Search.hyourfreeonlineforms.com (Easy Removal Guide) - Free Instructions
Search.hyourfreeonlineforms.com Removal Guide
What is Search.hyourfreeonlineforms.com?
Hyourfreeonlineforms.com – hijacker that redirects its users to partners’ websites
Your Free Online Forms is a fake engine which hijacks[1] your browser and alters the homepage, new tab URL, and default search engine. Typically, these settings are switched to hxxp://search.hyourfreeonlineforms.com or hxxp://query.hyourfreeonlineforms.com domain names. The developer of this dubious application knows what he is doing – after hijacking these system settings, he starts redirecting its victims to needed websites.
As the name of this extension suggests, it offers free online forms. However, having in mind that its owners are Polarity Technologies Ltd, there is no surprise that Your Free Online Forms virus has no intension to disclose its full potential and capabilities.
Your Free Online Forms hijacks Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and similar popular browsers. Not only does it make changes to your browser but also redirects your search results to search.hyourfreeonlineforms.com, search.yahoo.com, and similar websites. Most likely, such activity is used to earn money thru affiliated advertising scheme. The goal of such projects is to make users visit particular websites, increase their traffic and make some profit from advertising.
However, the most unpleasant feature of this shady application is the data tracking. Here are statements that are disclosed in the Privacy Policy of Polarity Technologies:
<…> BY USING THE SERVICES, YOU ARE CONSENTING TO GRANT POLARITY PERMISSION TO COLLECT YOUR URLS AND SEARCH DATA, INCLUDING SEARCH QUERIES THAT MAY CONTAIN PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION, SHARE THEM WITH THIRD PARTIES, AND USE SEARCH-RELATED COOKIES.
Your Free Online Forms is capable of hijacking main browsers
As you can see, Search.hyourfreeonlineforms.com virus starts tracking you right after it is let into the system. No matter that data that it collects is considered as non-personal, it can be used to create more attractive ads and then redirect you to potentially malicious websites.
Once you find yourself on such site, please, stay away from ads that seem too good to be true. Besides, make sure you reset your web browser to remove search.hyourfreeonlineforms.com from your computer permanently. Otherwise, you can get infected with malware or other potentially unwanted program.
Browser hijackers are not as dangerous as ransomware viruses and similar threats. However, they can be very annoying to deal with. Therefore, we advise you to proceed with Your Free Online Forms removal instead. You can follow our professional guide below or use security software (like FortectIntego) to remove this browser hijacker from the system.
Dubious software spreads through bundling
While trying to get free software from the Internet, you might think that using Default/Recommended settings is the most suitable choice to install it. However, in reality, they must be avoided as they aim to trick users into downloading additional software components. Typically, developers of free software use bundling to hide adware and unwanted programs.[2]
Therefore, if you want to protect yourself, please, do the following when installing free software from the Internet:
- Scan the installer with security software before opening it;
- Always use Advanced/Custom mode when installing software;
- Read through installation instruction carefully;
- Untick any boxes you might find pre-checked.
If you follow these tips, you will find it much easier to keep your computer PUP and adware-free.
Uninstall search.hyourfreeonlineforms.com hijacker permanently
You might try to reset your browser settings and get rid of Your Free Online Forms yourself, but, in most of the cases, such viruses require more work to eliminate them from the system. To prevent their reappearance and shady behavior which can be particularly annoying, you should use one of the solutions prepared by our experts.
The first way to remove Your Free Online Forms hijacker is manual removal method. In this case, you need to follow our guide below. Please execute every step carefully as failure to do so might result in reappearance of the virus.
If you run into difficulties while using our guide, we would advise you to proceed with automatic Your Free Online Forms removal guide. Security software requires only installing it, updating it to its latest version and scanning the system. After checking your computer thoroughly, the program will remove all the infected files.
You may remove virus damage with a help of FortectIntego. 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.
Getting rid of Search.hyourfreeonlineforms.com. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
To fix your Windows, uninstall Your Free Online Forms first. Then, make sure you reset your affected web browsers.
Instructions for Windows 10/8 machines:
- 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 the entry of the 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.
Delete from macOS
Remove items from Applications folder:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for all related entries.
- Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)
To fully remove an unwanted app, 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 and then delete them.
- Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files.
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 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, 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.
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 unwanted plugin 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 Settings.
- 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
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 the suspicious plugins that might be 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 unwanted extensions from Safari:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- In the new window, pick Extensions.
- Select the unwanted extension 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.hyourfreeonlineforms.com 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: FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes.
How to prevent from getting stealing programs
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.
- ^ What is Browser Hijacker?. Techopedia Dictionary.
- ^ Malware: Viruses, Spyware, Adware & Other Malicious Software. UMasAmherst. Information Technology.