Widgi Toolbar - updated Jan 2021
Widgi Toolbar Removal Guide
What is Widgi Toolbar?
Widgi Toolbar – adware-type program that should not be trusted
Widgi Toolbar is a potentially unwanted program (PUP) from Spigot Inc., which can also be categorized as an adware and a potentially unwanted program. It is presented as one of Internet Explorer components and, in most cases, can be downloaded together with IE updates.
However, it may also appear on your Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and any other web browser without any permission asked. This happens due to a prominent PUP distribution technique known as software bundling, where several apps are installed at once (instead of one).
Name | Widgi Toolbar |
Type | Adware, potentially unwanted program |
Developer | Spigot Inc. |
Distribution | Software bundles, insecure third-party websites, fake updates |
Dangers | Monetary losses, installation of other potentially unwanted programs, personal data disclosure to unknown parties |
Removal | You can uninstall potentially unwanted programs manually by following our guide below or employing security software that would do the job for you automatically |
System fix | Malware or adware infections can diminish the performance of your computer or cause serious stability issues (crashes, errors, shut downs, lag, etc.). Use FortectIntego to remediate your device and ensure that the virus damage is eliminated |
As soon as the Widgi Toolbar virus enters the computer, it may alter various system settings what may cause the appearance of an unknown start page, default search engine, and a new tab page on each of your web browsers. This is done in order to ensure the functionality of the PUP.
Once this toolbar finishes needed system changes, it may start messing it up by displaying continuous pop-up ads, altered search results and other questionable content during victim's browsing on the web. While many of these ads can be completely safe and lead to reputable websites, some advertisements might direct you to potentially dangerous places on the internet.
Besides, it may start slowing down your PC system or may also redirect you to unfamiliar websites. This technique is used for helping these sites to increase their page rank or sales.
No matter that this toolbar may seem like a typical search tool, you should keep in order your computer because by ignoring Widgi Toolbar redirects, you may be tricked into visiting dangerous or unsafe sites. These sites may trick you into installing more potentially unwanted programs on the system.
Finally, the app might also start collecting information about you, which may include:
- IP address
- Geo-location
- Technical device details
- Installed programs
- Visited websites
- Clicked links
- Search queries, etc.
To sum up, no matter that technically, this program is not considered a virus, you should be very careful with it and remove Widgi Toolbar from your system for good. We recommend you eliminate it from the system as soon as it hijacks your Internet Explorer or another web browser.
The easiest way to do that is by running a full system scan with reputable anti-spyware and then eliminating malicious files that it detects. When trying to remove Widgi Toolbar, we used SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner, although other security programs should suffice.
We can easily recommend you to use this program because it showed really great results when detecting this application and eliminating it from the system. Additionally, if a full system scan revealed malware on the device, you can employ FortectIntego to ensure your computer performance is not compromised
Widgi Toolbar hijack may appear unexpectedly
You can download this application from the Internet just like any other application. It is available at download, cnet, and other download sites. However, the Widgi Toolbar virus can also infiltrate your computer unnoticed because it's actively spread in a bundle with freeware and shareware.
To prevent its infiltration, you should be very careful when downloading free programs from the Internet. Instead of clicking the “Next” button until the “Finish” comes up and letting Widgi Toolbar hijack your browsers, you should choose Custom or Advanced installation and then deselect all unfamiliar checkmarks that typically agree with the installation of various toolbars, extensions, plugins, and add-ons.
If you think it's too late because this program has already infiltrated your computer, you should follow the guide below and get rid of it.
Delete Widgi Toolbar virus along with other unwanted programs
If the Widgi Toolbar virus has already infiltrated your computer, you shouldn't leave it there because it may initiate various annoying and dangerous activities on it. In order to avoid misleading pop-up ads and security-related issues, you should delete the app in one of the following ways:
- manually
- automatically.
You can follow the detailed manual guide provided by our experts. After looking for unwanted programs on your machine, you should also not forget to clean your web browsers in order to prevent PUPs return after Widgi Toolbar removal. Alternatively, you could employ security software that would do all the tedious work for you instead.
While both methods can be as equally as effective, we highly recommend you remove Widgi Toolbar automatically, especially if you are a less IT-savvy individual.
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.
Getting rid of Widgi Toolbar. Follow these steps
Uninstall from Windows
Instructions for Windows 10/8 machines:
- 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 the entry of the 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 from macOS
Remove items from Applications folder:
- From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
- In the Applications folder, look for all related entries.
- Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)
To fully remove an unwanted app, 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 and then delete them.
- Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files.
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 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.
Restore new tab and homepage settings:
- Click the menu icon and choose Settings.
- Then find On startup section.
- Click Disable if you found any suspicious domain.
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.
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, 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.
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 unwanted plugin and click Remove.
Reset the homepage:
- Click three horizontal lines at the top right corner to open the menu.
- Choose Options.
- Under Home options, enter your preferred site that will open every time you newly open the Mozilla Firefox.
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, as well as Cached Web Content and press 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 the suspicious plugins that might be 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 unwanted extensions from Safari:
- Click Safari > Preferences…
- In the new window, pick Extensions.
- Select the unwanted extension 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 Widgi 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: FortectIntego, SpyHunter 5Combo Cleaner or Malwarebytes.
How to prevent from getting adware
Stream videos without limitations, no matter where you are
There are multiple parties that could find out almost anything about you by checking your online activity. While this is highly unlikely, advertisers and tech companies are constantly tracking you online. The first step to privacy should be a secure browser that focuses on tracker reduction to a minimum.
Even if you employ a secure browser, you will not be able to access websites that are restricted due to local government laws or other reasons. In other words, you may not be able to stream Disney+ or US-based Netflix in some countries. To bypass these restrictions, you can employ a powerful Private Internet Access VPN, which provides dedicated servers for torrenting and streaming, not slowing you down in the process.
Data backups are important – recover your lost files
Ransomware is one of the biggest threats to personal data. Once it is executed on a machine, it launches a sophisticated encryption algorithm that locks all your files, although it does not destroy them. The most common misconception is that anti-malware software can return files to their previous states. This is not true, however, and data remains locked after the malicious payload is deleted.
While regular data backups are the only secure method to recover your files after a ransomware attack, tools such as Data Recovery Pro can also be effective and restore at least some of your lost data.