Remove Tabquery.com virus (Free Instructions) - Easy Removal Guide
Tabquery.com search engine responds to user's queries with ads
Tabquery.com is a search tool that arrives as part of “SearchTab Search Engine” browser hijacker. Once installed, it switches browser’s homepage to search.tabquery.com and makes the same URL work as default search provider. This hijacker is extremely prevalent in Germany[1].
Cyber security experts have ranked this tool as potentially unwanted program (PUP) and added it to spyware category[2]. Such classification simply means that you should remove Tabquery.com as soon as you notice it on your computer. The hijacker only causes problems, such as:
- System slowdowns[3];
- Browser crashes;
- Unexpected redirects to suspicious domains;
- Pop-up ads and banners emerging on random Internet websites.
The hijacker reverts browser settings without asking for user’s direct permission. It usually travels alongside other free programs that cleverly hide statements about these extras to generate pay-per-install revenue.
It is not an illegal software distribution method, but it is the reason why so many computer users end up with unwanted software on their computers.
You might be wondering, what is the purpose of such vague search tools while there are hundreds of others? The answer is pay-per-click revenue. Browser hijackers are developed with the purpose to force computer users to use different search tools, and the purpose of these search engines is to serve sponsored content alongside regular search results.
Sadly, sponsored search results might lead you to highly dangerous Internet pages. Although it seems surprising, the developers of search tools usually do not endorse content shared by websites they advertise. This way, you can unexpectedly end up on dangerous websites and infect your PC with more spyware/malware.
The solution to this problem is Tabquery.com removal. You might want to use anti-spyware programs for it (for instance, ReimageIntego). In case you don’t, read the instructions we added at the end of this article.
Tabquery.com is a questionable search engine that becomes browser's homepage right after SearchTab Search Engine installation.
Choose the right software installation settings to avoid installing unwanted programs
The key to a spyware-free computer is a careful installation of computer programs. The vast majority of programs you can freely download and install from the Internet suggest installing a couple more programs alongside them.
Drop the additions off by configuring the installation settings properly. First of all, start by selecting Custom/Advanced settings. Then, take a look at statements provided there. If you see any suspicious suggestions to install unknown programs, deselect them.
A good idea would be to choose trustworthy software download sources. Select only reliable ones, but do not forget to alter installation settings just to be sure that no spyware gets into your computer unnoticed.
Remove Tabquery.com and restore browser settings
To sum up, Tabquery.com removal is required to retrieve access to your browser’s settings. It is the only method to alter your homepage and search settings again. Therefore, we suggest that you find that SearchTab Search Engine virus in your system and delete it. Use the instructions given below the article to complete the task sooner.
If you can’t remove Tabquery.com virus manually, consider choosing anti-malware software to help you out. It will detect all files and programs that might pose a threat to your computer and eliminate them all together.
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 Tabquery.com virus, follow these steps:
Eliminate Tabquery.com from Windows systems
Uninstall TabQuery desktop. To find its uninstaller, go to Control Panel > Programs and Features or simply follow the tutorial provided below.
To remove Tabquery.com virus 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 Tabquery.com virus (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.
Uninstall Tabquery.com from Mac OS X system
If your macOS is displaying some infection symptoms, proceed with the following guide:
Remove Tabquery.com virus from Applications folder:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for Tabquery.com virus-related entries.
- Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)
To fully remove Tabquery.com virus, 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 Tabquery.com virus and then delete them.
- Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the Tabquery.com virus-related entries.
Get rid of Tabquery.com 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 Tabquery.com virus 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 Tabquery.com virus removal.
Erase Tabquery.com virus 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 Tabquery.com virus-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.
Remove Tabquery.com from Mozilla Firefox (FF)
Your goal is to eliminate SearchTab Search Engine add-on from Firefox.
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 Tabquery.com virus 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 Tabquery.com virus 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 Tabquery.com virus removal.
Delete Tabquery.com from Google Chrome
If you do not know how to remove TabQuery virus from Chrome, use the provided instructions to find and delete SearchTab Search Engine extension.
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 Tabquery.com virus 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 Tabquery.com virus-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 Tabquery.com virus removal.
Eliminate Tabquery.com from Safari
Remove unwanted extensions from Safari:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- In the new window, pick Extensions.
- Select the unwanted extension related to Tabquery.com virus 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 Tabquery.com 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.
Do not let government spy on you
The government has many issues in regards to tracking users' data and spying on citizens, so you should take this into consideration and learn more about shady information gathering practices. Avoid any unwanted government tracking or spying by going totally anonymous on the internet.
You can choose a different location when you go online and access any material you want without particular content restrictions. You can easily enjoy internet connection without any risks of being hacked by using Private Internet Access VPN.
Control the information that can be accessed by government any other unwanted party and surf online without being spied on. Even if you are not involved in illegal activities or trust your selection of services, platforms, be suspicious for your own security and take precautionary measures by using the VPN service.
Backup files for the later use, in case of the malware attack
Computer users can suffer from data losses due to cyber infections or their own faulty doings. Ransomware can encrypt and hold files hostage, while unforeseen power cuts might cause a loss of important documents. If you have proper up-to-date backups, you can easily recover after such an incident and get back to work. It is also equally important to update backups on a regular basis so that the newest information remains intact – you can set this process to be performed automatically.
When you have the previous version of every important document or project you can avoid frustration and breakdowns. It comes in handy when malware strikes out of nowhere. Use Data Recovery Pro for the data restoration process.
- ^ DieViren. DieViren. Malware Removal Guides, Security News.
- ^ Alice Woods. Spyware. 2-Spyware. Fighting against Spyware, Malware.
- ^ Brian Lisse. The Spyware and Malware War. Madison Computer Works. White Papers.
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