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  • Active
  • Severity: Medium
  • System tools
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Sep 2017

How to remove SimplePictureEdit Toolbar

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

Alice Woods · Likes to teach users about virus prevention

SimplePictureEdit has negative features that should not be tolerated

SimplePictureEdit Toolbar download page

SimplePictureEdit Toolbar by Mindspark Interactive Network, Inc. is a browser extension that allows creating collages and editing images straight from the web browser. However, this free add-on is criticised for one of its distribution methods and data tracking tendencies.[1]

The SimplePictureEdit has an official website and is available on Chrome Web Store. However, it might also be distributed in software packages. In this way might enter the computer unnoticed and without asking user’s permission. After the installation, this extension might:

  • Read and change all your data on the websites you visit;
  • Read and change your browsing history;
  • Manage your downloads;
  • Manage your apps, extensions, and themes.

It means that after SimplePictureEdit hijack or installation, the add-on might place third-party ads on your visited sites and access a bunch of information about your browsing preferences and habits. All these activities are described in two long documents – EULA and Privacy Policy – which are rarely read by users.[2]

These documents reveal that the program might collect various information about users, such as:

  • demographic data;
  • IP address;
  • browsing history;
  • clicked ads;
  • etc.

Nevertheless, the toolbar mostly collects non-personally identifiable information; it might get access to some personal details as well. For instance, if you log into their services with your Facebook account, they might know your real name, email, telephone number, username, and password. The worst part is that such details might be shared with third-parties, which might be cyber criminals as well.

Installation of SimplePictureEdit add-on also leads to the modifications on the browser’s settings too. Once you install it, you agree to change your homepage, search engine, and new tab. It sets hp.myway.com domain which is not the most reliable search provider, according to the security experts.

Due to these negative features, we do not recommend installing this toolbar. However, if you already did it, we believe, today is a perfect day to remove SimplePictureEdit from your browser. Just go to your browser’s extensions and hit “Uninstall” button.

However, if this add-on was installed with the help of other programs, we recommend opting for automatic SimplePictureEdit removal method. It requires scanning the system with anti-malware, such as FortectIntego. Security tool is needed because other suspicious programs may have been installed as well. Thus, it’s better to uninstall them altogether.

The picture of SimplePictureEdit Toolbar

Everything you need to know about bundling to avoid unwanted installation of third-party apps

According to researchers, the majority of users who managed to download SimplePictureEdit unintentionally were located in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Argentina. However, bundling allows spreading the extension in Russia,[3] Norway, China and other countries. Thus, you’d better learn how to stop such apps from entering the system:

  • When installing freeware, always opt for “Advanced” (or “Custom”) installation settings instead of “Standard” (or “Quick”). It’s the only way to find out what additional programs are offered to you.
  • Unmark ALL pre-selected apps. No matter how useful they look; most of the time they are adware, browser hijackers or other potentially unwanted programs.

Uninstall SimplePictureEdit from your browser

You should not have any problems with SimplePictureEdit removal if you have installed this toolbar yourself. Access browser’s extensions and remove it as an ordinary add-on. Also, check if it hasn’t been installed to your computer via Control Panel (or in Applications folder if you are a Mac user).

However, if the appearance of this toolbar was a surprise for you, you have to remove SimplePictureEdit Toolbar by following the instructions below or scanning the system with anti-malware. It’s possible that other potentially unwanted programs may have infiltrated your PC as well.

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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