Remove Startnewtab.info virus (Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge)

Startnewtab.info is a search engine that fills the screen with unwanted ads

Startnewtab.info virus pretends to be a reliable search engine, but in fact, it falls into the category of browser hijackers. Specifically, they are browsing tools that are poorly supported by outside threats. Alternatively, they promote questionable domains. While a similar tool resides on a computer, you might notice an increasing number of advertisements. It seems that not long ago ads on a TV could drive you mad, but now the advertising business has moved into cyberspace.

Ads may not only be intrusive, but they might be a harbinger of more destructive threats. While major companies started to initiate campaigns and even penalize the companies displaying untrusted and intrusive commercial content ^[1], users still have to struggle with it on their own. We recommend you not delay the PUP removal. A trustworthy anti-malware tool helps you do that much faster.

Name	Startnewtab.info virus
Type	Browser hijacker
Symptoms	Homepage, default search engine, the new tab gets changed to this questionable site
Distribution	Freeware installation methods that involve software bundling
Danger	Exposure to tons of advertisements can trigger malicious program infiltration too
Elimination	Your device can be cleaned if you manage to run a proper anti-malware scan
Repair	Various parts of the system like registry or system data get damaged by the cyber infection, so you should rely on the Fortect Intego that can find and fix issues for you

Earning easy money has always been an attractive idea for users and crooks of various ilk. While some even engage in ransomware-creating activities and likewise boosting the billion-dollar business ^[2], others stick to lesser means.

Browser hijackers are the most prevalent PUPs along with the adware. Since usually, they hardly differ from ordinary search engines, many users accidentally install them, or they hijack their browsers before they notice. There are key features of how you can distinguish a suspicious browsing tool.

In the majority of cases, the key search engine is entitled Google Custom Search or “Powered by Google.” Thus, less experienced computer users might fall for such bait thinking that it is a legitimate browsing engine. Secondly, some browser hijackers display advertisements on the homepage. Some fish for new users by offering quick access to popular shopping web pages and email accounts.

In the case of the Start New Tab, it might not look suspicious in the first place. Sometimes you need to look deeper to obtain a better insight. You should look at the privacy policy of this hijacker. Usually, it mentions how a search engine treats users' non-personal and personal information.

While using this hijacker, you should beware of Startnewtab.info redirect. This phenomenon might become too annoying since it may facilitate more serious problems ^[3]. It is likely that you may get redirected to poorly protected sponsored domains.

If they are infected, it becomes only a matter of time when a virus gets into a computer. What is more, this hijacker does not support security plug-ins and extensions. The absence of them increases the risk of encountering an infected web page. While some plug-ins may annoy users ^[4], others are quite practical. There are more than enough arguments to remove Startnewtab.info from the device.

Browser-based threats can get installed silently

It is likely that this PUP has entered your device along with a free application. Specifically, browser hijack happened when you were installing a newly downloaded free application. While skipping through the instructions, you overlooked attachments. Even legitimate programs distribute questionable optional attachments.

It is necessary to unmark them before they enter into the device. In order to spot them all, upon installing a new application, choose “Custom” settings. Later on, remove all unwanted add-ons. Being vigilant might help you prevent a number of various irritating applications ^[5].

Eradicating Startnewtab.info can improve the performance

Since it is merely a browser hijacker, it should not cause problems. If you are looking for a fast solution, we recommend installing an anti-spyware application. It is designed to detect and delete a variety of PUPs. It deals with startnewtab.info removal much faster.

This software is a practical tool confronting more complex malware. Lastly, you may use manual instructions to remove the startnewtab.info virus from the device. After that, you may need to fully reset the settings.

Uninstall from Windows

Uninstall from Windows 10/8:

Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:

Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.

Remove the unwanted program:

In the Programs and Features window, look for any recently installed suspicious entries, select them, and click Uninstall.
If User Account Control appears, click Yes to confirm, then complete the removal.

Delete from macOS

Remove the unwanted application:

From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
In the Applications folder, look for any suspicious entries, then drag them to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash).

Delete leftover files and folders:

Select Go > Go to Folder.
Enter /Library/Application Support and remove any suspicious folders related to the unwanted program.
Repeat the same check in the /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders, deleting any suspicious entries.
Finally, empty the Trash to permanently remove the leftovers.

Remove 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 extension and click on the Gear icon.
Click Remove.

Clear cookies and other browser data:

Click on the Menu (three horizontal dots at the top-right of the browser window) and select Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
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.

Restore new tab and homepage settings:

Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
Then find On startup section.
Click Remove next to any suspicious startup page.

Reset MS Edge if the 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.

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, search 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.
This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.

Remove 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 the unwanted extension and click Remove.

Reset the homepage:

Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
Choose Settings.
Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.

Clear cookies and site data:

Click Menu and pick Settings.
Go to Privacy & Security section.
Scroll down to locate Cookies and Site Data.
Click on Clear Data...
Select Cookies and Site Data and Temporary cached files and pages, then click Clear.

Reset Mozilla Firefox

If clearing the browser as explained above did not help, 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.

Remove 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 suspicious extensions related to the unwanted program 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.

Change your homepage:

Click menu and choose Settings.
Look for a suspicious site in the On startup section.
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:

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.

Delete from Safari

Remove dangerous extensions:

Open Safari, click Safari in the menu at the top-left of the screen, and select Preferences.
Go to the Extensions tab, look for any suspicious entries, and click Uninstall to remove them.

Clear history and website data:

Click Safari in the menu and pick Clear History.
Set Clear to all history and confirm with Clear History.

Reset Safari:

Click Safari in the menu and select Preferences > Advanced.
Enable Show Develop menu in menu bar.
From the menu bar, click Develop and select Empty Caches.

How to remove Startnewtab.info virus

Startnewtab.info is a search engine that fills the screen with unwanted ads

Browser-based threats can get installed silently