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  • Active
  • Severity: High
  • Stealing programs
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Aug 2018

How to remove Search.searchtheuniverses.com

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

Ugnius Kiguolis · The mastermind

Search.searchtheuniverses.com – a browser hijacker that “levels up” the browsing experience in a negative way

Search.searchtheuniverses.com hijack

Search.searchtheuniverses.com is a fake search engine which is promoted by the SearchTheUniverses browser addon. This PUP[1] manages to enter the system without any sign because of bundling. However, it might seem only from the first sight because victims are typically convinced into letting this hijacker after hearing that it can improve their browsing activity. Unfortunately, once installed, SearchTheUniverses starts displaying ads in users' searches and redirects them to sponsored websites. Switching to Google, Yahoo or other search provider becomes almost impossible because this virus changes the homepage or the default search engine on each of web browsers to hxxt://search.searchtheuniverses.com.

Name Search.searchtheuniverses.com
Type Browser hijacker
Browsers affected Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Safari, Opera
Danger level Low. Affects only browsers by itself but might redirect you to a harmful website
Data collection This browser-hijacking collects data related to users' browsing habits. Personal information is not collected
distribution Freeware; shareware
Prevention Install an antivirus program; avoid visiting dubious-looking pages; use only original downloaders; follow every installation step to deselect optional components
Elimination Use FortectIntego to uninstall SearchTheUniverses

You can start facing redirects caused by Search.searchtheuniverses.com virus out of nowhere. In this case, you should try to remember what freeware have you installed on your computer recently. No matter how harmless this browser hijacker[2] seems, beware that this search provider provides search query results that might be false. 

Moreover, developers of SearchTheUniverses are very likely to capture such data:

  • Sites you have visited;
  • Bookmarks saved;
  • IP addresses;
  • Search requests typed in;
  • Videos and photos viewed;
  • Audios listened.

This data is shared with third-parties and might bring even bigger income for the PUP's developers. If you treat your personal information with carefulness, avoid such possibly malicious programs by performing the Search.searchtheuniverses.com removal on your computer. For that, we recommend using FortectIntego or any other trusted and professional anti-malware program.

Search.searchtheuniverses.com hijack is very similar to many other ones caused by:

No matter that these search providers are considered as potentially unwanted, you should not ignore the symptoms of the browser hijacker. In this case, remove Search.searchtheuniverses.com from your PC and also reset your web browsers permanently. You can also find manual removal steps below this article. Perform them as required, otherwise, you might not get rid of all browser-hijacking components correctly.

Search.searchtheuniverses.com PUP

Freeware and shareware are likely to spread PUPs

According to IT researchers[3], if you got a browser hijacker infection, it might have come from a bundle that you have downloaded recently. When you use third-party installers you might install unwanted components together with the regular program. To avoid this, deselect the Quick/Recommended settings option and click on the Custom or Advanced section. Opt-out all components that you do not want to download on your computer.

Moreover, various networks and web pages might also be responsible for a browser hijacker distribution. Websites such as peer-to-peer ones come from secondary sources and might be improperly disclosed. Stay away from such sites as much as possible. Furthermore, install antivirus protection to secure your computer system fully.

Make sure Search.searchtheuniverses.com vanishes permanently

To remove Search.searchtheuniverses.com virus from your PC, you need to install an anti-malware tool which will guide you thru the entire process and make it easy to maintain. However, if you want to get rid of the cyber threat by yourself and clean browsers on your own, you can read the instructions that are provided below.

After your proceed with the automatical Search.searchtheuniverses.com hijack elimination process, you will need to refresh browsers that were affected by the PUP. Reset them to make sure that all dubious components were deleted successfully.

If you want to perform manual Search.searchtheuniverses.com removal and clean browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, or Safari, you will need to eliminate all unnecessary browser extensions, add-ons, and plug-ins. Make sure you follow each step cautiously. 

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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