Search.hmytemplates.co – hijacker that might modify browser without your consent

Search.hmytemplates.co is a shady search engine created by Polarity Technologies. It spreads as My Templates application in various freeware or shareware.[1] This tool may appear useful only based on the websites similarities with other legitimate search engines. However, it’s a browser hijacker that might do some damage or at least cause countless browsing-related problems.
| Summary | |
|---|---|
| Name | Search.hmytemplates.co |
| Developer | Polarity Technologies |
| Type | Browser hijacker |
| Affected browsers | Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, etc. |
| Symptoms | Browser homepage, default search engine, and new tab URL changed with a new domain, an increased amount of ads, browser redirects, constantly freezing browser |
| Distribution | Software bundles |
| To uninstall Search.hmytemplates.co, install FortectIntego and run a full system scan | |
After the hijack, Search.hmytemplates.co virus changes homepage, default search engine and new tab settings on your browser. The problem is that this potentially unwanted program (PUP) might alter browser’s settings in order to prevent users from setting their preferred search engine or startup page.
Additionally, My Templates virus might install questionable toolbars, bookmarks and Favorites added to your Internet Explorer, Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. All these activities might be the reason why your browser freezes a lot or becomes sluggish.
Search.hmytemplates.co removal is essential if you want to get your browser back to its shape. Elimination of the hijacker is also important in order to make browsing sessions safe again. Nevertheless, this search engine delivers results from Yahoo; it still can redirect to suspicious third-party sites when you click on results link.
Moreover, Search.hmytemplates.co might display misleading ads that lead to phishing websites. Such shady applications are often exploited by scammers or cyber criminals who are interested in spreading malware[2] or other crimes. Therefore, it’s highly recommended to stay away from the content delivered after the hijack.
The significant feature that is mostly creating negative associations to this type of PUP is data tracking. “When you use our Services or view content provided by Polarity, we automatically collect and store certain information in server logs.” – stated on the website for this search engine.
In other words, they collect search data, IP addresses, geo-location and your most used and viewed websites. This data is later used to provide, generate and modify specific advertisements posted on your browser. These ads make page redirects and annoying pop-up add circle.
All of these negative features should make you want to remove search.hmytemplates.co safely and correctly try to do full system scan using FortectIntego. We do not recommend to do hijacker removal manually, that might take hours and still give no results.

Browser hijacker prevention: secure downloads from legit websites
When you are browsing the internet without caution, you can get something that is not supposed to be there. Potentially unwanted programs come in bundles with other freeware you are downloading without care. Not paying enough attention can cause these hijackers to appear without your consent.
Developers know about this tendency of skipping steps during installation, and they have this bundling technique that helps to hide PUPs within insecure downloads. When a user chooses default option of installing any freeware they cannot see what exactly they are installing on their computer.
By choosing Advanced or Custom options, you can unpack the bundle and de-select the programs that you do not know of. This and occasional full system scan can with security program help you to avoid these infections. Experts from NoVirus.uk[3] also remind that you should not download programs from pop-ups or ads. Apps promoted in such way are often categorized as a potentially unwanted.
Remove Search.hmytemplates.co from your browser immediately
The longer you have these browser infections on your browser, the more damage it can cause. Those redirects and pop-up ads generating more ways to infections and your browser gets slower. You need to remove search.hmytemplates.co as soon as you discover these symptoms.
For these PUPs, you can use any anti-malware tool that is certified and downloaded from a legitimate provider. Our suggestions are provided below. However, if you do not want to use additional software, you can opt for the automatic Search.hmytemplates.co removal that is explained in more details below.
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.
Reset Internet Explorer
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 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.

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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