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  • Active
  • Severity: Medium
  • Browser Hijackers
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Dec 2020

How to remove Search.searchtheweb.today

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

Julie Splinters · Anti-malware specialist

Search.searchtheweb.today is a fake search directory that aims to take over your browser

Search.searchtheweb.today image

Search.searchtheweb.today is categorized as a browser hijacker which functions as a fraudulent search engine. At first, it seems that this is a useful software offering private search options and changeable backgrounds. However, experts suggest you stay cautious since it might flood you with annoying advertisements and prevent you from accessing your default search engine.

Name Search.searchtheweb.today
Type Browser hijacker
Distribution Spreads in a bundle with free software
Symptoms Assigns itself to the homepage, new tab, and default search engine. Also delivers numerous ads and collects details about its users
Removal The quickest way to get rid of Searchtheweb.today is with a robust antivirus, like FortectIntego

This potentially unwanted program (PUP) is similar to other fake search engines that aim to take over regular browsers. Likewise, once it settles on the system, the user might struggle to uninstall it and prevent it from reappearing in the future. Thus, you might be forced to use Searchtheweb.today services on a daily basis, despite whether you like it or not.

Also, be aware that after Searchtheweb.today hijack, user's information is accessible to the developers of this fraudulent search engine. According to the Privacy Policy, it collects the following details:

  1. IP address;
  2. Browser type;
  3. Internet service provider (ISP);
  4. Cookie information;
  5. The webpage that a user visits.

Even though this information is categorized as non-personally identifiable, it puts your privacy at risk. Therefore, you should consider uninstalling Searchtheweb.today if you want to avoid privacy-related issues. For that, find the instructions at the end of this article.

If that is not enough, keep in mind that Searchtheweb.today redirect tendency can potentially harm your computer. This potentially unwanted program serves its users with advertising content that might lead to less than reliable websites and offers to install third-party applications. 

Unfortunately, developers of this program do not take responsibility for the damage such actions can cause. Note that some ads are designed to download malware right when you click on it[1]. Thus, there is a high risk that your computer might be infected once you rely on the results of this shady search engine.

Search.searchtheweb.today illustration

You can protect your system by installing a professional antivirus. We strongly recommend FortectIntego for Search.searchtheweb.today removal. It will not only uninstall the browser hijacker but also maintain your computer's security in the future.

Although, there is an alternative way to remove Search.searchtheweb.today. Check the guidelines at the end of this article to find out how to get rid of this potentially unwanted program manually. However, we kindly ask you to pay extreme attention to avoid any troubles.

Learn how browser hijackers spread to protect your system

One of the most popular ways to distribute various cyber threats, including potentially unwanted programs is to trick people into downloading them themselves. For that, hackers have used an entirely legitimate, yet unfair distribution method called bundling[2].

This technique allows the developers of browser hijackers to hide their products inside the installers of other free programs. This way, people fail to recognize the bundle and unconsciously agree to install various potentially unwanted applications on their systems.

Fortunately, you can avoid it by selecting Advanced or Custom settings during the installation of freeware. Remember, never pick Quick or Recommended ones. Later, attentively seek for any pre-selected boxes, like “Get XXX now!” or “I agree to install XXX.”

De-select such boxes and make sure that you run a full system scan afterward. For that, you will need to get a professional antivirus which will make sure that none of PUP's components are installed. 

Ways to delete Search.searchtheweb.today from the system

As we have already mentioned, there are two ways how you can remove Search.searchtheweb.today from your computer. Although, one is safer than the other. 

You can complete Search.searchtheweb.today removal manually by following the instructions at the end of this article. However, this procedure will require extreme attention as elements of the browser hijacker might be hidden deep inside the system and you will need to locate them all. 

Likewise, experts from BedyNet.ru[3] suggest to uninstall the program automatically with an antivirus which will identify all PUP's components and get rid of it in several minutes.

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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