Search.searchcl.com (Removal Guide) - Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge

Search.searchcl.com Removal Guide

What is Search.searchcl.com?

Search.searchcl.com is a dubious search engine that might replace your current search provider

Image of Search.searchcl.com virus

Search.searchcl.com by Polarity Technologies Ltd is a potentially unwanted program which hijacks Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox or Safari browsers and makes undesirable changes to them. This browser hijacker might set a new tab URL, homepage and built-in search engine without asking your permission.

These unpleasant changes might occur if you accidentally install software bundle with Classifieds List extension. However, this search tool might seem legit and useful. The homepage includes links to most popular sites on the internet, such as Amazon, Youtube, and Facebook.

Additionally, users who are looking to buy something might find a link to Craigslist useful. However, do not get fooled by these promises as the only goal of developers is monetizing on unsuspected users’ interaction with the hijacked engine.

Another significant threat Search.searchcl.com virus poses is redirects to unknown domains. It is inevitable that you will encounter a malware-ridden website. This way, you might find your computer affected by ransomware or similar perilous infection.

Furthermore, the browser hijacker might silently install suspicious browser extensions or plugins without asking your permission. These tools might deliver more ads or spy on your browsing activities. Thus, you should hurry up with Search.searchcl.com removal and make sure that any related components were not let on the system too.

Moreover, after Search.searchcl.com hijack occurs, victims' privacy might be put at risk. After irreversibly altering browser settings, the unwanted application might start monitoring non-personally identifiable information, such as:

  • search queries,
  • IP addresses,
  • geo-location,
  • software used,
  • Internet Service Provider,
  • etc.

This data can be shared with third-parties for advertisement purposes. Additionally, personal information that the user provides while browsing through a hijacked engine might be compromised. Email address, name, home address, etc. – this personal data[1] might be exposed to cybercriminals and lead to severe consequences.

Therefore, if you value your internet security, you should remove Classifieds List from your machine swiftly. As we have already mentioned, it’s also important to get rid of all questionable add-ons that might be capable of tracking your steps online too.

You should use FortectIntego or other reputable security software to remove Search.searchcl.com, undesired applications and their components from your computer. However, if you are willing to delete the hijacker manually, you should scroll down to the manual removal instructions.

Picture of Search.searchcl.com browser hijackerSearch.searchcl.com is a shady search tool that operates as a browser hijacker.

Deceptive marketing campaign helps to spread unwanted applications

The browser hijacker is spread using a questionable (but legit!) software marketing method known as bundling. This strategy allows infiltrating inattentive user’s computers. For this reason, you should follow these guidelines while installing software and browsing the internet:

  • repeatedly use Advanced/Custom instead of Recommended/Quick modes when installing software;
  • opt out all unwanted programs that might be offered during the installation process (such as toolbars,[2] search engines and similar);
  • read through installation instructions discreetly;
  • do not install illegal software or use keygens/cracks;
  • obtain reputable security software that will protect you from malware attacks.

The security team from losvirus.es[3] also remind to read EULA, Privacy Policy and other provided documents by the developers. What is more, it’s important to choose reliable software developers and download software from their official websites.

Remove Classifieds List from your machine and secure your browser

You can remove Search.searchcl.com virus by using the automatic or manual method – both are viable. The manual process will not protect you from future threats, but you will not have to install additional software for it.

If you choose to eliminate Search.searchcl.com manually, you should possess basic computer knowledge as the incorrect procedure will not exterminate the virus. We have written a guide for you to use – you will find it below.

However, if you are not that experienced when it comes to computer usage, you should pick automatic Search.searchcl.com removal. This method allows you to perform a full computer scan and eliminate all the infected files within just a few minutes. All you have to do is to pick one of the robust security tools mentioned below.

Also, do not forget that browser hijacker might have installed additional components – check your task manager for any suspicious programs you do not recognize.

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.

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What to do if failed?
If you failed to fix virus damage using Fortect Intego, submit a question to our support team and provide as much details as possible.
Fortect Intego has a free limited scanner. Fortect Intego offers more through scan when you purchase its full version. When free scanner detects issues, you can fix them using free manual repairs or you can decide to purchase the full version in order to fix them automatically.
Alternative Software
Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Fortect, try running SpyHunter 5.
Alternative Software
Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Intego, try running Combo Cleaner.

Getting rid of Search.searchcl.com. Follow these steps

Uninstall from Windows

To remove Search.searchcl.com virus from Windows OS entirely, you have to uninstall all files and programs that might be responsible for keeping it installed:

Instructions for Windows 10/8  machines:

  1. Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
  2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program. Uninstall from Windows 1
  3. From the list, find the entry of the suspicious program.
  4. Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.
  5. If User Account Control shows up, click Yes.
  6. Wait till uninstallation process is complete and click OK. Uninstall from Windows 2

If you are Windows 7/XP user, proceed with the following instructions:

  1. Click on Windows Start > Control Panel located on the right pane (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
  2. In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program. Uninstall from Windows 7/XP
  3. Pick the unwanted application by clicking on it once.
  4. At the top, click Uninstall/Change.
  5. In the confirmation prompt, pick Yes.
  6. Click OK once the removal process is finished.

Delete from macOS

Remove items from Applications folder:

  1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
  2. In the Applications folder, look for all related entries.
  3. Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash) Uninstall from Mac 1

To fully remove an unwanted app, you need to access Application Support, LaunchAgents, and LaunchDaemons folders and delete relevant files:

  1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
  2. Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
  3. In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries and then delete them.
  4. Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files. Uninstall from Mac 2

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 on Uninstall at the bottom. 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 Privacy & security.
  2. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  3. Select everything (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 Disable if you found any suspicious domain.

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

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.

  1. Find the following folder on your computer: C:\\Users\\%username%\\AppData\\Local\\Packages\\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe.
  2. Press Ctrl + A on your keyboard to select all folders.
  3. Right-click on them and pick Delete Advanced MS Edge reset 1
  4. Now right-click on the Start button and pick Windows PowerShell (Admin).
  5. 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 Advanced MS Edge reset 2

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. Reset Chromium Edge

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

Uninstall Classifields List add-on from Firefox as well as other questionable entires. The guide below will show you how to get rid of them entirely:

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 unwanted plugin 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 Options.
  3. Under Home options, enter your preferred site that will open every time you newly open the Mozilla Firefox.

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, as well as Cached Web Content and press 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

To remove Search.searchcl.com from startup page and set reliable search provider as the default one, you should follow these steps:

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 the suspicious plugins that might be 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 unwanted extensions from Safari:

  1. Click Safari > Preferences…
  2. In the new window, pick Extensions.
  3. Select the unwanted extension and select Uninstall. Remove extensions from Safari

Clear cookies and other website data from Safari:

  1. Click Safari > Clear History…
  2. From the drop-down menu under Clear, pick all history.
  3. Confirm with Clear History. Clear cookies and website data from Safari

Reset Safari if the above-mentioned steps did not help you:

  1. Click Safari > Preferences…
  2. Go to Advanced tab.
  3. Tick the Show Develop menu in menu bar.
  4. From the menu bar, click Develop, and then select Empty Caches. Reset Safari

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.searchcl.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

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.

About the author
Alice Woods
Alice Woods - Likes to teach users about virus prevention

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