Remove Social Search Toolbar (Improved Guide) - 2021 update
Social Search Toolbar is a browser hijacker that advertises suspicious websites
Social Search Toolbar is deemed as a browser hijacker and potentially unwanted program (PUP). It has been developed in 2013 and was spreading actively all other the Internet.
Once security vendors have started reporting it for malicious activities, Social Search Toolbar virus has vanished for a while. Nevertheless, recent malware research has revealed that it is active again and has already infected thousands of Internet users.
Social Search Toolbar has been programmed by Conduit believing that it will help to generate financial income easily. That's why this Toolbar is set to replace people's default start page, search provider, and a new tab window by search.conduit.com. That's the easiest way to present people with sponsored search results full of links and ads redirecting to affiliate web pages.
Unfortunately, but Social Search Toolbar redirects are considered dangerous because Conduit is known for collaborating with misleading third parties. It means that clicking on the links and pop-ups poses a high-risk of malware/virus infiltration.
Besides, regardless of traffic boosting, this toolbar may also be used for data collection. Reception of PC's IP address, location, email address, search terms, pages viewed, clicks, and similar information allows affiliate parties to customize advertisements and collect more clicks. Thus, you should better remove Social Search Toolbar application right away.
You can remove the browser hijacker manually, but we recommend using a reliable antivirus program, for example SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes. If you wonder how this can be done manually, go to the end of this article. You will find an explicit Social Search Toolbar removal guide.
Ways how Social Search Toolbar hijack web browsers are similar to other PUPs
Questions about Social Search Toolbar
This browser hijacker is spread on the Internet in a form of a toolbar. It is not spread as an individual application, so to look for its official page is useless. Most of the users claim they did not install this toolbar on purpose or claim that can't remember doing so. As one of the users wrote:
Hello. I have a question about Social Search Toolbar. I'm pretty sure that I did not install such toolbar as I'm not a fan of browser toolbars, extensions, and similar things at all. However, as if our of the blue I have found this toolbar and search.conduit.com homepage installed on each of my web browsers (Google Chrome, Internet Explorer). Could you please explain why my web browser has been compromised?
In fact, this hijacker is typically spread bundled with free software. In other words, it is promoted as an 'optional download' of various torrent files, download managers, PDF creators, media players, and similar programs. Therefore, if you have found PUP injected into each web browser, it means that you have installed a third-party software with a bundle.
Luckily, it's easy to understand when a web browser has been hijacked by this pest. Usually, it is distributed bundled with BHO (Browser Helper Object), SocialSearchBar Community Toolbar, search.conduit.com homepage, and SocialSearchBar Customized Web Search engine. Consequently, you will see all the above-mentioned components within each of your web browsers (IE, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.).
Tips on how to remove Social Search Toolbar
If you no longer want to see annoying ads, you need to remove Social Search Toolbar redirect virus. As we have already pointed out, this particular browser hijacker does not have its official website. It is typically spread on one pack with:
- BHO;
- Search.conduit.com;
- SocialSearchBar Customized Web Search.
Therefore, if you want to delete each of these components without any difficulties, you should do that in an automated way. If you are not willing to install additional software, you can use the manual Social Search Toolbar removal guide that is given down below.
You may remove virus damage with a help of ReimageIntego. SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner and Malwarebytes are recommended to detect potentially unwanted programs and viruses with all their files and registry entries that are related to them.
To remove Social Search Toolbar, follow these steps:
Remove Social Search Toolbar from Windows systems
To remove Social Search Toolbar from Windows 10/8 machines, please follow these steps:
- Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
- Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
- From the list, find entries related to Social Search Toolbar (or any other recently installed suspicious program).
- Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.
- If User Account Control shows up, click Yes.
- Wait till uninstallation process is complete and click OK.
If you are Windows 7/XP user, proceed with the following instructions:
- Click on Windows Start > Control Panel located on the right pane (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
- In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.
- Pick the unwanted application by clicking on it once.
- At the top, click Uninstall/Change.
- In the confirmation prompt, pick Yes.
- Click OK once the removal process is finished.
Delete Social Search Toolbar from Mac OS X system
If your macOS is displaying some infection symptoms, proceed with the following guide:
Remove Social Search Toolbar from Applications folder:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for Social Search Toolbar-related entries.
- Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)
To fully remove Social Search Toolbar, you need to access Application Support, LaunchAgents, and LaunchDaemons folders and delete relevant files:
- Select Go > Go to Folder.
- Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
- In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries related to Social Search Toolbar and then delete them.
- Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the Social Search Toolbar-related entries.
Get rid of Social Search Toolbar from Internet Explorer (IE)
Remove dangerous add-ons:
- Open Internet Explorer, click on the Gear icon (IE menu) on the top-right corner of the browser
- Pick Manage Add-ons.
- You will see a Manage Add-ons window. Here, look for Social Search Toolbar and other suspicious plugins. Click on these entries and select Disable.
Change your homepage if it was altered:
- Open IE and click on the Gear icon.
- Select Internet Options.
- In the General tab, delete the Home page address and replace it by your preferred one (for example, Google.com).
- Click Apply and then select OK.
Delete temporary files:
- Press on the Gear icon and select Internet Options.
- Under Browsing history, click Delete…
- Select relevant fields and press Delete.
Reset Internet Explorer:
- Click on Gear icon > Internet options and select Advanced tab.
- Select Reset.
- In the new window, check Delete personal settings and select Reset again to complete Social Search Toolbar removal.
Eliminate Social Search Toolbar from Microsoft Edge
Delete unwanted extensions from MS Edge:
- Select Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and pick Extensions.
- From the list, pick the Social Search Toolbar-related extension and click on the Gear icon.
- Click on Uninstall at the bottom.
Clear cookies and other browser data:
- Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Privacy & security.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Select everything (apart from passwords, although you might want to include Media licenses as well, if applicable) and click on Clear.
Reset MS Edge if that above steps did not work:
- Press on Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Click on More details arrow at the bottom of the window.
- Select Details tab.
- 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.
If this solution failed to help you, you need to use an advanced Edge reset method. Note that you need to backup your data before proceeding.
- Find the following folder on your computer: C:\\Users\\%username%\\AppData\\Local\\Packages\\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe.
- Press Ctrl + A on your keyboard to select all folders.
- Right-click on them and pick Delete
- Now right-click on the Start button and pick Windows PowerShell (Admin).
- When the new window opens, copy and paste the following command, and then press Enter:
Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers -Name Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\\AppXManifest.xml” -Verbose
Instructions for Chromium-based Edge
Delete extensions from MS Edge (Chromium):
- Open Edge and click select Settings > Extensions.
- Delete unwanted extensions by clicking Remove.
Clear cache and site data:
- Click on Menu and go to Settings.
- Select Privacy and services.
- Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
- Under Time range, pick All time.
- Select Clear now.
Reset Chromium-based MS Edge:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- On the left side, pick Reset settings.
- Select Restore settings to their default values.
- Confirm with Reset.
Uninstall Social Search Toolbar from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Remove dangerous extensions:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click on the Menu (three horizontal lines at the top-right of the window).
- Select Add-ons.
- In here, select plugins that are related to Social Search Toolbar and click Remove.
Clear cookies and site data:
- Click Menu and pick Options.
- Go to Privacy & Security section.
- Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
- Click on Clear Data…
- Select Cookies and Site Data, as well as Cached Web Content and press Clear.
In case Social Search Toolbar did not get removed after following the instructions above, reset Mozilla Firefox:
- Open Mozilla Firefox browser and click the Menu.
- Go to Help and then choose Troubleshooting Information.
- Under Give Firefox a tune up section, click on Refresh Firefox…
- Once the pop-up shows up, confirm the action by pressing on Refresh Firefox – this should complete Social Search Toolbar removal.
Erase Social Search Toolbar from Google Chrome
Delete malicious extensions from Google Chrome:
- Open Google Chrome, click on the Menu (three vertical dots at the top-right corner) and select More tools > Extensions.
- In the newly opened window, you will see all the installed extensions. Uninstall all the suspicious plugins that might be related to Social Search Toolbar by clicking Remove.
Clear cache and web data from Chrome:
- Click on Menu and pick Settings.
- Under Privacy and security, select Clear browsing data.
- Select Browsing history, Cookies and other site data, as well as Cached images and files.
- Click Clear data.
If the above-methods did not help you, reset Google Chrome to eliminate all the Social Search Toolbar-components:
- Click on Menu and select Settings.
- In the Settings, scroll down and click Advanced.
- Scroll down and locate Reset and clean up section.
- Now click Restore settings to their original defaults.
- Confirm with Reset settings to complete Social Search Toolbar removal.
Remove Social Search Toolbar from Safari
Remove unwanted extensions from Safari:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- In the new window, pick Extensions.
- Select the unwanted extension related to Social Search Toolbar and select Uninstall.
Clear cookies and other website data from Safari:
- Click Safari > Clear History…
- From the drop-down menu under Clear, pick all history.
- Confirm with Clear History.
Reset Safari if the above-mentioned steps did not help you:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- Go to Advanced tab.
- Tick the Show Develop menu in menu bar.
- From the menu bar, click Develop, and then select Empty Caches.
After uninstalling this potentially unwanted program (PUP) and fixing each of your web browsers, we recommend you to scan your PC system with a reputable anti-spyware. This will help you to get rid of Social Search Toolbar registry traces and will also identify related parasites or possible malware infections on your computer. For that you can use our top-rated malware remover: ReimageIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes.
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Recover files after data-affecting malware attacks
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Your opinion regarding Social Search Toolbar
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December 22nd, 2015 at 11:41 pm
Dont use Social Search Toolbar virus, especially if it came along conduit search. This composition is used to spread malware, so clicking on its links may end up with severe consequences. I say cause I know.
December 22nd, 2015 at 11:42 pm
First of all, I have noticed search.conduit.com instead Google. Then I started analyzing what is going on and found Social Search Toolbar installed too. To fix them both I used SpyHunter since I wasnt allowed to do that manually.
December 22nd, 2015 at 11:46 pm
Replaces search results with ads linked to porn sites.Social Search Toolbar has just redirected me to redirected me there when clicking a link to a forum from a google search. Thanks and goodbye!