update it and use full system scan feature.
You may remove virus damage with a help of ReimageIntego. 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 Search.addictedtomovies.co virus, follow these steps:
Erase Search.addictedtomovies.co from Windows systems
Check the list of installed programs and get rid of unknown apps that might be developed by Polarity Technologies or other untrustworthy company.
To remove Search.addictedtomovies.co virus from Windows 10/8 machines, please follow these steps:
- Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
- From the list, find entries related to Search.addictedtomovies.co virus (or any other recently installed suspicious program).
- Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.
- If User Account Control shows up, click Yes.
- Wait till uninstallation process is complete and click OK.
If you are Windows 7/XP user, proceed with the following instructions:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel located on the right pane (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.
- Pick the unwanted application by clicking on it once.
- At the top, click Uninstall/Change.
- In the confirmation prompt, pick Yes.
- Click OK once the removal process is finished.
Remove Search.addictedtomovies.co from Mac OS X system
Follow the steps below to remove suspicious apps that might be responsible for keeping your browser hijacked.
If your macOS is displaying some infection symptoms, proceed with the following guide:
Remove Search.addictedtomovies.co virus from Applications folder:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for Search.addictedtomovies.co virus-related entries.
- Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)
To fully remove Search.addictedtomovies.co virus, you need to access Application Support, LaunchAgents, and LaunchDaemons folders and delete relevant files:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
- In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries related to Search.addictedtomovies.co virus and then delete them.
- Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the Search.addictedtomovies.co virus-related entries.
Uninstall Search.addictedtomovies.co from Internet Explorer (IE)
Manual Search.addictedtomovies.co removal guidelines for IE are presented below.
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 Search.addictedtomovies.co virus and other 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 again to complete Search.addictedtomovies.co virus removal.
Delete Search.addictedtomovies.co virus from Microsoft Edge
You can find the explanation how to fix Microsoft Edge after the hijack here:
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 Search.addictedtomovies.co virus-related extension and click on the Gear icon.
- Click on Uninstall at the bottom.
Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Privacy & security.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Select everything (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear.
Reset MS Edge if that 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.
If this solution failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method. Note that you need to backup your data before proceeding.
- Find the following folder on your computer: C:\\Users\\%username%\\AppData\\Local\\Packages\\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe.
- Press Ctrl + A on your keyboard to select all folders.
- Right-click on them and pick Delete
- Now right-click on the Start button and pick Windows PowerShell (Admin).
- When the new window opens, copy and paste the following command, and then press Enter:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\\AppXManifest.xml” -Verbose
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 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.
Eliminate Search.addictedtomovies.co from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Uninstall Addicted To Movies and other suspicious extensions from Firefox and reset the browser.
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 plugins that are related to Search.addictedtomovies.co virus and click Remove.
Clear cookies and site data:
- Click Menu and pick Options.
- Go to Privacy & Security section.
- Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
- Click on Clear Data…
- Select Cookies and Site Data, as well as Cached Web Content and press Clear.
In case Search.addictedtomovies.co virus did not get removed after following the instructions above, 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 – this should complete Search.addictedtomovies.co virus removal.
Get rid of Search.addictedtomovies.co from Google Chrome
In order to wipe out Search.addictedtomovies.co from your browser, you have to get rid of its extension and reset 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 the suspicious plugins that might be related to Search.addictedtomovies.co virus 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.
If the above-methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the Search.addictedtomovies.co virus-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 to complete Search.addictedtomovies.co virus removal.
Erase Search.addictedtomovies.co from Safari
Follow the steps below to clean Safari from the hijacker:
Remove unwanted extensions from Safari:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- In the new window, pick Extensions.
- Select the unwanted extension related to Search.addictedtomovies.co virus and select Uninstall.
Clear cookies and other website data from Safari:
- Click Safari > Clear History…
- From the drop-down menu under Clear, pick all history.
- Confirm with Clear History.
Reset Safari if the above-mentioned steps did not help you:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- Go to Advanced tab.
- Tick the Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop, and then select Empty Caches.
After uninstalling this potentially unwanted program (PUP) and fixing each of your web browsers, we recommend you to scan your PC system with a reputable anti-spyware. This will help you to get rid of Search.addictedtomovies.co registry traces and will also identify related parasites or possible malware infections on your computer. For that you can use our top-rated malware remover: ReimageIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes.
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 Private Internet Access 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, or 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, Data Recovery Pro can be your only hope to retrieve your invaluable files.
- ^ Matthew Hughes. How Safe Is The Chrome Web Store Anyway?. MakeUseOf. The website about technology.
- ^ How to Spot a Fake Website and Not Get Phished. Dell. The official website.
- ^ Los Virus. Los Virus. Spanish website about computer viruses and their removal.
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