SkinnyPlayer ads. How to remove? (Uninstall guide)
SkinnyPlayer is a media player that has been developed in 2014. The company that has programmed and monitors it up-till-now is named as XDisc Corp Ltd. It presents this tool as a “Lightweight Media Player” that supports “AAC, FLAC, MP3, WMA, ASF, AVI, DTS, MPEG, MK4, MP4, M4V, MOV, MKV, OGG, 3GP, WAV” file formats. Although it seems to be working decently, it has some crucial downsides that predetermined SkinnyPlayer categorization as ‘adware’ and a ‘potentially unwanted program’ (PUP). Therefore, if you have been thinking to install it, read the rest of this article and find out what negative traits does it feature.
What downsides does SkinnyPlayer PUP have?
SkinnyPlayer is deemed as ‘adware’ and PUP. Such categories, first of all, imply that this media player is not malicious and cannot cause severe damage to your PC’s operating system. However, if you are a security minded person and seek to create a secure browsing environment for you and your offspring, SkinnyPlayer adware should NOT be kept within add-on list neither in Chrome nor in IE. Apparently, it injects tracking cookies on all web browsers that it detects on a target system and starts accumulating information that is vital for third-party advertisers. Marketing-oriented information encompasses search queries, pages viewed, content encountered in them, clicks, IP address, email address, software/hardware information, etc. Such behavior is very suspicious keeping in mind that user’s permission is not required directly.
Questions about SkinnyPlayer ads
Also, this adware may expose you to irrelevant/unsafe third-party websites. In exchange for money, sponsors of this application are allowed to embed “Ads by SkinnyPlayer” with the links to affiliate websites. Unfortunately, no one checks the links and the content, what means that exposure to unsafe websites is very probable. Lastly, don’t start blaming your old computer for running web browser slow. It might be that SkinnyPlayer redirects, ads, and other computer threats are causing this issue. Thus, if you want to check and fix that, you should run a full system scan with Reimage or another reliable anti-malware.
Is it difficult to prevent SkinnyPlayer hijack?
SkinnyPlayer is promoted on the official website and can be downloaded right there. However, it seems that it may be downloaded alongside free programs. The problem that it may be installed in one pack with freewares/sharewares and a whole bouquet of potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) like, for instance, DNS Unlocker, www-searching.com, and so on. We have noticed that the download number of software packages is decreasing, what means that people are finally getting to know more about virtual security and its threats. If you have not dealt with a freeware that carries a bundle, then you should remember several things:
- avoid express/recommended/quick installation;
- select advanced/custom installation;
- read EULA, Privacy Policy;
- read all information provided;
- untick all ‘optional downloads.’
Don’t forget that third-party toolbars, plug-ins, and other apps are typically disclosed in a misleading manner, BUT always set by default. So, quick freeware’s installation may be detrimental.
How should I deal with this adware?
You can remove SkinnyPlayer with the help of a removal guide provided below. Make sure that you perform each step in the right order. However, that may not contribute fixing your computer entirely keeping in mind that more than one PUP may be hiding in your PC’s system. Thus, you are strongly advised to use a reliable anti-malware.
You can remove virus damage automatically with a help of one of these programs: Reimage, Malwarebytes MalwarebytesCombo Cleaner, Plumbytes Anti-MalwareMalwarebytes Malwarebytes. We recommend these applications because they detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.
To remove SkinnyPlayer ads, follow these steps:
Uninstall SkinnyPlayer from Windows systems
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Click Start → Control Panel → Programs and Features (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
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If you are Windows 10 / Windows 8 user, then right-click in the lower left corner of the screen. Once Quick Access Menu shows up, select Control Panel and Uninstall a Program.
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Uninstall SkinnyPlayer and related programs
Here, look for SkinnyPlayer or any other recently installed suspicious programs. -
Uninstall them and click OK to save these changes.
Get rid of SkinnyPlayer from Mac OS X system
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If you are using OS X, click Go button at the top left of the screen and select Applications.
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Wait until you see Applications folder and look for SkinnyPlayer or any other suspicious programs on it. Now right click on every of such entries and select Move to Trash.
Erase SkinnyPlayer from Internet Explorer (IE)
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Remove dangerous add-ons
Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top right corner of the browser and choose Manage Add-ons. -
You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for SkinnyPlayer and other suspicious plugins. Disable these entries by clicking Disable:
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Change your homepage if it was altered by virus:
Click on the gear icon (menu) on the top right corner of the browser and select Internet Options. Stay in General tab. -
Here, remove malicious URL and enter preferable domain name. Click Apply to save changes.
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Reset Internet Explorer
Click on the gear icon (menu) again and select Internet options. Go to Advanced tab. - Here, select Reset.
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When in the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset again to complete SkinnyPlayer removal.
Eliminate SkinnyPlayer ads from Microsoft Edge
Reset Microsoft Edge settings (Method 1):
- Launch Microsoft Edge app and click More (three dots at the top right corner of the screen).
- Click Settings to open more options.
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Once Settings window shows up, click Choose what to clear button under Clear browsing data option.
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Here, select all what you want to remove and click Clear.
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Now you should right-click on the Start button (Windows logo). Here, select Task Manager.
- When in Processes tab, search for Microsoft Edge.
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Right-click on it and choose Go to details option. If can’t see Go to details option, click More details and repeat previous steps.
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When Details tab shows up, find every entry with Microsoft Edge name in it. Right click on each of them and select End Task to end these entries.
Resetting Microsoft Edge browser (Method 2):
If Method 1 failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method.
- Note: you need to backup your data before using this method.
- Find this folder on your computer:
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe.
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Select every entry which is saved on it and right click with your mouse. Then Delete option.
- Click the Start button (Windows logo) and type in window power in Search my stuff line.
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Right-click the Windows PowerShell entry and choose Run as administrator.
- Once Administrator: Windows PowerShell window shows up, paste this command line after PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> and press Enter:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register $($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml -Verbose}
Once these steps are finished, SkinnyPlayer should be removed from your Microsoft Edge browser.
WindowsMac OS XInternet ExplorerMicrosoft EdgeFirefoxGoogle ChromeSafariRemove SkinnyPlayer from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
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Remove dangerous extensions
Open Mozilla Firefox, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Add-ons → Extensions. -
Here, select SkinnyPlayer and other questionable plugins. Click Remove to delete these entries.
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Reset Mozilla Firefox
Click on the Firefox menu on the top left and click on the question mark. Here, choose Troubleshooting Information. -
Now you will see Reset Firefox to its default state message with Reset Firefox button. Click this button for several times and complete SkinnyPlayer removal.
Delete SkinnyPlayer from Google Chrome
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Delete malicious plugins
Open Google Chrome, click on the menu icon (top right corner) and select Tools → Extensions. -
Here, select SkinnyPlayer and other malicious plugins and select trash icon to delete these entries.
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Click on menu icon again and choose Settings → Manage Search engines under the Search section.
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When in Search Engines..., remove malicious search sites. You should leave only Google or your preferred domain name.
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Reset Google Chrome
Click on menu icon on the top right of your Google Chrome and select Settings. -
Scroll down to the end of the page and click on Reset browser settings.
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Click Reset to confirm this action and complete SkinnyPlayer removal.
Uninstall SkinnyPlayer from Safari
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Remove dangerous extensions
Open Safari web browser and click on Safari in menu at the top left of the screen. Once you do this, select Preferences. -
Here, select Extensions and look for SkinnyPlayer or other suspicious entries. Click on the Uninstall button to get rid each of them.
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Reset Safari
Open Safari browser and click on Safari in menu section at the top left of the screen. Here, select Reset Safari.... -
Now you will see a detailed dialog window filled with reset options. All of those options are usually checked, but you can specify which of them you want to reset. Click the Reset button to complete SkinnyPlayer removal process.