Search Know ads (Tutorial) - updated Jan 2021
Search Know ads Removal Guide
What is Search Know ads?
Search Know – a fake search engine that brings ads to you
If “Ads by Search Know” are attacking your computer, you should know that Search Know adware has infiltrated your computer. This troublesome program belongs to the group of potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) and is known for various advertising techniques.
Some hardly reliable sources sponsor search Know, and these sources seek to increase web traffic to their Internet pages. Search Know functions to promote such websites. For that, it displays advertisements that usually look very appealing.
However, they are fake ads. This program does not provide any real-life deals or offers; the only intention is to attract the victim to click on these ads and explore their content. Of course, you are not going to see any content that was advertised by Search Know ads.
In most cases you are going to experience Search Know redirects to third-party websites.
Please be very careful if you happen to click on such a misleading ad – third-party websites can promote suspicious files or ask you to fill questionable surveys.
You should remember that it is not wise to enter your personal information on unreliable websites, and especially do not enter your credit card info on such websites! It is not safe. Besides, Search Know works as a browser hijacker as well, so it replaces your default homepage with search.searchitknow.com and can generate altered search results that can also redirect you to suspicious websites.
Please remember another fact about SearchKnow – it can collect information about your browsing activity. It can achieve such information:
- your browsing history;
- your search queries;
- your downloads list;
- bookmarks list, and so on.
Such data is used to predict your interests and generate targeted ads. It can also be shared with third-parties, which may result in even more intensive ad-campaigns for you.
Sadly, we do not know if Search Know developers do not use this information for other questionable purposes. Needless to say, the best decision would be to remove this suspicious and useless program from your PC. Try FortectIntego anti-malware – it is a trustworthy program, which is used to detect and delete various parasites and computer threats.
Browser hijacker distribution methods
Search Know is not a program that is distributed in a direct way – commonly, it is marketed together with other legitimate free programs. You should not think that installing new programs requires just a few clicks on the “Next” button – in reality, you have to check several things before allowing new software to place its files on your Windows Registry. Experts also say:
Please be careful and read the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy forms as well – these documents usually reveal if the software you have just downloaded includes any supplemental applications.
Moreover, install the software safely – select “advanced” or “custom” installation options and reject any unfamiliar statements by deselecting the boxes placed near them. Basically, you need to do just two security checks before finishing the installation process – it is an effortless task, and it is very easy to ensure your computer’s safety.
Search Know removal steps
We believe that you understand why PUPs are not useful programs, hence Search Know removal is highly recommended. We surely doubt that you want to keep such a PC intruder on your system anymore. There are two main methods you can rely on when trying to get rid of the app:
- manual
- automatic.
If you want to choose a quick way to remove Search Know virus, you should perform a full system scan with a reliable anti-malware (don't forget to bring it up to the most recent version before that). You can also look for suspicious programs manually based on our guidelines below. However, we also recommend you check your web browsers and delete all the unwanted extensions, and clear web browsing data and cookies.
FAQ about this program:
Question: I keep seeing ads labeled as “Search Know ads.” However, whenever I click on them, I end up on a website that is not associated with the ad content… What is the problem?
Answer: You should not trust ads by Search Know virus because this virus does not provide any useful content at all. It only seeks to increase affiliate marketing, so that is why you end up on unfamiliar websites. To remove these ads, you need to remove the adware that generates them. Follow the steps below to remove it:
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 Know ads. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
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 Know 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 adware
Stream videos without limitations, no matter where you are
There are multiple parties that could find out almost anything about you by checking your online activity. While this is highly unlikely, advertisers and tech companies are constantly tracking you online. The first step to privacy should be a secure browser that focuses on tracker reduction to a minimum.
Even if you employ a secure browser, you will not be able to access websites that are restricted due to local government laws or other reasons. In other words, you may not be able to stream Disney+ or US-based Netflix in some countries. To bypass these restrictions, you can employ a powerful Private Internet Access VPN, which provides dedicated servers for torrenting and streaming, not slowing you down in the process.
Data backups are important – recover your lost files
Ransomware is one of the biggest threats to personal data. Once it is executed on a machine, it launches a sophisticated encryption algorithm that locks all your files, although it does not destroy them. The most common misconception is that anti-malware software can return files to their previous states. This is not true, however, and data remains locked after the malicious payload is deleted.
While regular data backups are the only secure method to recover your files after a ransomware attack, tools such as Data Recovery Pro can also be effective and restore at least some of your lost data.