Skip to content
  • Active
  • Severity: High
  • Stealing programs
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Feb 2016

How to remove Search.searchlf.com virus

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

Computer security experts are against Search.searchlf.com (Login Faster) search engine. They claim this questionable website that provides web search service cannot be trusted for several reasons. First of all, it was noticed that this website is capable of replacing we browser’s homepage without asking for user’s permission. Such behavior should not be tolerated. What is more, this website provides quite misleading search results, which makes us wonder why this website acts like that. We have decided to do a research on this website. Please read below to see what we have discovered about Search.searchlf.com search site.

Search.searchlf.com description

Turns out, Search.searchlf.com is actually a program. It is a potentially unwanted program (PUP) that is classified as a browser hijacker. This suspicious software may enter your computer system with other unreliable apps at once, especially if you tend to install new programs carelessly. Technically, Search.searchlf.com browser hijacker is not malicious itself, although it runs suspicious and intrusive activities on the affected computer. For example, it may track your browsing activity, search queries clicks on links and other similar data. No one knows for what purposes does this browser parasite needs to gather this information, but we doubt that you would like to reveal a list of your favorite websites or things that you look for online for some suspicious sources.

What is more, Search.searchlf.com hijacker sets a new homepage, default new tab page and search engine on every web browser that is installed on your PC. Of course, it sets Search.searchlf.com website as your primary page. Unfortunately, we have to say that this search-function-providing website is not a trustworthy one. We have revealed a fact that the main target of this search engine is a monetary profit. To be precise, it seeks to gain pay-per-click revenue by promoting partners’ websites in a vague way. This search engine provides altered search results, and some of them reportedly have the original links swapped with links that lead to predetermined third-party websites. In other words, you might experience Search.searchlf.com redirects to suspicious third-party web pages.

Search.searchlf.com scammy search provider

Be extremely cautious because you can never know whether websites promoted in such way are secure or malicious. In some cases, unreliable web pages try to pretend like they are promoting a legitimate and safe software while they actually try to spread harmful programs. To avoid such risks, we recommend removing Search.searchlf.com with no delay and consider using a better search engine. Try popular and leading search service providers – Yahoo, Google, or Bing. By the way, you can get rid of the discussed browser hijacker automatically (try FortectIntego or another anti-spyware software), or manually.

How did Search.searchlf.com hijack my computer?

Search.searchlf.com PUP is spread around in a sneaky and stealthy way. It is often added to other free programs and may be installed alongside them. Many computer users do not know that they have the option to refuse to install such additional software components, which is basically why they end up with PUPs on their computers. Be a security-minded computer user and follow these steps whenever you are planning to install a new program on your computer:

  1. Be sure that the program you are about to install was downloaded from a safe download website. It is the best to download software from websites that belong to the real software developers.
  2. Do not rush to install the software. Read Terms of Use, Privacy Policy documents, study each line with care.
  3. Make sure your selected program does not promote any suspicious third-party software. Usually, you can find such information in the documents as mentioned above, but you can also check this by selecting proper installation settings.
  4. Opt out Default/Standard installation option and opt for Custom/Advanced one. Then, deselect the suggestions to install bonus programs that are bundled with your selected software.

However, these tips may not help you now after Search.searchlf.com hijacker is already installed on your computer. To find out how to eliminate this program from your computer, please continue reading the information on page 2.

Search.searchlf.com removal techniques

Needless to say, it is better to stay clear of Search.searchlf.com virus. We have no doubt that you are uncomfortable with the aggressive distribution technique this computer parasite uses. If you wish to secure your computer, you should waste no time and eliminate this threat as soon as you can. Fortunately, Search.searchlf.com removal is quite an easy procedure. All you need to do is to follow the guidances that are presented below the article.

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.

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

4 comments

Spyware news
Privacy preferences

We use cookies to improve your experience and analyze traffic. Some cookies enable embedded content like videos and social posts. Choose what you allow — you can change this anytime.