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

How to remove Searchdims.network

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

Searchdims.network – a browser hijacker that wants to change your browsing habits

Searchdims.network search engine

Searchdims.network, also known as Search Dims, is a browser hijacker[1] that pretends to be a legitimate search engine. However, it is created to modify web browser settings and possibly change search results. For this reason, users might be tricked into visiting harmful websites and deal with an excessive amount of strange pop-up ads.

Summary
Name Searchdims.network
Type Browser hijacker
Danger level Medium. Might take control over the affected web browser
Symptoms Changed browser startup page and default search engine, browser redirects to questionable websites, delivery of annoying ads
Distribution method Software bundles
 To uninstall SearchDims, install FortectIntego and run a full system scan

Search Dims might seem innocent when you visit it for the first time. It has a clean interface and redirects search queries to Google results page. However, the main page does not contain information about developers, terms of use and privacy policy. Hence, this tool cannot be trusted.

Search Dims virus spreads bundled with various free programs, so it might enter the system unnoticed. However, soon after the hijack, users find the following changes and unusual browser activities:

  • homepage, default search engine and new tab URL address set to Searchdims.network;
  • inability to set Yahoo, Google or another search provider as default one;
  • the appearance of unknown browser extensions and add-ons;
  • redirects to third-party sites after clicking a link on results page;
  • an increased amount of ads that promote questionable tools.

At first Searchdims.network removal might seem impossible. If you decide to change startup page or search settings via Chrome or Firefox settings, they will be reverted soon after a system reboot. This happens because of specific functionality of the browser hijacker. This potentially unwanted program (PUP) is capable of altering browser shortcuts and settings to make its elimination complicated.

However, it’s still possible to remove Searchdims.network from your favorite browser with FortectIntego or another anti-malware software. However, if you feel skilled enough or angry at yourself for letting the hijacker into the system, you can follow the manual elimination guide given at the end of the article too.

We highly advise getting rid of SearchDims immediately because this PUP might expose you to risky websites or malware-laden ads. The research team from LosVirus.es[2] note that browser hijacker is capable of redirecting to suspicious websites and delivering fake security updates. Browsing through such sites or installing unknown programs might lead to malware or spyware attack.

Apart from Search Dims redirect tendencies, you should also be aware of possible threats to your privacy. The absence of privacy policy raises suspicious how this search tool treats your information. Typically such cyber threats collect non-personally identifiable details for advertising purposes; however, it’s unknown if developers of this tool are not willing to steal login credentials or other sensitive data.

Searchdims.network virus example

Creators of the hijacker take advantage of inattentive computer users

SearchDims hijack might occur during the installation of any free programs that are available to download online. The PUP sneaks into the system when users rely on Quick/Recommended installation which does not allow monitoring the procedure attentively.

The majority of free programs are software bundles, meaning that they might include various additional programs. Therefore, you must check what is attached to the primary program; and Quick settings does not allow doing that.
For this reason, you have to use Advanced/Custom settings and follow the instructions attentively. If you see the list of third-party apps, you need to opt out them and continue without worries about installing unwanted apps.

Eliminate Searchdims.network virus from Chrome, Firefox, IE, Safari

There is two Search Dims removal approaches – manual and automatic. Manual elimination might be tough because the hijacker might consist of numerous files which are hard to detect. However, the instructions below should help you to remove Searchdims.network entirely.

However, if you already tried manual Searchdims.network removal method and this suspicious search engine still bother you, you should switch to the second option. Automatic elimination requires scanning the system with anti-malware software.

After the system scan, we recommend resetting affected web browsers too. Security programs can remove Search Dims and its related components; however, some tracking cookies or web beacons[3] might be left. After browser reset, you can be sure that any spying technologies are not left on the browser. Browser reset instructions are given below.

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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