Remove Search.hplayfreemusic.co virus (Simple Removal Guide) - Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge
Search.hplayfreemusic.co might redirect to questionable sites from the search results page
Search.hplayfreemusic.co is a suspicious search engine created by Polarity Technologies. This Yahoo-based search tool spreads in software bundles as Play Free Music extension and might hijack web browsers after careless installation of freeware. Due to its operation peculiarities, this application is known as a browser hijacker.[1]
The purpose of Search.hplayfreemusic.co virus is to take control over the targeted web browser and control user’s browsing habits by changing startup page and default search engine. The main page of the website includes quick access to social media websites and music-themed sites, such as Spotify. Thus, it might seem like a legit search tool.
Another feature that might let people believe that they can trust Search.hplayfreemusic.co is that it redirects search queries to Yahoo. However, the hijacker is capable of redirecting users to the third-party websites that might promote questionable software, services or involve in cyber crime.[2]
Security experts warn about potentially dangerous Search.hplayfreemusic.co redirect tendencies. Cybercriminals and scammers might exploit the hijacker for their shady purposes. Thus, using this search tool and keeping the extension installed might increase your chances to suffer from malware attack or encounter privacy-related problems.
Talking about privacy, it’s important to mention that some worrying details are provided in Search.hplayfreemusic.co Privacy Policy as well. The program might collect both – personal and non-personally identifiable information. What is worse, it might share aggregated data with third-parties, including advertising networks.
No one can guarantee that some of the personal information won’t be shared or sold to criminals. Therefore, you should protect your privacy by uninstalling this potentially unwanted program (PUP) from the computer. You can remove Search.hplayfreemusic.co either manually or automatically.
Manual elimination guide is given at the end of the article. However, automatic Search.hplayfreemusic.co removal is quicker and simpler. All you need to do is to scan the system with ReimageIntego or another anti-malware. It will do all the job for you.
Careful freeware installation can prevent accidental installation of the hijacker
The Search.hplayfreemusic.co hijack is most likely to occur when users download Play Free Music extension. However, you won’t be able to download it simply. This browser add-on is promoted in software packages. Thus, when you install freeware or shareware using Advanced/Custom setup, you might find it offered to download as well.
Unfortunately, the majority of users rely on Quick/Recommended settings that do not include this feature. If you use this installation wizard, you always risk installing a bunch of unwanted applications that cause numerous problems. Thus, you should get rid of this bad habit.
Security experts from No Virus[3] remind these simple security tips that you should follow when installing new programs:
- Opt for Advanced/Custom installation.
- Read EULA, Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
- Unmark pre-selected programs.
- Remove ticks from agreements to change your default search engine.
Elimination guidelines of the Search.hplayfreemusic.co
If you want to remove Search.hplayfreemusic.co manually, you should carefully follow the instructions below. You will have to uninstall suspicious programs, add-ons, and files that might be related to the browser hijacker.
However, if instructions seem complicated or time-consuming, you should opt for the automatic Search.hplayfreemusic.co removal. This method requires scanning the system with a reputable anti-malware and letting it deleting suspicious components. After the scan, reset each of your browsers and continue browsing the web safer.
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.hplayfreemusic.co virus, follow these steps:
Eliminate Search.hplayfreemusic.co from Windows systems
In order to remove Search.hplayfreemusic.co browser hijacker entirely, you have to investigate the system and make sure that all suspicious programs or files were not installed on your PC.
To remove Search.hplayfreemusic.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.hplayfreemusic.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.
Erase Search.hplayfreemusic.co from Mac OS X system
Terminate the virus from Mac OS X by following these steps:
Remove Search.hplayfreemusic.co virus from Applications folder:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for Search.hplayfreemusic.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.hplayfreemusic.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.hplayfreemusic.co virus and then delete them.
- Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the Search.hplayfreemusic.co virus-related entries.
Get rid of Search.hplayfreemusic.co from Internet Explorer (IE)
The instructions below will help you to fix Internet Explorer after the hijack:
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.hplayfreemusic.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.hplayfreemusic.co virus removal.
Remove Search.hplayfreemusic.co virus from Microsoft Edge
Take these steps after Microsoft Edge hijack:
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.hplayfreemusic.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.
Restore new tab and homepage settings:
- Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
- Then find On startup section.
- Click Disable if you found any suspicious domain.
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.
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.
Delete Search.hplayfreemusic.co from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Uninstall Play Free Music or other suspicious add-ons by Polarity Technologies. Then reset Mozilla Firefox.
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.hplayfreemusic.co virus and click Remove.
Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Options.
- Under Home options, enter your preferred site that will open every time you newly open the Mozilla Firefox.
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.
Reset Mozilla Firefox
In case Search.hplayfreemusic.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.hplayfreemusic.co virus removal.
Uninstall Search.hplayfreemusic.co from Google Chrome
Remove suspicious Chrome extensions. We recommend eliminating add-ons created by Polarity technologies, including Play Free Music which is responsible for setting Search.hplayfreemusic.co default search tool.
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.hplayfreemusic.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.
Change your homepage:
- Click menu and choose Settings.
- Look for a suspicious site like Search.hplayfreemusic.co virus 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 Search.hplayfreemusic.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.hplayfreemusic.co virus removal.
Eliminate Search.hplayfreemusic.co from Safari
Remove unwanted extensions from Safari:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- In the new window, pick Extensions.
- Select the unwanted extension related to Search.hplayfreemusic.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.hplayfreemusic.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.
Do not let government spy on you
The government has many issues in regards to tracking users' data and spying on citizens, so you should take this into consideration and learn more about shady information gathering practices. Avoid any unwanted government tracking or spying by going totally anonymous on the internet.
You can choose a different location when you go online and access any material you want without particular content restrictions. You can easily enjoy internet connection without any risks of being hacked by using Private Internet Access VPN.
Control the information that can be accessed by government any other unwanted party and surf online without being spied on. Even if you are not involved in illegal activities or trust your selection of services, platforms, be suspicious for your own security and take precautionary measures by using the VPN service.
Backup files for the later use, in case of the malware attack
Computer users can suffer from data losses due to cyber infections or their own faulty doings. Ransomware can encrypt and hold files hostage, while unforeseen power cuts might cause a loss of important documents. If you have proper up-to-date backups, you can easily recover after such an incident and get back to work. It is also equally important to update backups on a regular basis so that the newest information remains intact – you can set this process to be performed automatically.
When you have the previous version of every important document or project you can avoid frustration and breakdowns. It comes in handy when malware strikes out of nowhere. Use Data Recovery Pro for the data restoration process.
- ^ Margaret Rouse. Browser hijacker (browser hijacking). TechTarget. The global network of technology-related websites.
- ^ Lily Hay Newman. The Biggest Cybersecurity Disasters of 2017 so far. Wired. The website about technology, science, design, business and more.
- ^ No Virus. No Virus. British security news.