Tab Recovery virus (Easy Removal Guide) - Chrome, Firefox, IE, Edge

Tab Recovery virus Removal Guide

What is Tab Recovery virus?

Tab Recovery is a minor security threat that will display annoying ads and engage in browser redirect activities

Tab RecoveryTab Recovery is a suspicious browser hijacker that displays advertisements on all visited sites and might lead to dangerous pages

Tab Recovery, otherwise known as Tab Recovery – Save & Organize Your Tabs, is a potentially unwanted application that users might install unintentionally via third-party software bundles. Once inside, the hijacker will change the homepage of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, or another browser to hxxps://tabrecovery.com and will redirect all searchers performed to Google. Despite that, due to the presence of Tab Recovery hijack, users will see several sponsored links and ads in the search results – this is one of the main symptoms of the infection.

Behind the scenes, Tab Recovery virus will also collect various information about users' web browsing habits to feed their browsers with targeted ads. As a result, they will often encounter redirects, pop-ups, auto-play, banners, and other kinds of advertisements on sites that they visit. To get rid of this unwanted activity, Tab Recovery removal should be performed – find out how below.

Name Tab Recovery, Tab Recovery – Save & Organize Your Tabs
Type Browser hijacker, potentially unwanted program
Infiltration In most cases, users install PUPs after being tricked by attractive ad/fake update, of after downloading freeware/shareware from third-party sites that use software bundling scheme
Related domains tabrecovery.com, explormatrix.com
Symptoms New tab address, homepage, and the search engine altered; all search results are injected with sponsored links at the top; ads are more frequently encountered on all visited websites; web browser fails to load certain pages or does that slowly; unwanted browser extensions and apps installed on the computer
Risks Installation of other potentially unwanted programs or malware, personal information disclosure to unknown parties (potentially, cybercriminals), financial losses
Removal To get rid of potentially unwanted application and the browser extension, follow the guide provided below
Optimization In case your computer does not work as well as it did before the infection, perform a scan with a repair tool like FortectIntego

Unlike many other browser hijackers like Shipment Trackers, My Login Helper, Protect My Search Daily, and many others, Tab Recovery uses a different web address for a new tab. While users will see tabrecovery.com as their homepage, the new tab address will be explormatrix.com – another untrustworthy search engine that delivers ad-filled search results and sponsored links and is not related to any reputable search providers like Google.

The problem with fake search engines like Tab Recovery is that they provide allegedly useful functionality, although the main goal of PUPs is to deliver commercial content to users, sometimes even compromising their online safety. Due to web browser changes and links to sponsored sites, users might expose themselves to dangers, such as:

  • A fake alert that prompts to download (an update for) Adobe Flash Player that would allow accessing the contents of the site. Such installations may end up in malware infection, such as ransomware or a banking trojan;[1]
  • A message which claims that visitors' computer is infected with malware, and needs cleaning. Users will download scamware[2] or similar malicious program that will try to make them pay for the licensed version;
  • Spoofing website that may look like original, despite using a different domain name. After entering sensitive information into provided fields, users send it directly to malicious actors;
  • Notification prompt may ask users to allow notifications to be shown directly to desktops, later bombarding them with intrusive, inappropriate, scam, and similar ads.

However, this is not all suspicious activity that is related to Tab Recovery – it also performs information gathering behind users' backs, as this activity becomes evident only if they access the Privacy Policy of the app. Unfortunately, this is done very rarely, as users mostly miss the installation of the app in the first place, since deceptive practices are used to spread it.

Note that you can remove Tab Recovery functionality before it even manages to penetrate your web browsers – simply do not press the “Keep changes” prompt. This functionality has been implemented by most modern browsers in order to avoid unsolicited changes being made by browser hijackers.

Tab Recovery hijackTab Recovery is a browser hijacker that shows sponsored links in search results

Even if you do not apply the changes, the Tab Recovery PUP and Tab Recovery – Save & Organize Your Tabs might still be present on your machine. To get rid of these, you can either follow our manual instructions below or scan the machine with reputable anti-malware software. Finally, reset the installed browsers and perform a scan with FortectIntego for the best results.

Stay away from potentially unwanted programs – they might be much more sneaky and dangerous than it may seem

While browser hijackers are considered to be minor computer infections, they should never be ignored. The installation of such programs might not destroy your computer functions or harvest your credit card data, but it may serve as a link to sites that are less than secure. The main issue with PUPs is that users are sometimes forced to visit scam sites, claiming that their machines are infected and that they need to fix them with some alleged “security tool.” These fake programs are compiled in a way that act like malware and deliver false-positives[3] in order to make users believe that their computers are in grave dangers. Such scenario is not unique, and can be thousands of others, resulting in infiltration of other PUPs/malware, financial losses, and many more negative consequences.

Thus, stay away from apps that do not bring anything to the table – the functionality that many programs offer is often misleading and generally useless. For example, links that are often inserted into the homepage of the hijacked browser can be created manually based on every person's preferences, instead of having a preset template that displays intrusive ads, disturbing the online web time.

To avoid getting infected with browser hijackers and other PUPs, users should pay close attention to the installation process of freeware apps. In general, official sources should be preferred if possible, as these have set measures to prevent deception used by some developers. Nonetheless, if you choose to go for third-parties, make sure you watch over the installation process carefully and always opt for Advanced/Custom settings (instead of Recommended/Quick) when prompted. This will allow you to unckeck the pre-ticked boxes and get rid of browser extensions, fake system optimizers, file converters, and other deceptive software that could put your online privacy and safety at risk.

Tab Recovery virusAlthough Tab Recovery can be downloaded from official sources, users typically install if unintentionally while obtaining freeware

Get rid of Tab Recovery browser hijacker

There are several parts to Tab Recovery removal, as there are several components that are involved in the infection routine. A browser extension can usually be eliminated relatively easily – simply by right-clicking on it and selecting “Remove from Chrome” or “Remove extension” (depending on your web browser used). However, do not forget that the unwanted app might have modified several settings of the browser, so resetting it is sometimes the only way to remove Tab Recovery redirects, ads, and other suspicious activity.

Finally, Tab Recovery virus can also be installed as a standalone application and it needs to be uninstalled. For that, you should check our detailed removal guide below for macOS and Windows systems. Additionally, you could also employ anti-malware software and perform a full computer scan to ensure that no malicious software managed to infiltrate it during the operation of the browser hijacker.

You may remove virus damage with a help of FortectIntego. 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.

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Compatible with Microsoft Windows Compatible with macOS
What to do if failed?
If you failed to fix virus damage using Fortect Intego, submit a question to our support team and provide as much details as possible.
Fortect Intego has a free limited scanner. Fortect Intego offers more through scan when you purchase its full version. When free scanner detects issues, you can fix them using free manual repairs or you can decide to purchase the full version in order to fix them automatically.
Alternative Software
Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Fortect, try running SpyHunter 5.
Alternative Software
Different software has a different purpose. If you didn’t succeed in fixing corrupted files with Intego, try running Combo Cleaner.

Getting rid of Tab Recovery virus. Follow these steps

Uninstall from Windows

Get rid of Tab Recovery from Windows by follow these instructions:

Instructions for Windows 10/8  machines:

  1. Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
  2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program. Uninstall from Windows 1
  3. From the list, find the entry of the suspicious program.
  4. Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.
  5. If User Account Control shows up, click Yes.
  6. Wait till uninstallation process is complete and click OK. Uninstall from Windows 2

If you are Windows 7/XP user, proceed with the following instructions:

  1. Click on Windows Start > Control Panel located on the right pane (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
  2. In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program. Uninstall from Windows 7/XP
  3. Pick the unwanted application by clicking on it once.
  4. At the top, click Uninstall/Change.
  5. In the confirmation prompt, pick Yes.
  6. Click OK once the removal process is finished.

Delete from macOS

In order to uninstall unwanted apps on macOS systems, users should put them to Trash as follows:

Remove items from Applications folder:

  1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
  2. In the Applications folder, look for all related entries.
  3. Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash) Uninstall from Mac 1

To fully remove an unwanted app, you need to access Application Support, LaunchAgents, and LaunchDaemons folders and delete relevant files:

  1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
  2. Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
  3. In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries and then delete them.
  4. Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files. Uninstall from Mac 2

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 on Uninstall at the bottom. 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 Privacy & security.
  2. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  3. Select everything (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 Disable if you found any suspicious domain.

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

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.

  1. Find the following folder on your computer: C:\\Users\\%username%\\AppData\\Local\\Packages\\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe.
  2. Press Ctrl + A on your keyboard to select all folders.
  3. Right-click on them and pick Delete Advanced MS Edge reset 1
  4. Now right-click on the Start button and pick Windows PowerShell (Admin).
  5. 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 Advanced MS Edge reset 2

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. Reset Chromium Edge

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

In case you are unable to remove Tab Recovery – Save & Organize Your Tabs extension in a regular way, you can reset Mozilla Firefox as explained below:

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 unwanted plugin 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 Options.
  3. Under Home options, enter your preferred site that will open every time you newly open the Mozilla Firefox.

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, as well as Cached Web Content and press 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 the suspicious plugins that might be 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 unwanted extensions from Safari:

  1. Click Safari > Preferences…
  2. In the new window, pick Extensions.
  3. Select the unwanted extension and select Uninstall. Remove extensions from Safari

Clear cookies and other website data from Safari:

  1. Click Safari > Clear History…
  2. From the drop-down menu under Clear, pick all history.
  3. Confirm with Clear History. Clear cookies and website data from Safari

Reset Safari if the above-mentioned steps did not help you:

  1. Click Safari > Preferences…
  2. Go to Advanced tab.
  3. Tick the Show Develop menu in menu bar.
  4. From the menu bar, click Develop, and then select Empty Caches. Reset Safari

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 Tab Recovery 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: FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes.

How to prevent from getting browser hijacker

Access your website securely from any location

When you work on the domain, site, blog, or different project that requires constant management, content creation, or coding, you may need to connect to the server and content management service more often. The best solution for creating a tighter network could be a dedicated/fixed IP address.

If you make your IP address static and set to your device, you can connect to the CMS from any location and do not create any additional issues for the server or network manager that needs to monitor connections and activities. VPN software providers like Private Internet Access can help you with such settings and offer the option to control the online reputation and manage projects easily from any part of the world.

 

Recover files after data-affecting malware attacks

While much of the data can be accidentally deleted due to various reasons, malware is one of the main culprits that can cause loss of pictures, documents, videos, and other important files. More serious malware infections lead to significant data loss when your documents, system files, and images get encrypted. In particular, ransomware is is a type of malware that focuses on such functions, so your files become useless without an ability to access them.

Even though there is little to no possibility to recover after file-locking threats, some applications have features for data recovery in the system. In some cases, Data Recovery Pro can also help to recover at least some portion of your data after data-locking virus infection or general cyber infection. 

 

About the author
Gabriel E. Hall
Gabriel E. Hall - Passionate web researcher

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