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  • Active
  • Severity: High
  • Stealing programs
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Apr 2017

How to remove Search.SafeFinder.com

A step-by-step removal guide for affected devices. Follow the verified procedure below — most readers complete it in under 10 minutes.

Jake Doevan · Computer technology expert

Essential things to know about Search.SafeFinder.com redirect issue

Search.SafeFinder.com virus is just another name to identify Safe Finder virus, which is a potentially unwanted program (PUP)[1]. Technically, we cannot classify it as a virus, although its functionality barely differs from one. This questionable program can be installed on both Windows and Mac OS platforms, and hijack settings of three major web browsers – Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. This tool falsely claims to be designed to protect the user and his/hers computer during one’s browsing sessions, however, it seems that at this point we are dealing with a typical browser hijacker who tries to sugarcoat its real aims by introducing itself as a beneficial tool that can improve user’s browsing experience[2].

Search.SafeFinder.com virus Once installed, this browser hijacker messes up your browser’s settings and makes you experience redirects to Search.SafeFinder.com search engine, because it sets this URL as a new default home and new tab page. In addition, you should keep in mind that you have to be very careful with its search results because they are likely to be altered. Also, try to avoid pop-up ads that may also be displayed by Search.SafeFinder.com because they can be filled with various links trying to redirect you to predetermined/affiliate websites. In most of the cases, this search site seeks to promote affiliate websites that pay for its owners in exchange for this doubtful marketing campaign. If your Internet Explorer, Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox browsers have fallen victims to Search.SafeFinder.com hijack, you should use a step-by-step guide that is given below and remove this questionable search engine from the system. Otherwise, you may find yourself experiencing repetitious redirects to suspicious websites[3]. By the way, this search engine is capable of tracking PC users because it collects details such as what sites people like to visit, how much time they spent on them, what search queries they made, etc. Please, be very careful and never allow such activities. The easiest way to put an end to suspicious Safe Finder’s activity is to remove Search.SafeFinder.com software from your computer, and you can choose how you want to do it. If you’re looking for a manual Search.SafeFinder.com removal tutorial, you can find it at the end of this post. If you’re looking for automatic problem-solving software to remove this hijacker, we recommend using FortectIntego or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes.

How can I stop such programs before they enter my PC?

Search.SafeFinder.com can easily hijack[4] your PC system unnoticed and show up on each of web browsers because it is distributed by a long list of freeware and shareware. We can hardly say what programs now contribute to promotion of this search tool, so you will have to use these general tips for trying to prevent infiltration of Search.SafeFinder.com virus. First of all, try to make a small research before installing freeware from unknown sources. Read reviews, comments and online discussions to check the program before installing it on the system. Secondly, read End User License Agreement to know more about the program that you want to install. Then, choose Custom or Advanced installation option and then follow every installation step of the freeware in order to find the check mark that allows installation of Search.SafeFinder.com or other “optional downloads”[5]. Of course, you should uncheck it. If you found Search.SafeFinder.com instead of your start page or default search engine, you can remove it with a help of the guide we provided down below.

Should I use Search.SafeFinder.com removal tool?

It is up to you to decide which Search.SafeFinder.com removal method you prefer, however, we strongly recommend going for the automatic one because it is the easiest and most secure way to remove Search.SafeFinder.com virus. This search site may start causing lots of annoying ads, slow downs and similar inconveniences, and this can happen because the described hijacker tends to be distributed in conjunction with other PUPs. Finding all of them on your own is going to be a time-consuming task, so if you’re short of time, you can scan the system with tools such as FortectIntego.

Uninstall from Windows

Uninstall from Windows 10/8:

  1. Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
  2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 10/8

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:

  1. Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
  2. In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 7/XP

Remove the unwanted program:

  1. In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
  2. If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.Uninstall the unwanted program from Windows

Delete from macOS

Remove the unwanted application:

  1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
  2. In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).Uninstall from Mac

Delete leftover files and folders:

  1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
  2. Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
  3. Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.Delete leftover files from Mac
  4. Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.

Reset Internet Explorer

Remove dangerous add-ons:

  1. Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
  2. Pick Manage Add-ons.
  3. You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.Remove add-ons from Internet Explorer

Change your homepage if it was altered:

  1. Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
  2. Select Internet Options.
  3. In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
  4. Click Apply and then select OK.Reset IE homepage

Delete temporary files:

  1. Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
  2. Under Browsing history, click Delete...
  3. Select relevant fields and press Delete.Clear temporary files from Internet Explorer

Reset Internet Explorer:

  1. Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
  2. Select Reset.
  3. In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset.Reset Internet Explorer

Remove from Microsoft Edge

Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:

  1. Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
  2. From the list, pick the extension and click on the Gear icon.
  3. Click Remove.Remove extensions from Edge

Clear cookies and other browser data:

  1. Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
  2. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  3. 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.Clear Edge browsing data

Restore new tab and homepage settings:

  1. Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
  2. Then find On startup section.
  3. Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.

Reset MS Edge if the above steps did not work:

  1. Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
  3. Select Details tab.
  4. 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.Reset MS Edge

Instructions for Chromium-based Edge

Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):

  1. Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
  2. Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.Remove extensions from Chromium Edge

Clear cache and site data:

  1. Click on Menu and go to Settings.
  2. Select Privacy, search and services.
  3. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  4. Under Time range, pick All time.
  5. Select Clear now.Clear browser data from Chroum Edge

Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. On the left side, pick Reset settings.
  3. Select Restore settings to their default values.
  4. Confirm with Reset.
  5. This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.Reset Chromium Edge

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

Remove dangerous extensions:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
  2. Select Add-ons.
  3. In here, select the unwanted extension and click Remove.Remove extensions from Firefox

Reset the homepage:

  1. Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
  2. Choose Settings.
  3. Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.

Clear cookies and site data:

  1. Click Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Go to Privacy & Security section.
  3. Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
  4. Click on Clear Data...
  5. Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.Clear cookies and site data from Firefox

Reset Mozilla Firefox

If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, reset Mozilla Firefox:

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
  2. Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.Reset Firefox 1
  3. Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox...
  4. Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox.Reset Firefox 2

Remove from Google Chrome

Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

  1. Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
  2. In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program by clicking Remove.Remove extensions from Chrome

Clear cache and web data from Chrome:

  1. Click on Menu and pick Settings.
  2. Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
  3. Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
  4. Click Clear data.Clear cache and web data from Chrome

Change your homepage:

  1. Click menu and choose Settings.
  2. Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
  3. 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:

  1. Click on Menu and select Settings.
  2. In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
  3. Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
  4. Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
  5. Confirm with Reset settings.Reset Chrome 2

Delete from Safari

Remove dangerous extensions:

  1. Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
  2. Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.Remove extensions from Safari

Clear history and website data:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
  2. Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.Clear history from Safari

Reset Safari:

  1. Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
  2. Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
  3. From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.Reset Safari

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