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  • Active
  • Severity: Medium
  • Browser Hijackers
  • Windows, Mac
  • Verified · Mar 2021

How to remove TopIncognitoSearch

A step-by-step removal guide for affected devices. Follow the verified procedure below — most readers complete it in under 10 minutes.

Ugnius Kiguolis · The mastermind

TopIncognitoSearch – a browser hijacker promoting a fake search site and showing ads causing redirects to hazardous websites

TopIncognitoSearch browser hijacker

TopIncognitoSearch is a potentially unwanted program that alters particular browser preferences, including the default search engine, new tab, and homepage, to control your search traffic. This browser hijacker can be installed as an app or an extension and will change your default search engine to feed.topincognitosearch.com.

That's an address of a fake search site that doesn't produce any search results. Depending on your geolocation, you will be shown results from Yahoo, Bing, Searchlee, or other sources. By causing these redirects, the browser hijacker is able to alter the search results by injecting ads into them.

Furthermore, TopIncognitoSearch virus is capable of collecting various non-personal information.[1] Due to their shady functions and stealthy installation methods, browser hijackers are classified as potentially unwanted programs. This article will explain how these threats are distributed, how they work, what risks they pose, and how to get rid of them.

name TopIncognitoSearch
Type Redirect virus, browser hijacker, PUP
promoted fake search site feed.topincognitosearch.com, portal.topincognitosearch.com
IP address 104.21.53.197
Altered browser settings Default search engine, homepage, new tab
Symptoms Apart from the browser changes, ads are displayed in search results. Redirects to hazardous portals might occur
Risks Privacy issues, financial losses, malware infections
Distribution Freeware bundles, fake Flash Player updates, deceptive ads
Removal You can eliminate any cyber threats by scanning your device with reliable anti-malware software. Make sure it has the latest virus signatures
System Health You should check and repair any damage that system directories and settings sustained by performing a full system scan with the FortectIntego system diagnostics tool

TopIncognitoSearch browser hijacker is one of many that are regularly created to impede the browsing experiences of users worldwide. It bears many similarities to other PUPs such as GetSearchConverter virus,  PDFSearchWeb virus, 4KMovieSearch virus, and lots of others.

All of them, including TopIncognitoSearch, can record your browsing habits, for example, addresses of visited sites, device/browser details, used apps, geolocations, IP addresses, search inquires, etc. This data is mainly used for advertising purposes.

These browser intruders can be falsely advertised as useful tools that would increase your privacy, make searches faster, block ads, increase browsing speed, etc. In fact, they do the exact opposite by making the devices sluggish, slowing down browsing speeds, and showing deceptive ads.

That's where it gets really complicated. TopIncognitoSearch ads might get you in real trouble. It doesn't matter what an ad is claiming. After clicking it, you can be redirected to an affiliated website with all kinds of explicit, hazardous, or even malicious content, including but not limited to:

  • fake updates,
  • tech support scams,
  • malware,
  • porn,
  • gambling,
  • push notification viruses, etc.

TopIncognitoSearch ads

TopIncognitoSearch redirect to any of these abovementioned portals could happen out of nowhere. Potentially unwanted program developers have a tendency to promote other shady sites or whoever pays the most money. Thus PUPs can sometimes act as a gateway to malware.

It doesn't matter if you installed it willingly or it appeared on your device out of the blue. You have to remove TopIncognitoSearch ASAP to prevent additional infections. According to many user reviews, the best tools to eliminate such threats are free security tools such as SpyHunterCombo Cleaner or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes.

Once TopIncognitoSearch removal is finished, you should consider taking care of the overall system health. IT experts from Semvirus.pt[2] highly recommend using the all-in-one FortectIntego system optimizer. It will delete any traces of the infection from the system and clean up junk files automatically.

Don't trust pop-ups and other ads when visiting shady websites

Adware,[3] browser hijackers, unnecessary toolbars, and other potentially unwanted programs can be spread in a myriad of ways, from software bundles to torrent platforms. One of the most popular ways they're sneakily delivered is deceptive ads.

They might state that software on your device is outdated (especially Flash Player) and you need to install the latest version immediately; that an app will increase your device performance tenfold; or that you have a virus infection and need to download a particular tool capable of removing it.

Please remember that all these claims are pure lies. They're made up to scare you or convince you that you need a worthless app that will do nothing as advertised. No website is able to identify whether the software on your device requires updates or if you have some sort of a virus infection.

TopIncognitoSearch redirect

Guidelines for a quick and easy TopIncognitoSearch removal

PUP infections attract other shady software or even malware by promoting it online. Thus in the worst-case scenario, having a browser hijacker like TopIncognitoSearch virus installed on your device might lead to Trojans, ransomware, or other serious malware infections.

So please don't hesitate and remove TopIncognitoSearch immediately. You should entrust this task to reliable anti-malware software that will take care of it automatically. Please remember to keep your security tools updated so they can identify and block the latest threats.

Then, use our free instructions below to finish TopIncognitoSearch removal manually from your browsers. If that won't help, reset them. Afterward, either delete browsing history, all tracking cookies, and other junk files yourself or use a system repair tool that will do it automatically. 

Uninstall from Windows

Uninstall from Windows 10/8:

  1. Type Control Panel into the Windows search box and open the result.
  2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 10/8

Uninstall from Windows 7/XP:

  1. Click on Windows Start > Control Panel (Windows XP users should click on Add/Remove Programs).
  2. In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.Uninstall from Windows 7/XP

Remove the unwanted program:

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

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 Remove.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 Settings > Privacy, search, and services..
  2. Under Clear browsing data, pick Choose what to clear.
  3. 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.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 Remove next to any suspicious startup page.

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

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.
  5. This will disable extensions and reset startup pages but will not delete bookmarks, saved passwords, or browsing history.Reset Chromium Edge

Remove from Mozilla Firefox (FF)

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 the unwanted extension 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 Settings.
  3. Under Home, set your preferred homepage and new tab settings.

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 and Temporary cached files and pages, then click 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 suspicious extensions 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 dangerous extensions:

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

Clear history and website data:

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

Reset Safari:

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

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